Chapter 3

My hands instinctively reached for his belt, ready to unbuckle it to please him. At Ridgeview, if you were a second too slow, another man would join in.

"Chloe Miller!" Christian’s voice vibrated with suppressed fury. "Have you no shame? Three years, and this is the trashy, cheap filth you learned?"

"No... I didn’t..." My voice came out cracked and hollow.

"No?" He bent down, grabbing my chin, forcing my face up. "Then what the hell are you doing right now? Huh?"

My lips trembled so violently I couldn't form words. I stared at the buttons of his pajama shirt, not daring to look into his eyes.

"Let me tell you something," he leaned in, his cold breath brushing against my skin, sending shivers of terror down my spine. "Even if you stripped naked and lay on this bed right now, I wouldn’t even spare you a glance!"

He turned on his heel and slammed the door. Within seconds, I heard the door to the master bedroom next door open.

First came Hailey’s sleepy, whimpering voice. "Christian? What's wrong..."

Then came his muffled, strained response.

Soon, the mattress began to creak, the sound growing louder and more rhythmic. Hailey’s moans pierced through the thin walls, rising higher and higher.

I covered my ears, curling into a ball. No, this was wrong.

At Ridgeview, those men never made noise. There were only heavy grunts, the clinking of belt buckles, and then they left when they were done.

I crawled on my hands and knees into the furthest corner of the room, pressing my forehead against the freezing wall.

"Chloe will be good..."

"Chloe doesn’t love Christian anymore..."

"Never again... never again..."

I chanted the words like a mantra until my forehead went numb, until the noises next door finally stopped.

I fell asleep on the floor just as dawn was breaking.

Mrs. Gable came in with a basin of water. When she saw me huddled in the corner, her eyes welled with tears.

"Miss Chloe! Oh my god, your head..." She rushed over to help me up.

I flinched away from her hand. "I’m fine."

The girl in the mirror was ghostly pale, the dark bruise on my forehead glaringly obvious. I pulled my bangs down to cover it.

When I went downstairs for breakfast, Christian and Hailey were already seated. Hailey looked radiant, wearing a silk nightgown, a prominent red mark blooming on the side of her neck.

"Chloe," Christian spoke suddenly, his eyes still fixed on the morning paper. "What happened to your head?"

My spoon paused. I kept eating. "I tripped."

"Tripped?" He lowered the paper, glaring at me. "How do you trip and get a bruise like that?"

Hailey placed a peeled egg onto his plate and said softly, "Oh, she probably just bumped into a door frame. Chloe is still adjusting to being back."

Christian ignored her, keeping his gaze locked on me. "I asked you a question. Are you playing games again—"

"I’m full," I said, pushing my bowl away and standing up. I had barely touched the oatmeal, but my stomach felt like it was filled with lead.

Three days. Just three more days, and I would be gone.

"Stop right there," Christian’s voice dropped, dangerous and low. "Did I say you could leave?"

Hailey quickly intervened. "Christian, don’t be so harsh. We’re going bridal gown shopping today. Why don’t we bring Chloe along? She can help me choose."

My fingernails dug into my palms. "I’m not going."

Christian slammed the newspaper onto the table with a loud *thud*.

"Did my words yesterday go through one ear and out the other? I told you to get along with Hailey!"

I lowered my head, my stomach twisting in pain. "Okay."

The bridal boutique was blindingly bright. At Ridgeview, we lived in endless darkness.

Hailey twirled in front of the mirror. "Christian, do you like it?"

Christian sat on the plush sofa, his legs crossed, nodding slightly. "It looks good."

He used to bring me to places like this. He used to tell me, *Our Chloe will look like a little angel in a white gown.*

Later, I had clung to him, asking, *Will you buy me the most beautiful wedding dress in the world when I grow up?*

He had ruffled my hair, laughing, *I’ll buy you an entire room full of them.*

"Chloe," Hailey called out, holding a sleek mermaid-style dress. "What do you think of this one?"

I looked up. "It’s nice."

"Why don't you try one on?" She smiled, her eyes crinkling. "I mean, even though you... well, every girl deserves to wear a wedding dress at least once."

She walked over, leaning close to my ear, her voice dropping to a vicious whisper.