Colton knew. He knew I had asthma. He knew the heat could trigger my attacks. He knew I was terrified of the dark.
He used to care. I remembered the time I got stuck in the elevator at his company’s tower. The lights went out. The air was thick. I was hyperventilating. Panicking.
And he didn’t hesitate. He broke protocol, demanded the power be rerouted just to get the doors open. He pulled me into his arms, whispering over and over, “You’re safe. I’ve got you. I’ll never let anything hurt you.”
Lies.
Because now? Now he locked me in the basement. A place that reeked of mold and metal. No windows. No lights. Just endless black swallowing me whole.
All because of her.
My voice cracked as I called his name. Again. Again. Again.
But my cries just echoed, bouncing off cold walls and mocking me back. No one came. No one even answered.
My chest tightened.
Tears blurred my vision as I pressed my back against the damp floor, curling into myself. “How… how did we end up here?” I whispered into the silence. “Did I really… believe you
loved me?”
Maybe I did. Maybe that was my biggest sin–believing in Colton.
But now the truth was louder than any of my screams: I was never his choice. Just a contract. A convenience. And when Shania returned, I became disposable..
Suddenly, I couldn’t breathe.
I gasped, clawing at the air. It was too hot. Too heavy. My lungs tightened like they were being wrung out.
“Asthma,” I choked out. “P–please…”
I reached for the door. Crawled toward the stairs. “Help…”
Nothing. No voice. No footsteps. Just the growing roar in my ears and the throb in my
head.
Then everything went black.
I woke to the soft beep of a heart monitor and the sterile scent of antiseptic. The lights were dim, but not dark. My body ached. I tried to move, but every inch of me pulsed with pain.
“You’re awake.” A nurse appeared beside me. Her voice was kind, but her expression… hesitant. “Don’t move too much, Miss Ellie. You’ve got some bruises. Insect bites too. And your breathing’s not fully stable yet.”
My lips were dry. “Wh–where… am I?”
Chanter 2
3/3 8.0%
“You’re awake.” A nurse appeared beside me. Her voice was kind, but her expression. hesitant. “Don’t move too much, Miss Ellie. You’ve got some bruises. Insect bites too. And your breathing’s not fully stable yet.”
My lips were dry. “Wh–where… am I?”
“You’re in a private hospital. You were found unconscious in a basement. Sent here by… a butler, I believe.”
I blinked. “Not my husband Colton?”
She shook her head. “No. No visitors have come.”
No calls, No messages. Nothing.
My heart cracked.
He left me there to die.
That was it. The last straw. I was done waiting. Done hoping.
Later that afternoon, I called the airline. I booked the earliest flight out going to Germany where I also sent my brother hoping he would wake up anytime soon. Then I took care of myself. Ate. Took my meds. Showered with the IV still taped to my arm.
No one would do it for me.
That evening, I sat on the hospital bed, wrapped in a blanket, scrolling through the internet just to pass time. That’s when I saw it.
A video from an auction.
Colton beside Shania, bidding ridiculously high on every item she glanced at. Shanial laughed as she kissed his cheeks. They were so sweet with each other.
“He’s definitely her sugar daddy.”
“No way, they look married.”
“Wait… isn’t that Colton Smith?”
“Is she his secret wife?”
My stomach twisted.
We never went public. Colton always said it was to protect me. “The media’s harsh,” he claimed. “They’ll eat you alive.”
But now it made sense. Maybe I was never meant to be introduced. A secret until Shania could return. Someone to warm his bed and fill the legal gap–until the woman he truly wanted could take her rightful place.
I tossed my phone aside, face buried in my pillow. I didn’t cry this time. I was too numb for tears. I closed my eyes, deciding I’d rest as much as I could. Ten days. I just needed to survive ten more days.
I thought sleep would numb me. But I was wrong.
I woke to sudden heat pressing against my ribs–too hot. Burning.
“Ahhh!” I screamed, jerking upright.
Chambar 3
2/3 10.7%
08:17 Sat, 24 May
I tossed my phone aside, face buried in my pillow. I didn’t cry this time. I was too numb for tears. I closed my eyes, deciding I’d rest as much as I could. Ten days. I just needed to survive ten more days.
I thought sleep would numb me. But I was wrong.
I woke to sudden heat pressing against my ribs–too hot. Burning.
“Ahhh!” I screamed, jerking upright.
My eyes flew open.
Shania. Standing at the foot of my bed. Holding a heat pad against my side. Smirking like the devil herself.
“Oops,” she said sweetly. “Too hot for your weak lungs?”
I tried to pull away, but she clicked her tongue and leaned closer.
“Still clinging to life, huh? Honestly… are you planning to stay? Or do you want to just die already, so I can finally have my Colton without your pathetic shadow?”
24 May
Chapte
