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A small grin lifted his lips as he stood and crossed to me, kissing me on the forehead. “No, it’s fine, my love. I won’t be long, so please get dressed and be ready to go when I’m back. The sooner we’re home and away from my fucking family, the better.”

He kissed me again before turning on his heel and stomping to the door, fury radiating off him. I could only hope his conversation with his father didn’t end up the same way in a public foyer.

I quickly dressed, not wanting to upset Jacob; no doubt he would already be rattled when he returned. Thankful that I hadn’t washed my hair, I ran a brush through it once I was dressed, and pulled it into a ponytail when a knock sounded at the door.

Thinking Jacob hadn’t taken the room key, I dashed to open it, only to be shoved aside by a figure who barged his way inside. “Don’t scream, I only want a minute,” Edward said, holding his hands up to placate me.

“Get out,” I hissed, fear and fury making my voice tremble.

“Please, Charlotte. One minute, and I promise you’ll never have to see me again. You can even keep the door open to call for help if I go over the minute.”

My jaw clenched as I glared at him, weighing up my options. One minute, and I never had to see him again, seemed like a fair deal. “One minute.”

Gratitude washed over his features as he reached into his pocket to pull something out. “I know you don’t believe what I told you last night, but maybe this will show you the kind of man you’re married to.”

“What is it?” I asked, my brows pulling together at the USB stick he held in his hand.

“Just take it.” He waved it in front of me when I didn’t immediately move. “It’s information that Jacob will have no doubt left out about Amy’s death. It’ll prove he’s lying to you.”

“The only person lying to me is you,” I snapped without conviction, something Edward noticed.

His brow lifted, a smug smirk tilting his lips and making him look more like Jacob. “Sure about that?” When my only response was to swallow nervously, he waved the stick again. “Take it, Charlotte. Don’t end up like Amy.” Unbidden, my arm raised, and I snatched the stick from his fingers. “Hide it somewhere Jacob can’t find it and look at the files on it when you’re alone.” Curiosity merged with a hint of trepidation; if Jacob found the stick, I dreaded to think what the consequences would be. Before I could think too much of it, though, Edward sidled past me, pausing in the doorway to look over his shoulder. “Take care of yourself.”

With that, he marched into the hallway and disappeared through a door. For several seconds, I remained staring into thin air before my gaze dropped to the USB stick. Nerves churned in my stomach, pushing me into action.

The sensible course of action would have been to show Jacob when he returned or throw the damn thing straight into the trash. Instead, I crossed to the long dress bag that held my ball gown and hid the stick between the fabric, hoping and praying that Jacob wouldn’t discover it.

As soon as we returned to the island, Jacob had to disappear to his office to make a call, informing me that Wallace would gather our laundry from our trip to wash and dry it. I had less than a minute to sneak the USB stick out of the dress bag before Wallace scooped it up, giving me a frown as I scurried away suspiciously.

On the boat crossing from the mainland to Du Pont Island, I made the decision that I would wait until the next time Jacob left Du Pont Island, and then I would throw the stick into the sea and forget about it.

I believed Jacob; it was as simple as that, and I knew that once we were away from his interfering family, any lingering doubts would disappear.

Besides, even if I wanted to see what was on it, the only computer I would have had access to was in Jacob’s office, and he always locked the door when he wasn’t in there. Hiding the stick underneath the myriad of oil paints, I allowed myself to forget its existence.

For the next few weeks, we lived in bliss. Jacob was the perfect husband; he would start each day making love to me, sometimes gently, sometimes hard. I discovered he liked rough sex over slow and gentle, and while I didn’t necessarily enjoy it when he was too rough, I accepted it because it made him who he was.

The man I was smitten with.

We fell easily into the routine we’d established when I first came to the island; we’d have breakfast together before he would go to his office to work, and after a yoga session, I went to my studio to lose myself in various art pieces I was creating.

Most days, we ate lunch together, followed by a walk along the beach, occasionally resulting in one of us giving the other oral sex before we returned to the house and continued with our different tasks.

In the evenings, we enjoyed delicious meals Wallace had cooked, forgetting the world outside the island existed; it was just us in our little bubble of happiness. When we went to bed, Jacob worshiped my body over and over until I fell asleep wrapped in his warm embrace.

Jacob hadn’t returned to the mainland for any business meetings, but I didn’t know if it was because he hadn’t needed to go, or if he didn’t want to be away from me. Either way, I didn’t mind. With every passing day, my love for him grew, and when he was hidden away in his office, I often found myself craving his presence.

The sadistic side of him hadn’t made an appearance since we’d arrived home, and I hoped it wouldn’t again. He still chose the clothes I wore each day and the food I ate, but I didn’t mind so much.

It made him happy when I would appear in the pretty dresses he’d picked out for me or when I ate every last morsel of my meals, and I liked making him happy.

I was finally beginning to believe that Jacob and I could have a happy future together; I’d even lost interest in going to the mainland, not wanting anything to happen that could tip the apple cart now that it was stable.

A month after we returned from our honeymoon, the day started as usual; Jacob bending me over the balcony while he took me from behind, and making me scream his name, loud enough for my voice to carry to the mainland.

After breakfast and yoga, I showered and headed to the studio, but before reaching it, Jacob hurried out of his office, smiling affectionately at seeing me and pulling me into his arms. “Angel, you look beautiful, as always.”

I smiled back at him, glowing under his praise. “Thank you.” At his heavy sigh, I added, “Is everything okay?”