Chapter 7
“Stop fighting,” one of the men growled, his voice cold and menacing. “It’ll be easier for you if you don’t struggle.”
“Easier?” I spat, my voice trembling with a mixture of fear and defiance. “Who sent you? What do you want from me?”
The men said nothing, just dragged me from my studio, ignoring my protests, and pushed me into the familiar car waiting outside.
My heart sank as I recognized it. That was Gale’s doing.
He had spent the entire night searching for me, determined to bring me back, to force. me into his suffocating world.
When we arrived, I was taken straight to my room and tossed onto the bed like luggage. Gale was already there, sitting on the sofa with his arms crossed, his face hardened.
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“Good work,” he muttered to his men. “You‘ re dismissed.”
As the door shut behind them, I glared at Gale, seething with anger.
Before I could even sit up, he was on me, pinning me down, his hands around my throat, his thigh pressing between my legs, leaving me helpless.
“If you ever dare to block me again,” he hissed, tightening his grip, “just remember that I can do much worse to
you, Rachel. As long as you‘ re in Providence, I’ll always find you, so don’t even think about leaving me again.”
I struggled against his hold, gasping for air. My hands gripped his wrists, trying to loosen his vice–like fingers as his smell of
stale alcohol reached me.
“We‘ re divorced, Gale,” I choked out, my voice barely a whisper. “Please… let me go.”
He smirked, his eyes flashing with a cruel
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satisfaction. “Divorced? I never signed those papers,” he sneered.
Without warning, he forced his mouth onto mine, his actions filled with a sick sense of dominance.
My strength drained, and I ceased to resist, defeated by his power and his unrelenting
grasp.
When he finally finished, he took his clothes, wearing it with an air of smugness.
He tossed a shopping bag with a velvet jewelry box inside onto the bed beside me.
“I know what you‘ re after, Rachel,” he said coldly, nodding toward the box. “I must’ve forgotten to get you your usual monthly gift. Here, that should be enough.”
I looked at the jewelry with hollow disdain. Did he think he could silence me with diamonds and trinkets, things he only
offered to keep me quiet, to keep me bound
to him?
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Seeing my expression, he merely shrugged.
“I see the burn on your hand from the other night isn’t as bad as you made it out to be. You‘ re fine, so let’s not have any more drama over it.”
Gale turned toward the door, pausing as he reached the threshold. “Oh, and one more thing. If you ever leave this house again, I’ll lock you up for good.”
As the door closed behind him, the walls felt like they were closing in too.
I wanted to scream, but my throat was raw from both his grip and my own suppressed.
anger.
A knock on the door startled me. It was the maid, timidly asking if I needed breakfast brought up.
“No, I’m not hungry. Thank you,” I replied, my voice trembling.
Once she left, I glanced at the jewelry box. Gale had left on the bed. It was still
wrapped in its sleek bag, untouched.
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With trembling fingers, I opened it, only to
find a card inside.
“To Miss Lilian Bowen.”
My stomach twisted as I read the words.
That gift, like everything else Gale offered, was not meant for me.
With a surge of anger, I shut the box and took a steady breath, regaining my
composure.
A plan formed in my mind as I dressed, slipping into a fitted black outfit and donning sunglasses. I took the jewelry and brought it with me.
As I walked through the hospital halls, looking every bit like a woman with a
purpose.
Dressed in black, carrying the white chrysanthemums, I felt like the Grim Reaper come to visit Lilian.
When I entered her hospital room, she
looked up, her expression turning to shock.
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at the sight of me.
“Oh, so you‘ re back,” she said coolly, continuing her pedicure without even looking up. “Gale spent all night looking for you, you know. Quite the trouble you caused.”
I forced a polite smile and stepped forward, setting the bouquet of white chrysanthemums on the table beside her.
“It didn’t feel right not to visit you, replied, my voice laced with mock
sweetness.
I
Lilian’s face twisted in irritation as she took in the flowers. “How dare you bring white chrysanthemums here! Are you trying to imply something?”
I feigned innocence, covering my mouth in mock surprise. “Oh, dear, my mistake. I thought Gale‘ s renting of the entire hospital floor meant you were critical. I assumed the flowers would be fitting, for someone who might be on their way out of
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this world.
“But clearly, I was mistaken, since you look quite healthy.” I glanced at her meticulously pedicured toes. “And you even found time to have a little pampering
session.”
Lilian’s face reddened with anger as she hurled the bouquet at me. “And you wore all black on purpose, didn’t you?” she
spat.
I raised an eyebrow, smiling slightly. “Oh? Isn’t this the trend in Paris? I thought a fashion designer like you would appreciate
it.”
Fuming, Lilian glared at me, but before she could respond, I reached into my bag and handed her the jewelry box Gale had left
for me.
“I believe this was originally meant for you,” I said with a cold smile. “Gale must have mixed it up and given it to me by
mistake, so I thought I should return it.”
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Lilian‘ s eyes flicked to the box, her lips curving into a smug smile.
“You poor thing,” she sneered. “I didn’t want that little trinket. The carat was too small, so Gale ordered me something better.”
She gestured to the bedside table, where an ornate jewelry box with an unmistakable brand lay in plain view.
I glanced at it briefly, my chest tight but my face expressionless. “Of course,
I
replied smoothly. “How silly of me to assume otherwise.”
As I turned to leave, I could feel her gloating gaze on my back.
She had won every battle, it seemed. She was the one Gale cherished, the one he chased after, while I was simply a shadow in their lives.
As I held up the jewelry box, realization dawned on me with a bitter clarity.
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The jewelry Gale had given me was something Lilian had discarded, an afterthought.
“Oh, so it’s trash,” I muttered, anger simmering just beneath the surface.
Lilian smiled smugly, her voice dripping with satisfaction. “Yes, it is, Rachel. I‘ m sorry you had to find out this way, but I only accept the best. It’s a pity you can’t be a little more grateful.
I let out a low, sarcastic chuckle. “No worries, Lilian.”
With a calm I did not feel, I held the
jewelry box over the waste bin and was about to let it fall when the door suddenly opened.
Gale strode in, his gaze flicking between us before locking onto the box in my hand, just above the trash.
“What are you doing?” he demanded, his tone sharp with shock.
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I glanced back at him, unbothered.
“Throwing out the trash,” I replied coolly, dropping the jewelry box into the bin with deliberate ease.
Gale’s eyes widened, his face turning red with anger as he spotted the jewelry he had handed me that morning.
“Don’t you know how much I spent on that?” he spat, his voice laced with fury.
“It’s just a little money, isn’t it?” I shrugged, crossing my arms. “Besides, you bought a bigger carat for your ex.”
I turned and walked past him, feeling the weight of years of humiliation lifting, step by step.
Gale reached out, as if ready to grab me, but Lilian suddenly let out a dramatic wail.
“Ow, it hurts!” she cried, her voice loud and piercing.
