Chapter 4

I was dragged back to the villa. I used to think this place was my home, but now it is nothing but a prison for me.

Lily moved into the master bedroom—the room Charles and I had shared as husband and wife. Meanwhile, I was kicked into the maid's quarters, a room that was both dark and damp.

"Emma, hand-wash Lily's clothes."

"Emma, Lily wants lobster bisque. Go make it."

"Emma, the floor is filthy. Get on your knees and scrub it."

Charles was out for blood, finding every possible way to torment me just to appease Lily.

My body was still a wreck. Every time I moved, stabbing pain shot through my abdomen, and blood kept seeping out. But I didn't dare stop.

The moment I lagged, Charles would bring up the Sinclair family's debts or my father's mounting hospital bills. In this household, I was treated lower than the hired help.

*****

One evening, the rain was pouring down in torrents. Lily suddenly said she had a craving for pierogi from that famous old bistro on the south side of town.

Charles glanced at the downpour outside, then turned his gaze toward me as I scrubbed the floor. "Go get them."

I looked up, my face pale. "Now?"

"Why? Is there a problem?" Charles said.

I said, "The rain is too heavy, and that bistro is 12 miles away—"

"That's your problem." Charles cut me off and tossed a pair of car keys at my feet. "If you don't bring them back in two hours, I'll stop paying for your father's treatment tomorrow."

I gritted my teeth, grabbed the keys, and dashed out into the rain.

The car sped through the storm. My vision was a total blur—I couldn't tell if it was the rain on the windshield or the tears in my eyes.

By the time I got back with the pierogi, the slick roads and my own exhaustion had caught up to me. The car slammed into the guardrail as I took the turn near the villa. There was a deafening thud.

My head hit the steering wheel, and blood began to flow from my brow, clouding my vision. Ignoring the pain, I clutched the warm bag of pierogi to my chest and stumbled back into the villa.

"I got them..." I said as I pushed the door open. I was soaked to the bone and looking like a total wreck.

The living room was bathed in warm, bright light. Charles was sitting there, tenderly feeding Lily a perfectly cooked steak.

At the sound of my voice, they both looked up.

Charles glanced at the pierogi in my arms, then at the blood streaming down my face. He frowned slightly, but his expression hardened back into ice almost instantly.

"You're three minutes late." He spoke coldly. "Lily's already full."

"But..." My hand, still holding the bag, froze in mid-air.

"Just toss them in the dog bowl." Charles pulled out a napkin and gently wiped Lily's mouth. "That kind of food from an old bistro is unhygienic anyway. It'll only upset her stomach."

I stood there, trembling. Right then, the very last string holding my heart together finally snapped for good.

I set the pierogi on the table and calmly pulled a piece of paper from my pocket. It was a divorce settlement I had crumpled and smoothed out a dozen times. "Charles, I want a divorce."

The room fell into a dead silence.

Lily covered her mouth in shock, but her eyes were dancing with excitement.

Charles froze. He slowly turned around, squinting at me like he'd just heard the most ridiculous joke ever. "Emma, what kind of cat-and-mouse game are you playing now?"

He walked toward me, grabbed the agreement, and, without even glancing at it, tore it into tiny pieces. "A divorce? You think you have the right?"

The scraps of paper fluttered to the floor.

Charles grabbed my chin, his gaze dark and predatory. "You're the one who begged and pleaded to marry me. Now you want out? Not a chance. As long as I'm breathing, you're nothing but my chattel."

"And what if... I died?" I asked softly, looking him dead in the eye.

Charles flinched for a split second before letting out a sneer. "Then you'd better pay off what you owe Lily before you kick the bucket!"

I laughed. I laughed until the tears started rolling down my face. "Fine, I'll pay it back."

I shoved him away and bolted out into the torrential rain. Behind me, Charles' voice erupted in rage. "Emma, if you dare take one more step out that door, don't you ever think about coming back!"

I didn't look back. Charles, this time, I'm truly done with you.