Chapter 2

• Mey's POV
• Justin never lets me leave the house, not even for something as flimsy as grocery shopping. He had once locked me up in a room that looked like a cell and starved me for three days when he caught me staring into the city from the window in his study.
• As I continued walking, memories floated into my head without warning. Memories that I had tucked at the back of my mind for years. I didn't realize when I came face to face with one of Justin's security men until his deep voice startled the hell out of me.
• "Going somewhere, Ma'am?"
• My heart quickened and my throat went dry. Before my brain and tongue could connect quick enough to come up with an answer, he added. "I'd advise you head back inside."
• No! There was no way I was going back inside that hellhole! Swallowing the knot that had suddenly formed in my throat, I tilted my chin higher, reinforcing eye contact.
• "I was asked to come to the hospital," I replied vaguely and noticed how his brows drew in a large frown. "Y-you can call him to confirm. My husband had an accident and is in a terrible condition."
• Of course, he 'called to confirm' before letting me leave his sight. I expected him to 'escort' me down to the hospital, but he just stood stoically and watched as I pathetically stepped out of the large gates.
• Several minutes later, reality dawned on me when I remembered I had no one. My father had sold our house and disappeared into thin air after selling me off, and I had no friends, Justin had made sure of that.
• I just needed to go far away, where no one knew me or my past with him.
• But then, I had no money. How will I survive?
• The fleeting thought of Amy came all too soon and I couldn't help but beg the driver for his cellphone as I didn't have one. What kind of a billionaire's wife didn't possess even the cheapest cell phone out here?
• To my relief, the driver handed it over without question. I wasted no time dialing Amy’s number, my fingers trembling as I pressed each digit from memory.
• “Amy, it's me... It’s me!” I choked out as soon as the call connected.
• “Mey?” Her voice carried equal parts shock and concern.
• "Yes, yes, it’s me. I—" The words caught in my throat. What was I even doing? Should I go through with this or head straight to the hospital? If Justin found out, I’d be as good as dead.
• Terror curled over my skin, bile rising in my throat.
• “Mey, are you still there? What’s wrong? Where are you?”
• I gripped the phone tighter. This was my only chance.
• "I need your help, Amy… Where are you?"
• *****
• An hour later, we were seated over the kitchen counter while I recounted my pathetic story to her. She had paid off the driver and taken me to her apartment which was far from the city and Justin. I never wanted to set eyes on him again.
• "I would have kicked his stupid ass."
• Amy fumed when I was done telling her everything that had happened and the urgency of the situation. Unlike me, she was strong, feisty, and wouldn't let anyone mess with her. Taking a deep breath, she continued softly.
• "I'm sorry you had to go through all of that, Mey, I'm praying he doesn't come out alive. And while he doesn't, you're gonna be fine"
• I nodded, trying to believe her. I had given up on ever being 'fine' and no one in the world could rejuvenate it.
• "I just need a place to stay while at it. I promise I'll be gone before you know it."
• "Oh, come on, you can stay here for as long as you want."
• She flashed a smile and I tried to reciprocate, even if it wasn't as genuine as hers. My mind was still conflicted as my thoughts kept drifting back to Justin in the hospital. What if he recovers and discovers that I'm gone? What if he comes looking for me?
• "You are fine and safe, Mey. Do not bother about that loser coming to find you. Well, unless you want him to"
• I shook my head and blurted out. "No, never!"
• "Well, that's what I thought," Amy replied with a smile. " First, we need to find you a job or... You can as well join me"
• "Of course, I will join you. I'd do whatever you do as long as we're together"
• "Umm... about that, I'm gonna come plain to you, Mey." She paused and stared at the little rack on the counter.
• "I'm a stripper. I dance for a living."
• "Wait, what?" The word rolled out of my tongue before I knew it. From the look of her apartment, I knew she was struggling as well, but what I didn't expect was her source of income.
• "Yes," She looked me squarely in the eye now. "The bills won't settle themselves if I do nothing. Besides, I'd always loved dancing. And from what you just told me, you can dance as well"
• "Yeah... But I've never danced for anyone else except..."
• "Nah nah nah..." She cut me off, waving her index finger in front of me. "No more mentioning of that name. He's gone from your life and you need to forget him. I'd purge him out of your system if I have to."
• I laughed. First time I was laughing in years.
• It did not take much to convince me later to join her line of job and I couldn't help but feel nervous. Not because I couldn't dance; I was good at it as my dance instructors would say. But still... After three years of being married to the devil, I had learned more than I cared to admit. Justin had made me strip and dance for him, so he wouldn't feel the need to cheat—his words, not mine.
• And now, I was free.
• *****
• The next evening met me at the clubhouse, Amy's workplace. She had contacted the manager and informed him of a new 'doll'—that's me. After going through the process of dancing for them earlier in the day, they hired me and requested I start working tonight.
• "I can't do this." I whimpered, tugging at the barely-there fabric in a desperate attempt to cover more than just my nipples. "I look like a stripper!"
• "That's the point, genius. You are here to do just that! This isn’t exactly an audition for the church choir.’’
• Amy laughed, adjusting the flimsy outfit around my body while I stared on, hot red with shame. I had never imagined letting other men feast on my body like this.
• "You can do it, Mey." Amy's voice broke into my thoughts "I've watched you waste away for three years, bending yourself into a pretzel for Justin. You learned stripping and dancing for him, sacrificed everything, and what did it get you?"
• I bit my lip, swallowing the lump in my throat. She wasn’t wrong. After three years of marriage to Justin Cooper, I am free. From a billionaire’s wife to a stripper. That did not make me feel as good as I thought it would.
• "God, remember how he used to schedule sex? Tuesday and Thursday, 9 PM sharp, missionary only."
• I nodded, feeling both anger and dread seep into my bones.
• “And now look at you—free, alive, and about to shake that ass for money!”
• Before I could protest, Amy shoved me onto the stage. I stumbled forward like a baby giraffe learning to walk with heels. Oh my god, I'm really doing this! Having that in mind, I decided to suck it up. I kept my hands straight, stopping myself from covering up again.
• I stood at the edge of the stage with my heart racing with anticipation and fear. The dim lights and pulsating music seemed to reverberate through my entire being, making my skin prickle with goosebumps.
• I had practiced the erotic dance moves countless times, perfecting every step, every gesture, every sway of my hips, but nothing could have prepared me for this moment—my first time dancing in front of a crowd.
• As I stood, Justin's words echoed in my mind, "You're going to do this, and you're going to do it well." That was the first time he had forced me to learn these dance moves, to become a stripper. But now, I knew I had to do this, not for him anymore, but for myself.
• Come on Mey. You need this. Two months rent and groceries! Do it for yourself, just this once.
• I reminded myself before bracing up and walking over to the pole.