Joseph took Tiana's phone and gave orders to the butler and maids that Tiana was not to set foot outside Deer Court. She also wasn't allowed contact with anyone. Other than that, she was free.

Tiana stood on the mountaintop that was part of Deer Court's grounds and looked out at the entire property. Joseph had built this place just for her.

During her junior year of college, she'd suddenly become obsessed with deer. She loved their powerful legs, their clear eyes, and the velvety softness of their fur as they gently nuzzled against her palm. She kept dragging Joseph to the zoo to feed the fawns.

But one day, they were spotted by Joseph's uncle. From start to end, Joseph shielded Tiana behind him so his uncle couldn't see her face. He'd answered every question flawlessly and sent his uncle away.

After that, he skipped classes for about a week. Tiana was obedient back then. When he did

As the slapping sound faded, Joseph looked hard at Tiana. She lifted her chin and stared at him without fear. She said through gritted teeth, "Lay a finger on my fawn, and you'll regret it."

He shut his eyes for a moment. Instead of saying anything else, he walked to the desk and tore a page from the calendar. "It's past midnight, Ana. There are 23 days until our wedding."

He walked out of the bedroom.

Tiana had a maid bring her a bottle of wine. She downed more than half of it and only managed to sleep when the sky began to lighten. She woke when the sun hung high in the sky.

A maid knocked on the door. "Ms. Jensen, Mr. Quill asked you to join him for a meal."

Tiana was genuinely hungry. She washed up, changed, and headed downstairs.

Irene was there, too. Tiana thought about leaving, then decided there was no point in punishing her own stomach. She kept her face cool, sat, and got

Tiana went to the restroom after her wounds were tended to. She just wanted a place to cry quietly for a minute. However, she heard the sound of a man and a woman kissing in the stall beside hers.

When the sounds subsided, Joseph's voice, rough with desire, rang out, "How did the prenatal test go? Is our baby okay?"

Irene's voice was sugary sweet. "The doctor said everything looks great, and it must be because the baby's daddy has top-tier swimmers."

Joseph let out a low, muffled laugh. "Babe, that's not the only department I'm top-tier in. Don't you think I shine everywhere else?"

"How would I know if your other skills have gotten rusty since the baby showed up?" Irene giggled. "Maybe Joseph Junior is all pent-up by now."

A zipper slid open.

Joseph's voice dropped lower and became raspier. "Irene Junior can slip around Joseph Junior to find out for herself whether he's all pent-up…"

Tiana clapped a hand over her mouth and gagged. That was disgusting. She couldn't stand another second in there.

She bolted out of the restroom like she was fleeing for her life. Then, she left the hospital and grabbed a cab back to Elliot's private residence.

She called Elliot. She wasn't waiting on Joseph's promises anymore. Even if he went out of his mind and actually followed through, she no longer wanted to marry him. He was too filthy for words.

Elliot answered after three rings. "What's wrong, Tiana?"

Tiana's tears spilled forth as soon as she heard his voice. She opened her mouth and was about to tell him her grievances when she heard someone on his end urging him.

A cool female voice rang out, saying, "Mr. Jensen, it's five minutes past the time you were supposed to meet the other party. Do you want to cancel the meeting?"

Elliot quickly asked, "Tiana, what's going on? Talk to me."

Tiana hung up in silence and texted him. "Nothing's wrong. I rolled onto my phone while sleeping."

Elliot replied, "Send me a selfie so I can take a look."

She glanced at her reflection and saw her swollen eyes. Then, she pulled an old photo from her camera roll and sent it to him.

He didn't reply, so she supposed she'd fooled him.

Tiana packed fast and booked the earliest international flight she could find. Then, she ordered a car to the airport. The driver soon arrived.

She dragged two suitcases, a duffel, and a big backpack with her. When she realized the driver had no intention of helping with her bags, she hefted everything into the car herself, feeling breathless.

After she got in, the doors locked, and Joseph's voice came from the front. It was gentle yet edged with a bone-deep chill.

"Ana, you've been obedient over these past seven years by my side. What made you stop listening all of a sudden? With all that luggage and a flight from the international terminal—what are you running away from?

"You promised to wait a month. Are you backing out now? We vowed seven years ago that this would be for life and that we'd never abandon each other. Has that vow gone down the drain?"

…

Joseph locked Tiana up in Deer Court, which was in the suburbs.

Before he left, he set a calendar on the nightstand in her bedroom. He said, "Start tearing the pages today. Once you've made it past 24 days, that's when we'll get married."

Joseph took Tiana's phone and gave orders to the butler and maids that Tiana was not to set foot outside Deer Court. She also wasn't allowed contact with anyone. Other than that, she was free.

Tiana stood on the mountaintop that was part of Deer Court's grounds and looked out at the entire property. Joseph had built this place just for her.

During her junior year of college, she'd suddenly become obsessed with deer. She loved their powerful legs, their clear eyes, and the velvety softness of their fur as they gently nuzzled against her palm. She kept dragging Joseph to the zoo to feed the fawns.

But one day, they were spotted by Joseph's uncle. From start to end, Joseph shielded Tiana behind him so his uncle couldn't see her face. He'd answered every question flawlessly and sent his uncle away.

After that, he skipped classes for about a week. Tiana was obedient back then. When he didn't show up, she remembered what he'd told her—not to reach out to him first, especially when he was

Chapter 9