Chapter 2
But I was standing right by the door, shivering as the icy wind whipped under my dress, sending chills up my bare arms and shoulders. Goosebumps prickled across my skin.
I reached back and undid the clasp of my gown. The thin fabric slipped down, baring most of my shoulder and the curve of my back.
A couple of women in the crowd gasped and covered their eyes, unwilling to watch any further.
The men, on the other hand, seemed all too delighted.
Only Simon’s gaze turned as dark as midnight, his lips pressed into a thin line. The only sign of unrest was the faint tremor of the cigarette pinched between his fingers.
As the dress slid from.my body, I was left standing there, nearly exposed in front of everyone.
Simon’s hand jerked as the burning cigarette singed his fingers, and he immediately tossed it away. In a swift motion, he shrugged off his suit jacket and draped it over my shoulders.
“Vivian, have you completely lost your mind?”
He glared at the room. “Everyone, shut your eyes. If I hear a single word about what happened tonight, you won’t live to see tomorrow. Out. Now.”
Simon rarely lost his temper, especially at events like these. The people gathered here were all old acquaintances, and they quickly got the message and made themselves scarce.
Even the nine young women Simon had brought with him slipped upstairs one by one. Only Lily Winters remained, standing her ground.
“Are you satisfied now, Simon? Is that enough? Can I go?”
I tipped my head back stubbornly, meeting Simon’s eyes. Even though my vision blurred with tears, I refused to let them fall. I’d cried too many times for Simon. I wasn’t going to shed
another tear over him.
“Spare me the theatrics, Vivian. I’ve had enough of your little games.”
He still didn’t believe me, warning me not to embarrass the Sterling family.
I drew a shaky breath and spoke again. “Simon, this time I really want a divorce.”
He barked out a laugh as if I’d just told the world’s best joke. His hand clamped around the back of my neck, forcing me to bend.
“You think you can divorce me? Can you afford your father’s hospital bills? Can you pay for your mother’s shopping sprees? Vivian, your mother would be the first to beg me not to leave you.”
Simon’s disgust for me and my mother was no longer something he bothered to hide. He hated her for what she’d done, hated me for letting it happen.
“Even if your mother hadn’t pulled her little stunt all those years ago, I would have married you. 1
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would have helped you. But you two chose the one thing I despise most,” he spat. “Vivian, you destroyed everything between us with your own hands.”
No matter how many times I tried to explain, Simon would never believe me.
When I stayed silent, his scowl deepened.
He dragged me over and forced me to kneel in front of one of the girls, pressing my neck until I bowed low. “Put her shoes on. You’ve been doing this for ten years–you should be used to it by
now.”
For a decade, I hadn’t just looked after Simon. I’d been forced to serve those nine girls, too. Things I should have done, things I never should have done, things I was coerced into and things I did without protest–I’d done more than enough to despise myself.
But now, all I wanted was for it to be over.
So I obediently slipped the girl’s shoes onto her feet, just like I always had.
Maybe my submission bored Simon, because he dragged me into his bedroom in a fit of anger. Right in front of me, he stripped Lily Winters‘ dress away.
I’d seen it all before–sometimes Simon would even insist I teach the girls myself.
I handed him an open condom, just as I always did.
But this time, Simon shoved my hand aside. “Not tonight.”
My hand shook as I pulled back.
Simon kept going, but for once, he looked up at me. I didn’t meet his gaze. I couldn’t be bothered anymore.
Simon grew enraged again and locked me in the bathroom.
Outside, wind and snow battered the windows; the noises from the other room went on all night. I sat there, listening to everything.
At some point, I drifted off, only to be startled awake by my phone ringing insistently.
“Miss Sutton? Your mother’s been in an accident. She’s in critical condition at Metropolitan General. Please come as soon as possible.”
My heart leapt to my throat.
“Simon!” I pounded on the bathroom door, desperate to break through the sounds from the other side.
Simon finally opened the door, a bathrobe hanging loosely from his shoulders, lipstick stains and hickeys scattered across his skin. Lily clung to him, refusing to let go.
“What is it?”
“My mother was in a car accident! Please, take me to the hospital!”
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I dropped to my knees, begging him, tears finally spilling over. I was terrified he’d refuse just because he was in a foul mood.
Lily scoffed. “You expect us to believe that, Vivian? It’s three in the morning, there’s a blizzard out there! Who in their right mind would leave the house on a night like this–did a car just plow through your mother’s living room or something?”
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