Chapter 4

Thomas locked me up. For three whole days, I wasn't given a morsel of food or a drop of water. … On the third night, he suddenly walked in carrying a layered lunchbox. He laid out each dish in front of me. There was even a small birthday cake. "Naddy, I'm sorry. I went overboard due to my rage and anxiety over the past few days. I forgot that today is your birthday. Eat up. These are all your favorite foods." I observed his fake smile, which made me feel sick to my stomach. He couldn't have suddenly grown a conscience and decided to be nice to me. He clearly had ulterior motives. When I remained unmoved, he took a beautiful white dress out of a bag. "Put this on after you eat. I'll take you out to celebrate your birthday." His voice was gentle, yet it left no room for refusal. I knew resistance was futile, so I put on the dress like he had asked me to. He took me to a grand art exhibition gala. Pulling me along obsequiously, Thomas led me through the resplendent crowd and stopped in front of an overweight middle-aged man. He shoved me forward and said, "Mr. Warner, this is the one I told you about. Her name's Nadine Cross. She has admired you from afar for a very long time." Mark Warner had a piggish face and beady eyes. After scrutinizing me from head to toe, he showed a satisfied, lecherous grin. "Thomas, you've really put in the effort," he complimented. With that, Thomas took a step back and turned to leave. I knew that if I didn't resist now, it would be too late. Not wasting another second, I picked up a glass of red wine from a waiter's tray and threw it straight at that fat face. "Ah!" Mark squealed, stomping his feet in fury. Thomas' expression was even darker as he growled, "You ungrateful whore!" He stormed toward me and slapped me so hard that I fell to the ground. Then, he picked me up from the floor and dragged me into a backstage storage room. His face contorted with fury as he strangled me with one hand. Thomas seethed, "You should know your place and what's good for you, Nadine. Do you know who Mark is? If you just spend one night with him, he'll invest in a solo art exhibition for Irene! "You owe her this! You ruined her hands. Now, you have to take full responsibility!" As I took in how ludicrous and unabashed his demands were, I couldn't hold back my laughter. I laughed so hard that tears formed in my eyes. The storage room door opened. Irene stepped in with a sorrowful expression and said, "Don't you love Thomas deeply? Why are you hesitating so much when all he wants is for you to spend one night with Mr. Warner? Is your so-called love that cheap?" I looked up at the shameless couple in front of me and wiped away my tears. "Fine. I agree." The two of them froze. Thomas thought I'd finally come to my senses and sighed with relief. He said, "It's good that you understand. It's only one night. Don't worry. After tomorrow, I'll forget all about it. I won't look down on you." "Mr. Warner isn't any ordinary man, is he?" I inquired. He had deep enough pockets to promise funding a solo art exhibition in exchange for just one night with a woman. It wasn't hard to imagine how dreadful one night with him would be. The satisfied expression on Irene's face basically confirmed it. After tonight, my life would be ruined far worse than hers was now. Before being taken to the hotel room, I made one last request. "Let me go home and take a bath. I'd like to change into some clean clothes… as a final goodbye to the person I used to be." Thomas was worried I would pull some trick in the middle of the night. He hesitated for a while but ultimately agreed. He accompanied me home like he was escorting a prisoner. … Once we were home, Irene's urging calls came. Thomas stepped aside to take them, letting me enter the house alone. He had no idea that would likely be the decision he would regret making the most in his entire life. I hadn't come back unprepared when I got a second shot at life. One hour later, Mark hummed a tune and rubbed his hands eagerly as he swiped his card to open the door to the presidential suite on the top floor of the hotel. But the moment it opened, the lecherous grin on his face froze.