Chapter 2
Bud swore that he'd never even touch a hair on her head, never make her cry.
What was said offhand ended up hurting deeply. When he was twenty, Bud was crazy about Veronica. She was his whole world. But by thirty, Bud could hit her in cold blood because of another woman.
Inside, Eugenia heard the noise and walked out, eyes red from crying, pretending like she was about to leave.
Veronica could hear the shakiness in Eugenia's voice as she said, "Bud, since Mrs. Burgess doesn't want me here, I guess I'll just go.
"She's right. I'm nothing but your secret mistress."
She practically bit out that last part, clearly playing it up for Bud to notice. Bud couldn't stand it. He wrapped her tightly in his arms, trying to calm her down.
"This is all on me, Eugenia. If you didn't care about me, you wouldn't be stuck with me like this," Bud said softly, guilt heavy in his voice.
Eugenia's tears streamed down her face even harder when she heard those words.
Eugenia said, "Bud, I don't care about status or what the world thinks of me. I just want to redeem you and Annie."
Veronica glared at Eugenia, who was standing there in skimpy lingerie, pure disgust twisting inside her.
She yanked Eugenia's arm and barked, "I dare you to walk out like that. Let everyone see what you're wearing. Let them see how you seduce a married man, let them—"
"Veronica, that's enough!" Before Veronica could get the rest out, Bud lost it and cut her off mid-rant.
He continued, "You think causing drama like this is gonna end well for you? You better remember what I'm really capable of.
"If you really want to push things this far, I swear you'll never see Annie again for the rest of your life.
"Isn't she your precious one?
"So just behave and quit making a scene. There are bank cards in the study. Take whichever you want. Consider it your compensation for that slap.
"Don't bother me tonight."
The door slammed shut in Veronica's face, leaving her utterly humiliated. She just stood there, refusing to walk away, almost torturing herself as she listened to the heavy breathing and thudding noises coming from inside.
She didn't move for ages, then finally nodded to herself, eyes glued to the door as she spoke out loud.
She said, 'Bud, are right.
"Fine. I'll hand you over. What does it matter anyway?
"I can give her the master bedroom. I can also give her my man."
Veronica hadn't gotten a single hour of sleep last night. When she finally dragged herself downstairs, eyes swollen and red, Bud had his arm around Eugenia on the couch. As soon as Eugenia saw her, she glanced back with a sly, mysterious smile.
"Veronica, I know I was out of line last night. So I've specially prepared a gift for you," Eugenia said.
Veronica knew Eugenia was plotting something. She was just about to shut her down with a cold stare when the doorbell suddenly rang.
The doorbell kept ringing, each chime like a death knell, making Veronica want to bolt. But before she could, Bud spoke up. "Veronica, this is a gift Eugenia spent all night thinking about. Don't let her down."
He lowered his head and whispered something to Eugenia, but Veronica caught every word.
Bud murmured, "Because of this gift, you couldn't even focus on me in bed last night. How should I punish you for that?"
"Tonight, I'll obey you completely, sir. You can use any toy you want. I won't beg you to stop..." Eugenia replied.
Veronica listened in mounting discomfort. She went to answer the door, but the moment she saw who was standing outside, her breath hitched, and a chill ran through her.
"Not happy to see I'm out?" a mocking voice came from the doorway.
Back then, after Bud took a beating and ended up with broken ribs just to protect Veronica, he did whatever it took to get her stepdad thrown straight into prison/
Bud told Veronica in the past, "As long as I say nothing, that animal rots in there forever.
"Veronica, you're safe now."
Eugenia could never make a prisoner who was locked up by the most powerful man in town, unless Bud approved this.
"Bud, this is all you, isn't it? You let him out, didn't you?" Veronica demanded.
Bud looked a little guilty for a second, but then he straightened up, trying to act all tough.
"Eugenia says you've always had these hidden emotional issues. If you don't deal with them, it'll end up affecting Annie's recovery," Bud said coldly.
Eugenia chimed in right then.