Chapter 2

• After payments had been made for the gown.
• Renee waited for her friends to leave first, she was the last to leave.
• And as the glass doors swung shut behind her, all she could hear was Chloe's triumphant pronouncements about the half a million plundered on a dress. It tormented her a great deal, why spend that much on a gown she would only wear for one day?
• She took solace in the fact that it wasn’t her money that had just been blown off, yet she couldn’t help the myriad feeling of guilt.
• The ride home was a crazy, Brenda had suggested she joined them for the hangout to celebrate her wedding dress purchase, but she dismissed them with a flimsy excuse of having a headache.
• A wave of profound relief washed over her as she stepped out of the car and waved them goodbye. The ordeal was over, for now.
• She pulled her coat tighter around her, despite the mild spring air, a shiver tracing its way down her spine.
• What a day it had being.
• All she craved was the quiet sanctuary of her small apartment, a place where she could shed the performance and simply be. Her flat, a modest one-bedroom space in a quieter part of Kensington, was her only true refuge from Kelvin's sprawling opulence that now defined her impending life.
• As she walked, her phone buzzed insistently in her handbag. She ignored it. It buzzed again. And again. By the time she reached the corner, the familiar tune of Kelvin’s custom ringtone had played five times. She knew, with a sinking certainty, that ignoring him was no longer an option. He was relentless, his patience as thin as her own dwindling hope.
• With a sigh that felt too tight for her chest, Renee pulled out her phone. The screen glowed, displaying Kelvin’s name. She took a deep breath, trying to compose herself, to rearrange her features into a semblance of pleasantness. This was the part of her life she hated most: the constant acting, the careful calibration of her words, the perpetual fear of saying or doing the wrong thing. She tapped the screen, bringing the phone to her ear.
• "Hello, Kelvin," she said, trying to keep her voice light, as if she hadn't been avoiding him.
• "Renee! Finally! I've been calling you for ages. Where are you? Are you home?" His voice, deep and resonant, filled her ear, carrying that familiar edge of impatience, of expectation.
• Renee's mind raced, scrambling for a plausible lie. She was almost at her building. "No, darling, not yet," she chirped, forcing a laugh. "I'm still out with the girls. We've been on a marathon wedding dress hunt! You know how it is." She hoped the casual tone would mask the frantic fabrication of lies. "We finally found the dress, though! It's absolutely stunning." She hated the lie, hated the way her voice sounded so falsely bright.
• There was a brief pause on the other end, a silence that always made Renee’s heart pound. Kelvin was a man who rarely tolerated ambiguity or deviation from his plans. "Oh, good. Took you long enough," he said, the hint of a chuckle in his voice, though it sounded more like a dismissal than genuine amusement. "Listen, I was thinking. How about we go out for dinner later? I've had a rather trying day at the office, and I could do with some good company."
• Renee's stomach clenched. Dinner with Kelvin meant another evening of forced conversation, of pretending to be interested in his business dealings, of fending off his possessive touches that quietly drove her mad. She needed space, air, a moment to simply breathe. "Oh, Kelvin, that's so sweet of you," she began, already formulating the next lie. "But actually, I was planning to spend the night at Chloe's. She's not been feeling well, you see, and I promised I'd keep her company. Just a quiet night in, you know, with a cup of tea and maybe, see a film."
• She was almost at her apartment door now, fumbling for her keys with her free hand. The lie felt flimsy, transparent, but she hoped Kelvin wouldn't press. She inserted the key, turning the lock with a soft click.
• "Chloe? Not well?" Kelvin's voice was sharp now, a sudden shift in tone that sent a jolt of alarm through Renee. "That's odd. I spoke to her earlier, and she sounded perfectly fine. In fact, she was rather excited about something."
• Renee's blood ran cold. Chloe. Of course. Chloe, who would never keep a secret if it meant missing out on a dramatic reveal. Chloe, who probably gushed to Kelvin about the dress, about everything. Renee swallowed hard, her hand on the doorknob. "Oh, well, perhaps it came on suddenly as we wrapped up shopping," she stammered, trying to recover. "You know how these things are. One minute you're fine, the next..."
