Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 22700 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 114(@200wpm)___ 91(@250wpm)___ 76(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22700 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 114(@200wpm)___ 91(@250wpm)___ 76(@300wpm)
That’s what Rhett said to me last night, staring at me with his piercing eyes. His words feel embedded in my soul, like they’ve been imprinted on my heart. I take calm, precise breaths, as if one wrong gasp could shatter me and I’d be gone from the man I love.
I’ve been pacing my prison all day, surrounded by silk drapes and ornate woodworking, unable to eat, unable to sleep, unable to do anything but think of the promise he made to me. That we made to each other.
Are we really doing this? Will it work?
“Don’t question it!” I hiss at myself. “Of course it will!”
My lips still taste of him. My center still aches from him breaking me in last night. I’m no longer an eighteen-year-old girl. I’m a woman. All thanks to Rhett and his mighty manhood.
I gaze out the window at the setting sun, golden light slicing through the tree tops, illuminating the shadows of the darkest thoughts of my mind.
It’s almost time.
My bag is packed, my shoes are laced tight, and my black hoodie is lying on the bed beside me. I also have my purse with letters and cards from my mom that I couldn’t bear to lose.
Rhett’s plan is simple: quietly leave my room, slip out through the servants’ wing, cross the back gardens, and take the trail through the woods that leads to the main road where Rhett will be waiting in his truck. Then he’ll drive us away and we’ll be free together.
I close my eyes and take a breath.
Yes, this is actually happening. It’s sundown. It’s time. My life is about to change forever. And despite the fact that I’m starting to tremble, I can’t wait to get out of here. I never thought my life would go any other way. An arranged marriage was my only future.
But then Rhett came into my life, and everything changed.
The door creaks as I open it. It’s quiet but too loud for tonight. My footsteps are soft as I slip out into the hallway, my heartbeat hot and heavy in my ears. I move quickly to the servants’ wing and am almost to the outside door when Clarisse appears, arms full of laundry.
She pauses and looks at me–at my bag–her expression bland as my heart skips a beat. Guilt seizes my chest. Does she know? Has she figured out what I’m up to?
No, of course she hasn’t. How could she? She’s not a private investigator. For all she knows, I’m just out for a little evening stroll around the estate…with a bag…
“Good evening,” I say as I walk past her.
“Yes, it is,” she replies, nodding her head.
My eyes blink quickly on their own as anxiety pulses through me. My heart feels unsteady now as I grip the knob to the outside door and twist.
A cold breeze hits me, and I step out into the welcoming dark, leaving the manor behind me. I glance once over my shoulder to make sure I’m not being followed, then pick up the pace.
By the time I reach the gardens, a smile has started to creep across my face. I can feel the dew on my shoes and follow the path that splits off to the tennis court where Rhett and I first met.
I’m smiling now, remembering our lesson. How it felt as my crush on him grew and grew, so quickly. I’m sure we’ll find another court to play on. A place to relive those memories.
I’m just about to hop a low fence when I’m blinded. Floodlights snap on in front of me like some screaming danger, ready to pounce on me.
I shield my eyes and squint at a man’s silhouette. It’s unmistakable.
Arthur.
Two men flank him. Rough looking guys in dark suits. I recognize them as men who sometimes escort him to and from the office. Bodyguards.
All breath escapes my lungs. My legs cease to work.
Another, smaller figure steps into view from the blinding light. A female figure. Clarisse. She stands by Arthur like a statue, her lips a thin, unreadable line. She’s not smiling or sympathizing with me. And then I get it.
She did figure it out. And she betrayed me.
“You think I wouldn’t notice?” Arthur asks, his voice pompous and kingly. “You’re not as subtle as you think you are, Cassandra. Fawning over the help, taking a late-night drive like you’re some covert operative.”
I can barely speak. “Arthur, I–”
The bodyguards step forward, causing my breath to catch in my throat. Their boots crunch on the gravel as they approach. I’m shaking. I try to speak, but nothing comes out.
“Thought you’d run away with him, did you?” Arthur smiles cruelly. “Brave but stupid.”
My heart stutters, skips, and beats hard like a drumroll leading to a heart attack.
His bodyguards reach me, each taking hold of one of my arms. Arthur steps forward casually, menacingly, his face stony and threatening. He reaches out, smelling like cigar smoke, and places a hand on my shoulder. For a moment, he simply leaves it there, like an affectionate caress. Then, without warning, he snatches my hair and yanks my face right up to his.