My husband,Damian Blackwood,the King of Wall Street,treats me like ice. But today,he sent me a text. “Go to the pharmacy.Get the usual.” When I got back to our penthouse on Fifth Avenue,his so-called“best friend,”the socialite Chloe,was sitting in our bedroom,slowly pulling a pair of torn stockings back onto her legs. Seeing me,she feigned surprise.“Oh,Aurora,you're back so soon?” She shook the empty box in her hand.“Damian texted the wrong person.Don't take it personally.” Damian sat on the edge of the bed,a cigar between his fingers,smoke swirling around him. “I promise,this is the last time.Our open relationship ends now.”He didn't even look at me,his voice devoid of apology.“She's an old friend.Had to give her a taste of married life.” He had his assistant send me an encrypted file. “Here's a list I picked out for you.You should try it,too.” In the ninety-eight times this has happened before,I broke down,screamed,and became hysterical. But this time,I calmly accepted the file. … The next morning at breakfast,Chloe was wearing Damian's silk shirt,unbuttoned to show off the marks on her neck. She sighed dramatically.“Ugh,I told Damian not to be so rough.I won't be able to cover these for the gala.” Damian didn't look up from his steak.“You should go.I need to talk to Aurora.” Chloe pouted,then deliberately bumped into me as she stood up. My coffee cup tilted,and the hot liquid spilled onto the back of my hand,instantly raising two blisters. Damian just chuckled in his usual way.“Stop messing around.” It used to be that if anyone dared to treat me like that,Damian would grab them by the collar and intimidate them until they apologized to me. Chloe slammed the door shut. Damian then pulled a blue jewelry box from a nearby pile of luxury shopping bags. All these years,every time he brought another woman home,he would give me a piece of jewelry as“compensation.” I've never opened any of them.They fill an entire walk-in closet. “My dear Aurora,”he said,pulling me into his arms,enveloping me in the scent of his expensive cologne.“The title of Mrs.Blackwood will always be yours.With them,I'm just having fun.” I've heard that line hundreds of times. “Good girl.Don't be angry.” His words were light,certain that I wouldn't dare to resist again. After all,my previous attempts at resistance had cost me dearly.
The first time,he was with a new Hollywood starlet.I leaked the story to the*New York Post*.Publicly,Damian did nothing.Privately,he cut off all my credit cards and trust funds until I begged him to stop. The second time,he was involved with an Ivy League professor.I anonymously exposed their affair on an online forum.In return,“dirt”on me—exaggerated and fabricated details of my private life—was plastered all over the gossip sites. … “Oh,Aurora,”Chloe said,tossing a few pieces of lace lingerie at my feet.“These are couture.You'll have to hand-wash them.” “A wild girl like me can't handle such delicate things.Remember that New Year's party in the Hamptons?Damian's suit was covered in champagne,and you washed it clean,didn't you?” I remembered the stain on that suit perfectly. I had asked Damian what it was. “Spilled something at the party,who remembers,”he'd said,completely unconcerned. He had insisted I hand-wash it with cold water and a specific detergent.The next day,the expensive suit was in the trash. This time,I calmly pressed the toe of my high heel onto the pile of clothes. “I'm not washing them.If you think they're dirty,throw them out.” I saw a flash of anger in Damian's eyes. I picked up my Hermès bag and turned to leave. Behind me,Damian's voice was ice-cold. “Aurora Collins,if you walk out that door today,you'll regret it.” I paused for a second,then slammed the door shut. On the road,I got a call from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. “Miss Collins,Mr.Blackwood's account has stopped all payments for your brother Leo's medical expenses…” But. “My brother is already dead.”
I paused,then added. “My brother has been dead for a long time.You've been taking Damian's money for an empty hospital bed for so long,it should be enough.” On the passenger seat was a bouquet of white roses,my brother's favorite. Thirteen years ago,I found a half-dead Damian under an old tree in Central Park. He was just a penniless kid off the street.My brother and I took him back to our tiny apartment and saved his life. I remember the boy in oversized slippers,clumsily holding a cup of hot water.The steam blurred his face,but his eyes,when he looked at me,were full of conviction.“I swear,Aurora,I'll spend my life protecting you!” “Leo,from now on,you're my brother,too!” The Damian of the past would divert his private jet just because I mentioned wanting macarons from a small shop in Paris. He cared more about my brother's health than I did. The sound of a siren broke my train of thought. I slammed on the brakes.A cop knocked on my window. “We have a report of you maliciously entering and damaging private property.Please come with us.”
