Chapter 2
I tried to pull away slightly, but he tightened his grip, his expression resolute.
With a soft laugh, I said, “You’ve given me enough over the years, Arthur. More than enough for my next life.”
His expression softened, and he finally let go of my wrist, turning to Grace and showering her with affection, leaving me standing there alone.
1/5
I discreetly rubbed my wrist, where his hand had been, feeling the lingering warmth.
I had to be crazy.
For a moment there, I actually felt like he didn’t want me to leave.
I gathered my documents and prepared to leave for the clinic.
Arthur, unusually, was still at home. He sat on the sofa, reading the newspaper.
Seeing me with my bag, he frowned and asked, “Where are you going?”
I tightened my grip on the strap of my purse and lied, “Just going for a walk.”
Chapter 2
2/5
Arthur’s eyes narrowed, and his lips thinned. “Aria, you always fidget when you lie.”
I pressed on, “I really do have an appointment. I have to go.”
“Stop.”
His single word halted me in my tracks.
“Damn it,” I cursed inwardly. Years of being under his thumb, years of ingrained obedience, and even now, I couldn’t slip away to get a simple abortion done without him knowing.
He led me to the walk–in closet, a room filled with dresses of every kind.
“Pick one. We’re going to Grace’s birthday party tonight.”
I looked at the tall, handsome man in front of the full–length mirror and, for once, dared to talk back. “What’s her birthday got to do with me?”
Arthur was silent for a moment, then bent down and whispered in my ear, “Aria, you’re the only family I have left.”
Family…
My eyes stung.
It was a relationship forever confined to its boundaries.
Chapter 2
3/5
I turned away, pushing him out the door. “Yeah, yeah, I got it. I’ll be ready soon.”
As the curtain fell behind me, a tear slipped down my cheek.
Perhaps out of defiance, I deliberately chose a red dress with a plunging neckline that dipped all the way to my navel.
I stepped into a pair of strappy stilettos, the picture of glamour.
Arthur took one look at me, his brow furrowing like a mountain
range.
“What are you wearing?”
“Just trying to look good for a party,” I replied innocently. “Wouldn’t that make me more appealing?”
Arthur bit his tongue as he reached into the garment bag and roughly pulled out a frilly white dress, the kind that would swallow me whole.
“Wear this,” he demanded.
I didn’t understand his sudden hostility.
For the first time, I defied him.
That night, I wore a backless purple dress. My shoulder blades, stark against my fair skin, jutted out slightly like a butterfly about to take flight.
Chapter 2
As Arthur and I entered the ballroom, all eyes were on us.
4/5
It wasn’t just my beauty that drew their attention, but also our
status.
Arthur’s name held weight in the capital’s elite circles, enough to make the entire room flock to him.
Business tycoons lined up to clink glasses, and after settling met at a table, he turned to greet them, navigating the crowd with an effortless grace.
He was like the moon in the night sky, noble and elegant.
had dreamed countless times of reaching for that moon.
But when Arthur and Grace, hand in hand, announced their engagement in front of everyone, I knew the moonlight I had stolen was only temporary.
From the audience, my eyes met Arthur’s across the room..
I laughed, tears streaming down my face, and raised my hand to applaud him.
My palms stung from the force of it.
He faltered for a moment, then quickly looked away.
Grace and Arthur approached me, wine glasses in hand.
She leaned against him, her smile radiant with happiness.
Chapter 2
5/5
“You’re Mr. Hastings‘ relative, which naturally makes you mine as well. This toast is for you.”
I held my wine al
feeling a little awkward.
In the past, he would never have let me drink alcohol outside.
I glanced at Arthur, who seemed to have no intention of intervening today.
With a slight curve of my lips, I drained the glass in one gulp and said calmly, “Wishing you both a lifetime of happiness together.”
