Chapter 8
When I came to, I was tied down–wrists and ankles bound to a bed 1 didn’t recognize.
A faint light seeped in through the gap in the curtains, but I couldn’t tell if it was dawn or dusk.
Then the door opened.
Light from the hallway spilled in, casting shadows across the room. That’s when I saw it
the bed.
Panic surged through me like ice in my veins.
Brandon walked in, followed by a man I’d never seen before
He stood by the window and looked at me quietly.
“This was supposed to be a last resort,” he said. “I didn’t want it to come to this.”
He walked over and gently brushed my face with his fingers,
“I’m sorry. But I need you to stay with m
with me. Forever.”
I screamed at him, cursed him with everything I had, but Brandon didn’t react.
He just stood there, backlit by the hallway glow, his expression hidden in the shadows.
Then I heard his voice, low and calm.
“Don’t hurt her.”
The man looked me over, his eyes flashing with something vile.
-a camera mounted on a tripod at the foot of
Tears streamed down the sides of my face as I watched him undo his belt, dragging it free from his waistband with a snap.
That’s when I knew–no one was coming. I wasn’t getting out of this.
I choked back a sob and called out Brandon’s name, but there was no answer. My body froze, heart pounding in helpless terror.
Just as the man moved toward me, Brandon suddenly shoved him off the bed.
His whole body was trembling.
“I’m sorry… I can’t do it,” he muttered.
The man stumbled to his feet, furious.
“You’re fucking kidding ine, right?” he shouted. “You’re the one who called me! Said you wanted something rough for your wife–told me to bring a damn camera! Now you’re backing out?!”
Brandon shut his eyes, voice hoarse.
“You’ll still get paid. Just get the hell out.”
The guy spat a few more curses and stormed off.
When he was gone, Brandon untied me.
I slapped him across the face the second t was free.
He grabbed my hand and begged me to do it again.
I shoved him off, pulled on my clothes, and ran.
He didn’t stop me. Just collapsed to the floor, sobbing, volce broken and raw.
“I’m sorry I’m so sorry…”
I went straight to the police.
100.00%
The camera he’d set up to capture my humiliation became the very thing that sealed his conviction
A few days later, Ashley slammed a sonogram onto the table in front of me, face full of smug arrogance.
She demanded I drop the charges.
I stared at her, wondering if she’d gotten her entire personality from bad romance novels.
“Brandon’s reputation is in ruins,” I said. “Whatever fantasy you’re living in it’s over. He’s not going to give you the life you imagined.”
“If you had any sense at all, you’d schedule an abortion and go back to school.”
As much as I hated her, she was barely in her twenties–naïve, reckless, and way out of her depth.
This mess was Brandon’s doing from the start.
But some people are just too stupid to save.
She sneered at me like I was the delusional one
“Don’t think you can drive a wedge between me and Bran,” she snapped. “I’m not an idiot.”
“You’re just bitter You couldn’t keep him, so now you want to ruin him. Everything you said is a lie!”
Jamle showed her the door.
Brandon later confessed to everything in detail.
When the sentence came down, I was in Havenport with Jamie and Noah, on vacation.
The sunset over the ferry terminal that evening was so breathtaking it brought tears to my eyes.
I gently wiped them away as the sun dipped below the horizon.
For the first time in a long time, it felt like my sun was finally rising