I stared at them in disbelief. In a panic,I instinctively dialed Damian's number. “Damian,I…” The loud party music on his end immediately went quiet. “Aurora,”his voice was as gentle as a poisoned knife,“I told you to learn how to be an obedient wife.” “Since you won't behave,go where you need to go and learn some manners.” My hands were cuffed behind my back,and I was pushed into the police station. “Mr.Blackwood gave us special instructions to take good care of you.” Fists and feet rained down on me.My arms and legs were quickly covered in bruises. The pain nearly made me pass out.I vaguely heard someone making a call outside the door. “Miss Chloe,we've'taken care of her'just as you asked.” “Good.Damian's money has already been transferred.” A sharp pain twisted in my stomach,making my heart tremble. After what felt like an eternity,someone opened the door. “The person who reported it said it was a misunderstanding.you can go.”
It was raining and cold outside.The wind was biting. Damian was leaning against his Rolls-Royce.At his feet were the white roses I'd bought,trampled and ruined. “Get in.” I quietly opened the back door. Damian gave me a strange look.“Why not sit in the front?” The car's interior had been redone in pink,Chloe's favorite color.On the passenger seat was the wrapper from a used condom. My phone buzzed nonstop. A news alert headline made my breath catch. “Famous Investigative Journalist Arrested Late at Night,Career Possibly Over…” My fingers trembled as I clicked on it.Below was an internal email notifying me of my three-month suspension. I snapped my head up. “Damian,did you leak this story?” He knew how much I had sacrificed to become a star reporter for the*New York Times*.He once held me and told me how proud he was of me. But now,he had just socially executed me with no effort at all. “Aurora,this is your punishment for hurting Chloe.” Punishment? I rolled up my sleeve,revealing my bruised arm.“Damian,isn't getting beaten like this enough?!” Damian's gaze froze. His expression shifted.“Aurora,how did you get those bruises?” “Someone…” I cut him off,my voice full of hate.“Damian,isn't this what you ordered them to do?” “You and Chloe planned this together.Don't play innocent now!”
He slammed on the brakes,the car screeching loudly. Damian stared at me,his eyes filled with disappointment. “Aurora,not only can you not tolerate my friends,but now you've learned to tell these kinds of lies?” He sneered. “This trick to get sympathy might have worked when you were younger.You're really willing to hurt yourself just to make me feel bad!” He yanked open the car door,and a blast of cold,rainy wind rushed in. Damian dragged me out of the car. “The position of Mrs.Blackwood doesn't need a hysterical woman!” He threw one last cold sentence at me. “Aurora,before you act out,you'd better think about your brother's expensive medical bills!” The car sped away. Another phone in my pocket buzzed. It was a message from Julian Vance,with a picture of a ring. “When are you getting a divorce?I want to marry you.” I typed my reply. “Three days.”
When I went home to pack,I could hear disgusting sounds coming from our bedroom. This was the home I had meticulously decorated.In the past,Damian would complain if even a cleaner stepped too far inside. But now,he was in bed with another woman on the top-of-the-line mattress I had chosen. I clenched my fists,but my heart was surprisingly calm. I didn't have much,just one suitcase. As I zipped it up,a lazy male voice spoke from behind me. “Where are you going?” His bare chest was covered in fresh scratches.The battle must have been fierce. I quickly looked away,my voice flat.“Out for a few days.” The red tip of Damian's cigar glowed.He looked down at me,his tone certain. “You have nowhere to go.” The only property in my name was this penthouse.My company had dorms,but I had never applied for one.All my bank cards and trusts were under his control. He easily snatched my suitcase and tossed it on the floor. “Aurora,you're not a little girl who can play the'running away from home'game anymore.” My heart trembled. He then softened his tone,as if soothing a pet. “Go apologize to Chloe,and I'll let you see Leo tomorrow.” I laughed mockingly.“Damian,my brother is dead.”
