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Hedidn’t dispute the proclamation, watching me with the same dispassionate eyes.Itirked me how littleAxelcared about our spouses, especially since his wife’s dime paved the way for him.
Ididn’t knowAxel’sendgame, butIknew this much.NocelebrityDJin this world made the kind of moneyAxelflaunted.Ilooked around the elegant room.Ittook generations to build such wealth, and he gained access to that opportunity through his heiress of a wife.
IknewAxelhad big plans for himself, butIdidn’t expect him to use an unsuspecting woman as bait.Hemost likely invested her millions into his various causes, turning them into more millions.Nowhe was living the dream and buying expensive gifts for his mistress—because that was what he intended on turning me into—with the moneyshefunded.Myheart waned with shame.
“You… you bought me this with your wife’s money,”Iaccused resentfully.
IknewAxelwas wealthy on his own accord, but he wouldn’t bethiswealthy without her.Hemarried someone rich to multiply his earnings.Icouldn’t stomach the thought and tried to step away when his hand landed on my arm.
“Axel, please just stop whatever it is you’re doing.”
Axeldid the opposite and leaned into me. “Fromthe momentIset eyes on you again,Iknew you weren’t happy with how life turned out.”
“Youknow nothing about my life,”Ireplied stoically because he truly didn’t.Thingsmight seem bad from his perspective, but there was a time whenJay,Poppy, andIwere a happy family.
“You’resuffocated by the facade you have to maintain,” he countered. “Youdon’t disclose your true profession to your family.Ambanihas no interest in seeing you and your daughter can’t stand you.AmImissing anything?”
Axel’scrass summary of my life made it sound meager, as if my life had no meaning, except he knew nothing about the truth.
Itried shoving him away, butAxel’sgrasp was ironclad. “Letgo,”Ihissed.
“Youdon’t want to be with a man who leaves you behind at every chance.”Hisvoice dropped. “Aman who makes you feel insecure and unwanted, the way your family used to make you feel.Youcrave to belong to a man with eyes only for you.”
“I’mnot a piece of property.Idon’t crave to belong to any man.”
“Couldhave fooled me with the way you looked at me that night.Youwanted to belong to me.”
Ionce more tried to free myself.
Whenhe spoke again, his voice was somber without the previous arrogance laced in it. “Atfirst,Icouldn’t understand why you’d leave after what we experienced on that beach.Wewere two of a kind, andIknewIwasn’t the only one to feel it.So,Isearched for you everywhere, traced every step, looked into every clue you left behind, butIcould never track you down.”
Isaid nothing.Mystomach twisted in knots, knowing he hated me for leaving that day.HadAxelandImet a few years later, he would have easily tracked me down.Thehindrance in his path was the lack of social media in those days.EvenInstagramdidn’t come around until the following year.
“Icouldn’t exactly look up theInstagramfeeds of every person attending the wedding,” he admitted my sentiment. “IfIhad,Iwould have known you were the groom’s sister.”
Myeyes rounded.Exactlyhow much hadAxeluncovered about me?
“OnceIlearned your name, it was easy to find every piece of information that ever existed on you,” he answered my unasked question. “ThemoreIlearned, the moreIunderstood why you left that day.”
Mystomach dipped in premonition, knowingI’dhate the next reveal.
“Youknew your family would disown you if you were found with some riffraff.Youhad no intention of leaving your cushy life behind and did what every spoiled princess does in your position.Youbagged yourself a rich husband—”
Mytemper overtook my sensibility, andItried to slap him.Axelwas faster.Hegrabbed both my wrists and held them at my chest.Hetwisted my body and spun me in place, wrapping an arm around my waist with my back to him.Witha lightning reflex, he bent me over the desk.Important-looking documents crumpled underneath us, but orderlyAxelwas unaffected by the chaos.
“Getoff me!”Iscreamed.Myefforts to push him off were futile.Hedidn’t budge.
“Youhave regretted your choice every day since leaving me on that beach.Admitit.Letme save you from this life that’s beneath you.”
“Saveme?”Iscreamed incredulously. “Youare destroying the lifeIworked so hard to build.”
“You’rebored senseless and only live to make other people happy.Ambanidoesn’t appreciate you and only wants a wife for display.Thatrelationship is nothing but servitude.”
“It’snot servitude when it’s someone you love.”
Axelstilled behind me.Throwingmy love for my husband inAxel’sface was a terrible idea, but the words had slipped out.Theominous quiet in the room lasted for only a moment beforeIfelt the cool draft from the vent on my bare backside as he pushed my pencil skirt up with force.
“Whatthe fuck are you doing?”Ishouted.