• She pushed the door open, stepping into the familiar dimness of her living room. The words died on her lips.
• Kelvin Bradford was sitting on her couch.
• He was lounging back, one arm stretched along the top of the cushions, looking utterly at ease, as if he owned the place. All though it was dark, but Renee’s eyes had grown accustomed to the dimness, so much so, she could see he was wearing a dark suit, impeccably ironed to seamless perfection, it seemed to absorb the faint light from the window. His eyes, usually commanding, were fixed on her, unblinking, unsmiling as he dropped the phone from his ears. A cold, hard stare that pierced straight through her.
• Renee froze. Her heart hammered against her ribs, a frantic jab. The phone, still pressed to her ear, slipped from her numb fingers, clattering to the tiled floor.
• He didn't move. He simply watched her; his facial expression held nothing to it, it was unreadable, yet radiating an intense, simmering anger. The silence in the room was deafening, broken only by Renee's ragged breathing.
• "So," Kelvin's voice finally cut through the stillness, dangerously calm, "Chloe's not feeling well, is she? And you’re out with the girls? Since when did you start lying to me, Renee?"
• Renee felt a wave of nausea. Caught. Exposed. Her carefully constructed facade had crumbled in an instant. "Kelvin, it's not what you think," she began, her voice trembling, desperate to explain, to salvage something but words failed her. "I… I just got home. I was going to pack a few things and then head over to Chloe's. She really is feeling a bit under the weather, I promise."
• He pushed himself up from the couch, slowly, deliberately, like a predator rising to its full height. Each movement was menacing. He took a step towards her, then another. Renee instinctively recoiled, backing away until her shoulders hit the closed door.
• "Don't lie to me, Renee!" His voice was no longer calm; it was a low growl, laced with contempt. "I called Chloe an hour ago, just to confirm. She's out having cocktails with Brenda and Clara, celebrating your 'perfect' dress. She sounded absolutely delighted, not 'under the weather' at all!" He spat the words "under the weather" with a sneer.
• "Do you think I'm a fool? Do you take me for a complete idiot?" he lashed out.
• Renee felt tears prick at her eyes. Her face had turned red, burning from fear.
• "Kelvin, please, just let me explain! It's not like that! I just… I needed a moment, I didn't want to go out tonight, I'm exhausted from the dress shopping, and I just wanted to be home for a bit before going to Chloe's." The words tumbled out, a desperate, jumbled mess.
• He cut her off with a dismissive wave of his hand, his eyes blazing. "Exhausted? From shopping? You are so utterly useless, Renee! So ungrateful! Do you have any idea what I do for you? What I've done for your family?" His voice rose, filling the small apartment, making the walls feel like they were closing in. "I wanted to introduce you tonight to a very important friend of mine, a major investor who just flew in from Germany! I was going to take you to the most exclusive restaurant in Mayfair, show you off! But no, you'd rather sneak around, lying to me!"
• He took another step, towering over her. "And for what? To avoid me? To hide in this pathetic little apartment? You think I don't know what you're doing? You think I don't see how you flinch when I touch you? You are not worth presenting to my friends, Renee! I can't present a liar! A woman who can't even be honest about where she is!"
• His words, ferocious and cruel, sliced through her, each one a fresh wound. Useless. Ungrateful. Liar. Not worth presenting. The accusations hammered at her, tearing down the fragile walls she had built around her emotions. The tears, which she had fought so hard to suppress, finally broke free, streaming down her face in hot, silent rivulets. Her chin trembled, and a choked sob escaped her.
• "I'm sorry, Kelvin," she whispered, her voice sullen with tears, barely audible. "I'm so, so sorry. I just… I only came to pick up a few things. I really was going to Chloe's. I just needed to… to breathe for a moment." She lied.
• She wasn’t going to chloe’s but didn’t just know how to tell him she didn’t want to be around him.