He would spend a fortune on other women. But when the hospital called asking for payment,he thought it was a trick I was using to make him come home. He hung up with a cold laugh,saying,“If she wants money,have Aurora come beg me herself.” That day,New York was buried in a blizzard.I went to find him wearing nothing but a thin formal dress. My frozen body was shocked back to life by the wave of heat when I pushed open the door to his private club room.Damian was surrounded by a crowd of men and women. “One drink,ten thousand dollars,”a greasy man jeered. I can't drink.Alcohol causes a severe allergic reaction. The few times I had,it was for Damian's business. That night,the liquor burned my throat and stomach like fire.The pain was so bad I was close to convulsing,but I drank glass after glass. Until Damian threw a stack of cash at me. “Enough.Get out.” “Aurora,I hope you've learned your lesson.If you dare to act on impulse again,it won't be this simple.” He was referring to the third time I had tried to expose one of his mistresses.
Chloe's sneer shattered the silence. “Aurora,if you're going to lie to Damian,at least come up with a better excuse.The payment for Leo's medical bills was just transferred from Damian's account this morning.” Damian snapped back to reality. For a moment,seeing the dead look in my eyes,he had almost believed me. He grabbed my chin,his grip so tight it felt like he would crush it. “If you spout any more nonsense,I'll really cut off his medication.” He shoved me away.My forehead hit the corner of a cabinet,and blood started to flow. His eyes flickered,as if he wanted to come over. But Chloe grabbed his arm. “Damian,my stomach hurts a little.I think the baby's kicking me~” Chloe whined,clutching her belly. Damian didn't hesitate.He turned,scooped Chloe into his arms,and strode away. I was alone,cleaning my wound,when Damian's call came.He told me to go to the“Stardust Club.” I had the divorce papers in my pocket.All they needed was his signature.
When I opened the door to the VIP room,Chloe was sitting next to Damian in a sexy bikini. I didn't fight for the seat next to him like I used to. I walked straight over and handed him the file.“This is the company's acquisition plan for the next quarter.” He signed it without a glance. He seemed surprised when I took the document and turned to leave. “Aurora,didn't you used to always want to…” After all,I had once furiously bid three hundred thousand dollars at a charity auction just for the seat next to him. Before I could say anything,Chloe raised a remote control. “Everyone,let me show you the latest entertainment!” The giant screen on the wall lit up. A familiar voice exploded in my ears. “Damian…I want…” On the screen,I was kneeling before Damian,pleading with him. A chill ran down my spine.I couldn't believe my eyes. “Damian,did you film this secretly?!” The man stubbed out his cigar.“You still wouldn't apologize to Chloe.This is the apology gift I prepared for you.” It was like a lightning bolt to my ears. Chloe had already signaled her friends to surround me and hold me down. Chloe crossed her legs,her eyes seductive.“If you ask me,it was even more thrilling last time,when you sent this video to your brother Leo!” Leo…my brother. I stared at Damian in utter disbelief.
The man avoided my gaze but still spoke. “After all,you were the one who leaked my affair with Ellie to the media that day.” My voice was like a death rattle. “Damian Blackwood,you're a monster!” Hearing this,Chloe pouted,her eyes full of provocation. She clutched her stomach,leaning pitifully against Damian. “Damian,my stomach hurts.The baby must be tired.Will you take me to the hospital?” Damian hesitated.“But Aurora is still here.” Chloe lowered her head to hide the venom in her eyes.When she looked up,her expression was innocent and cheerful again.“What are you worried about?My good buddies are here!We're all family,they'll take good care of her!” I felt a warm,sticky touch on my back.I didn't know whose hand it was.In the dim light,the men around me had eyes glinting with…lust. Panic seized me.I tried to grab Damian's sleeve. “Damian,take me with you!” But before I could finish,a hand clamped over my mouth. I whimpered,tears falling onto the expensive carpet. Chloe laughed.“See?They're taking such good care of Aurora.” My limbs were pinned.I couldn't move.
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