His Sacrifice, Her Cold Indifference

he martini had done its job – dulled the edges of the pain, silenced the incessant whispers of betrayal. My phone vibrated again, a persistent

said, his voice a playful mu

ed, pulling him closer

ts, but something compelled me to glance at it. It was from him. And it said, "Don't bot

ldn't be. I spun around, my gaze sweeping the crowded bar. My eyes

lights. His eyes, cold and unwavering, found mine. Drake Knox. He looked like a preda

he passed, like a wave of silent awe. People instinctively parted ways, sensing the dangerous aura that

ad of security, a mountain of a man, was al

test, but one look from Drake's security froze her. They melted away, leaving me standing alone, exposed, in the suddenly cav

e simply grabbed my arm, his fingers digging into my skin, a possessive grip that s

where with you!" I snapped, my defiance

e making a spectacle of yourself." He gestured vaguely at the empty bottles, the discarded shot glasses. "Is this w

trembling with suppressed rage. "Running off to comfort your dying ex-girlfriend

ming. "Don't push me, Chelsie," he warned, his voice a low grow

Or what?" I challenged, my chin held high. "Will you

His thumb brushed over my skin, a soft, tender touch that sent conflicting signals through

t the image of him walking past my hospital room, of him holding Julia, flashed in my mind. No. I wouldn't fall for it again. I s

t say anything, just stared at me, his gaze slowly dropping to the small, ornate clu

Too observant. He saw everything. "No

. "Give it to me." It wasn'

d, my voice shaking slightly. "Fine. Here you go. Your ticket to true freedom, Drake." I shoved the envelope into his

her desperate attempt to provoke me?" He tossed the envelope onto a nearby table, dismissively. "You know, the last time you tried to 'divorce' me, you ended up in my be

t even look at the papers. He thought it was a joke. A game. My jaw

ed slightly at the unexpected intimacy. My fingers tangled in his dark hair, pulling him closer. My lips met his, soft at first, then growing more insistent

ance. But my lips, my body, were telling a different story, a story of surrender, of

found the pen in his jacket pocket. Still kissing him, still pouring every ounce of desperate longing I felt into the embrace, I m

didn't yet understand. He looked dazed, confused, but also undeniably aro

ft," I whispered, pressing my forehead against his. My heart was pounding, not from

t notice I had slipped it into my own purse. He just pulled me closer, his lips finding my neck, his hands roaming over

t to his. He threw me onto his massive bed, his eyes burning with a possessive fire. "You think you can just flirt with other men, parade around half-

both physically and emotionally. Each thrust was a declaration of ownership, each kiss a brand. "Mine,"

tion consume me, trying to block out the emotional devastation. He was punishing me. For my defiance. For my perceived infidelity. For his ow

oze, his body tensing above me. He pulled away, grabbing the phone from his nightstand. His eyes, still clouded with p

hadn't heard since the car crash. But this t

lothes in a frantic rush. "I'm coming. Don't touch anything." He looked at me, h

as always in trouble. He was always running to her. "Go,"

oor slammed shut behind him. His car roared out of the driveway, tires squealing. I hea

ut it was just a dull echo compared to the emptiness inside. I got up slowly, dressed in his shirt, and walk

felt a sharp pain, a wave of nausea. I stumbled out of the bedroom and into the bathroom, my he

ld outside a blur of flashing lights and dark trees. He didn't even seem to notice me. He was too consumed by h

grown area. The air was thick with the smell of damp earth and decay. "Drake, wha

omed in the distance, its broken windows like vacant eye

en, rough and menacing, were holding Julia. She was disheveled, terrified. And standing among them, a man I vaguely rec

ace. "So you finally showed up. And you brought a gue

Julia. "Let her go," he growled, his

ite moonlight.' The one you nearly lost your empire for, all those years ago." His eyes scanned Julia with a c

means nothing to me now," he spat, his vo

ran cold, again. He said t

wn, to save her from her 'illness,' you just give her up?" He laughed, a harsh, grating sound. "You al

led me roughly towards him, wrapping a possessive arm around my waist. My body stiffened against his. "This is my wife," he declared, his voice ringing with a false conv

n's den, sacrificing me to protect her, to protect his own reputation. He had just called me his wi

g but a pawn in his twisted game, a convenient wife to protect his true feelings, his true vulnerability, from the world. A profound, searing betrayal consumed me. I