Chapter 5: One Day and One Night

"Why do I smell like sterile office soap instead of the cedar fragrance you swore you sprayed on me?" Damien demanded the moment he slammed the front door shut.

It was only six in the evening.

He never came home this early.

I stood near the staircase, one hand resting lightly on the banister.

"I did spray it," I answered calmly.

"Did you?"

He crossed the marble foyer in long, impatient strides until barely a breath separated us.

"Colette told me something interesting on my way home."

I remained silent.

"She said she saw you this afternoon at the café near Westbrook Avenue."

His eyes bored into mine.

"Laughing."

Another step.

"With Elias."

For a brief moment I simply stared at him.

"I haven't left this estate," I replied quietly.

"You ordered security to lock every gate yourself."

"Then explain why she saw you."

"I can't explain someone else's lie."

"You expect me to believe that?"

His fingers suddenly closed around my shoulders.

Hard.

"Why do I only receive this empty face every night... while he gets your smile?"

"Let go of me, Damien."

Instead...

He pulled me toward him.

His lips crashed against mine.

I immediately pushed against his chest.

He didn't move.

I turned my head away.

His hand gripped the back of my neck, forcing me to face him again.

His kiss wasn't affectionate.

It felt like possession.

Like punishment.

Scotch.

Coffee.

Cold anger.

That was all I tasted.

I struggled harder.

Kicked at his legs.

Pressed both hands against his chest.

Nothing worked.

He forced me backward until my spine struck the foyer wall.

Pain spread across my back.

Then...

I stopped.

Completely.

My hands slowly fell to my sides.

I quit fighting.

I stared past him toward the crystal chandelier hanging above us.

Expressionless.

Emotionless.

Empty.

Damien suddenly froze.

He slowly pulled away.

His breathing remained uneven.

He searched my face for something.

Anything.

There was nothing left to find.

A violent frustration flashed across his features.

Without warning...

His fist slammed into the wall beside my head.

Plaster cracked loudly.

White dust scattered across my shoulder.

"Can you only smile for him?" Damien shouted.

His voice echoed through the enormous foyer.

"Was aborting his child really worth smiling about?"

Something inside me snapped.

Months of humiliation.

Months of silence.

Months of swallowing every accusation.

Gone.

I slowly turned my head.

Looked directly into his eyes.

"Yes," I answered.

Every word came out perfectly clear.

"He's the only man I'd ever want children with."

The slap landed before the final word finished leaving my lips.

The impact exploded across my cheek.

My vision blurred.

My body lost balance.

I stumbled onto one knee against the polished marble floor.

Silence.

Absolute silence.

Eleven months.

That was how long we'd been married.

Tonight was the first time my husband had struck me.

I slowly lifted my hand.

Touched my burning cheek.

It hurt.

Far less than my heart.

Inside my coat pocket, my fingers found the broken tip of Nathaniel's carving knife.

The cold metal dug into my palm.

Grounding me.

Keeping me from falling apart.

I stood without saying another word.

Walked past Damien.

Opened the front door.

Left.

He didn't call after me.

He didn't try to stop me.

***

Twenty-four hours passed.

One full day.

One full night.

I wandered through the city without purpose.

The streets felt strangely peaceful.

No accusations.

No orders.

No silence that suffocated.

By midnight I found myself sitting alone inside a quiet downtown bar.

I wasn't drinking.

Only a glass of water rested in front of me.

The red imprint of Damien's hand still marked my cheek.

Someone quietly slid into the booth opposite mine.

I didn't need to look up.

"Hello, Vivian," Elias said softly.

Seven years.

It had been seven years since we'd shared a conversation alone.

"How's married life?"

I remained silent.

"Are you happy?"

Still...

No answer.

His eyes eventually settled on the fading bruise across my face.

His expression changed immediately.

"Did he do that?"

I looked away.

"Does Damien know the truth about the miscarriage?"

I slowly shook my head.

"You let everyone believe the child belonged to me," Elias said quietly.

"Including him."

"It was easier."

"For who?"

His laugh carried no amusement.

"Certainly not for you."

The bartender placed a whiskey glass before him.

Elias didn't touch it immediately.

"Do you remember your eighteenth birthday?" he suddenly asked.

I nodded once.

"Nathaniel interrupted me before I could confess."

I closed my eyes.

"I've loved you ever since."

The words settled gently between us.

"I never stopped."

"Elias..."

"I stepped aside because I believed Damien would protect you."

His eyes returned to the bruise on my cheek.

"I was wrong."

"Please stop."

"Come with me."

He stood.

"You don't belong on the streets."

"I have a guest room."

"No."

I stood as well.

"If I go with you, every lie Colette created becomes reality."

"Vivian..."

"I won't give Damien another reason to hate me."

"He already does."

His words hurt because they were true.

"I'm still going back," I whispered.

***

The taxi stopped outside the Ashford estate.

The guards silently opened the gates.

Nobody questioned where I'd been.

Nobody welcomed me home.

I walked slowly along the winding driveway.

The mansion stood exactly as I'd left it.

Beautiful.

Cold.

Unforgiving.

Light spilled from the living room windows.

At least someone was awake.

I quietly opened the front door.

The entrance hall remained silent.

I removed my shoes.

Carefully stepped toward the living room.

Warm light poured through the open doorway.

I stopped just outside it.

The air caught painfully inside my lungs.

I couldn't force myself to take another step.