• Her tears, perhaps, were a weapon he hadn't anticipated. His facial expression, contorted with anger, softened almost imperceptibly. The fire in his eyes melted, replaced by a flicker of something akin to pity, or perhaps just a momentary lapse in his control. He reached out, his hand gently touching her cheek, wiping away a tear with his thumb.
• "Oh, Renee," he murmured, his voice now surprisingly gentle, almost tender. "Don't cry, darling. You know I hate to see you cry. You always get on my last nerves." He pulled her into a hug, a possessive embrace that felt less like comfort and more like a trap. His lips found hers, pressing down in a kiss that was meant to be reassuring, but only filled Renee with a profound sense of irritation. She couldn't pretend. Not now. Not when her emotions were so raw and all over the place.
• His hand slid down her back, then lower, his fingers grabbing a handful of her butt and now fumbling and reaching for the hem of her dress. Renee stiffened, her body recoiling instinctively. The thought of his touch, of his hands on her, made her skin crawl. She pulled back slightly, trying to create space between them, her mind screaming No!
• Kelvin paused, his eyes narrowing slightly, a hint of the earlier anger returning. He pulled back, just enough to look at her, his gaze probing. "Does my kiss disgust you, Renee? Does my touch disgust you?"
• Her mind screamed Yes! A resounding, desperate yes! But the word that escaped her lips was a barely audible, "No." She forced a tired smile. "No, Kelvin, of course not. I'm just… I'm just so tired. It's been a long day, and I'm exhausted."
• He seemed to accept this, or perhaps he chose to. He pulled her closer again, his voice a low rumble against her ear, soft persistent kisses here and there. "I am your man, Renee. Let me take your stress away. Let me make you feel better." His hands began to move again, more insistently this time, trying to pull her closer, to take off her clothes.
• Renee stiffened, her heart pounding. This was it. The line. She had to hold it. "Kelvin, wait," she said, pushing against his chest, her voice strained. "We… we agreed, didn't we? We agreed to wait. Until marriage. We said we'd save ourselves for the wedding night."
• He pulled back, his face a mask of irritation now, a vein throbbing in his temple. "What's the difference, Renee?" he snapped, his voice rising again. "We're getting married in two weeks! Two weeks! What's the bloody difference if you let me fuck you now? I'm still going to fuck you on our wedding night, aren't I?"
• Renee met his gaze, at first disgusted at how vulgar he was, but she hid her irritation behind her teary pleading eyes, desperate for him to understand, to back down. "Yes, you will Kelvin," she said, her voice firm despite her trembling body. "Yes, you will. But you will sleep with me as your lawfully wedded wife. It's just two weeks left. I'll be yours forever, then. Just… just two more weeks."
• Kelvin stared at her, his jaw clenched, his eyes burning with frustration and barely contained anger. He wanted to arguebut something in her desperate plea, in her unwavering gaze, seemed to momentarily hold him back. He let out a frustrated sigh, running a hand through his perfectly coiffed hair.
• "Fine," he bit out, the word with resentment. "Fine. You're being ridiculous, but fine." He took a step back, then another, creating distance between them. "I'm going out for a drink with my friends. I need to clear my head after this… this nonsense." He didn't wait for a reply. He simply turned, strode to the door, and slammed it shut behind him, the sound echoing through the suddenly silent apartment.
• Renee stood there for a long moment, trembling, the adrenaline slowly draining from her body. Then, a profound, dizzying relief washed over her. He was gone. She was safe. For now. Her face burned red with emotions, her legs felt weak, and she stumbled to the couch, collapsing into it.
• The relief, however, was quickly replaced by an overwhelming sense of despair. She stared at the closed door, at the empty space where Kelvin had stood, and then at her trembling red hands. Her situation, the inescapable reality of her impending marriage, settled upon her like a suffocating blanket.
• "Renee," she whispered to herself, her voice visibly broken in the quiet apartment, "you are walking into a nightmare you may never wake up from."