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And then, almost by a miracle or cruel fate, Katantia was hit by a tsunami that wiped out almost half the peninsula. Lives were lost. Houses demolished. Businesses shut down. Half the economy was in shatters.
They were desperate for women to migrate to Katantia, and I took a chance by secretly applying for a visa. The king himself contacted me, offering me a flight and a place to stay in the palace. I suspected what he would ask for in return. Sex. That was the main principle of Katantia.
I didn’t mind. I’d been conditioned by Hugh to believe that sex as a method of exchange was the norm.
Preparations for my wedding were at their peak, and Hugh left for one final work trip before our wedding and subsequent honeymoon.
In London, I packed my bags, and I jumped on a private jet to Katantia—one that the king sent for me, risking my safety and facing an uncertain future away from the monsters of my past.
When I arrived, Katantia was a changed place. The King of Katantia had been murdered, and his daughter Kamila Ruby Wraith had taken over.
I’d prepared myself to adapt and do anything asked of me in this scandalous country, but in the end, Kamila gave me a work visa to work in the hospital.
And I haven’t stopped ever since.
“I don’t want you,” I confess to him. “It’s time you embraced it. Now, I have the framework to analyze my issues, and they all stem from my time with you. I’ve been happy here, and I will continue to be. It took me years to understand that I’m not your toy anymore, and I never will be again.”
“I’m not going to leave Katantia until you come home with me,” Hugh insists, tugging at the lapels of his immaculate suit jacket.
“Then stay here forever! I don’t care. I’m not going back to that phase of my life. Who’s to say you didn’t let mom adopt me so that you could live out your fetish? You are a manipulative piece of—”
“Be careful,” Hugh interrupts me. His authoritative tone roars through the office, shaking me to my core. “You won’t like the consequences if you finish that sentence.”
“What will you do to me?” I ask. “You’ve scarred me for life! I’ve been lying to myself for years. I’ve been painting myself as a monster when all along, it’s been you! You’re the monster. You’re a piece of shit, and I hate you for ruining my childhood!”
“That’s enough,” Hugh says, raising his hand. He’s signaling me to shut up, but I won’t. “Now that you’ve expressed your silly thoughts, I hope you’re content with yourself. I will leave this office, but I expect you to show up at the airport tomorrow. We’re leaving Katantia, and you’re going to come with me whether you like it or not. You owe it to me. I gave you everything.”
“Leave,” I blurt out. My ears are ringing, and I can’t focus. “Go. I don’t want to see your face anymore.”
I get up to unlock the door for Hugh. He attempts to kiss me, but I push him away, his mere presence causing me nausea. I watch as my former fiancé slash adopted father storms out of my department, dousing me in his bergamot scent.
Leaving the windows open, I hurry home on foot. My senses are alert, and I keep my eyes peeled at my surroundings. Any person I cross paths with is a suspect to me.
Hugh has money, and money buys people. Who’s to say he’s not watching me right now?
I’m on the verge of collapsing by the time I arrive at my building.
Quickly, I get ready without checking my phone or my watch. Jordan’s expecting me, and I don’t want to disappoint him. Perhaps I could stay at the palace for the night.
I don’t feel safe out here anymore.
Not with Hugh Abbott roaming the streets of Katantia.
Smolyakov doesn’t answer when I knock on his door on my way out. Defeated by his sudden change of heart, I call the elevator. I’ve put on a black knee-length dress and my posh heels. My face is powdered with make-up to hide my exhaustion and terror.
I grasp my leather clutch with trembling hands, gazing at Smolyakov’s door. Why would he turn on me?
The route to the palace is swift and straightforward. I’m lost in my thoughts, and eager Katantians sound their honks at me while I miss green lights.
Perhaps it’s my paranoia, but I notice the intimidating fence surrounding the palace for the first time since I arrived on Katantia. The chain-link perimeter is three times my height, topped with razor wire.
Five guards hover about the guard station at the entry point, chatting among each other. The security cameras are far more intimidating, posted at every corner of this fence to secure maximum surveillance.
I pull up to the gates faster than usual because of lacking traffic.
At the sight of my car, the guards stay away. I roll down my window, making myself more accessible. I don’t want to look desperate, but I need the palace’s protection right about now.
One of the guards picks up their phone. He hides his mouth with his hand, turning away so that I can’t see or hear who he is calling.
