Chapter 2

• Sophia's POV
• Walking down the aisle with Father at my side, I noticed that save from the press, the decked-out Baxters, and my extended family, there was no one else in attendance for the great Jerry Baxter's wedding.
• I guess the Baxters were about as excited as I was about this wedding.
• Jerry Baxter, my groom, stood in the front of the altar in a tailored one of a kind Armani suit with his blond hair slicked back, his diamond ear piercing flickering in the dim light and his lips curved up in a small amused almost annoyed smirk.
• I knew what it meant as I had learned to dread that look during my time working as his maid.
• Jerry Baxter was pissed.
• It was a wonder my voice didn't shake as I said my vows and my hands didn't shake as we exchanged rings. It felt like I was outside my body and it wasn't really me getting married.
• It wasn't until the minister spoke that I came back to myself.
• "You may kiss the bride."
• I froze. Somehow I had forgotten this was a part of the marriage ceremony.
• Jerry took a step towards me erasing the small distance between us. I couldn't breathe. Jerry tilted my chin up and leaned in.
• Goodness, was he really going to kiss me?
• I wasn't sure if the spike in my heart rate was due to revulsion or anticipation.
• Jerry kissed my cheek missing my mouth by a few centimetres but with the way his head was inclined, it seemed like we had actually kissed.
• I heard the sounds and saw the flashes of cameras going off then Jerry ended the 'kiss' and walked out briskly leaving me alone at the altar.
• The press continued taking pictures, Father looked livid while Jerry's mother spoke to him no doubt doing damage control.
• My cheeks burned and when I took a step forward, the world spun around me. My breathing became shallower and my corset seemed tighter than it was a second ago.
• I was having a panic attack and my meds were in the car.
• I had to get out of here.
• I walked fast ignoring Mom calling out to me.
• I didn't know where I was going or what even triggered this attack but I needed somewhere private to break down in peace without the press taking pictures of me.
• In my haste to leave, I bumped into someone on one of the narrow corridors leading out of the main hall and only the stranger's steel grip on my waist stopped me from falling.
• I caught a glance of ink-black hair and stormy grey eyes before the stranger shoved me aside abruptly with a curt look.
• "Watch it."
• I felt strangely embarrassed despite the fact that I was a second away from a full-on meltdown.
• Thankfully at that moment, I saw the sign of the bathroom ahead and I quickly ducked into it.
• I flicked on the tap and placed my hands under the running water. The pressure wasn't nearly enough to center me and I found my nails digging into my palms drawing blood.
• Using the pain to center me, I tried to focus on a color. White.
• The white porcelain wash basin, my white wedding dress, the white bulb overhead… slowly I felt my control trickle back in until I felt a little like myself again.
• It had been a while since I had a panic attack like that, what could-
• My thoughts were interrupted by sounds of loud thumps and unmistakable sexual moans. I instantly felt embarrassed on behalf of whoever that was.
• They probably had no idea how thin the walls were but did they really have to do it here at a church?
• The thumps increased in intensity and I could just barely make out a feminine voice.
• "Harder," She moaned. "Please, Jerry."
• I paused, turning off the tap. Had I misheard or did I just hear that woman moan Jerry's name?
• I must have misheard. Or it might be another Jerry she was referring to. Because even though Jerry was a manwhore, he wouldn't do that mere minutes after taking the vows to be my husband.
• Right?
• But the voices of doubt in my head refused to be silenced.
• So when I left the bathroom even though I knew the wise thing to do would be to return to my parents and my wedding ceremony, I followed the moans.
• I didn't have to go far before I found the room the sounds were coming from and it was just my luck that the door was cracked open just enough so I could see them clearly.
• The woman's pink dress was hiked up around her waist, her slender hands balanced on my husband's shoulder as he fucked her.
• To rub it in, it wasn't just any woman Jerry was with. It was his ex-girlfriend, Kate, my once-upon-a-time friend, who had never missed a moment to torment me while I was still a maid at the Baxters mansion.
• A gasp of shock escaped me involuntarily and Jerry's baby blue eyes found mine when he heard the sound.
• He didn't seem even a little remorseful when he noticed me watching them. Instead, Jerry smirked at me before kissing Kate deeply while keeping his gaze locked onto mine.
• I turned my back to them, shutting my eyes as if it would erase what I had just seen.
• It didn't work, not even when I walked away from that room as fast as I could.
• I wasn't expecting this marriage to be a love marriage but I wasn't expecting… this either.
• My body shook as I moved and I was surprised to realize that I was angry. And at the same time, inexplicably ashamed as if this was somehow my fault.
• I felt a steel grip on my arm pulling me to a stop as Father appeared from nowhere.
• "Where did you go?" He questioned me harshly. "The Baxters have been looking for you."
• Looking at the anger and suspicion on Father's face, I couldn't make myself say anything about Jerry.
• "I went to the restroom," I said instead.
• Father's eyes narrowed with distrust.
• "You had better not be planning anything silly, Sophia."
• I shook my head, lowering my gaze.
• "I wasn't, Father."
• After a few more seconds of silence, Father seemed to take my words at face value but not before giving me one last threatening squeeze on my arm and a warning.
• "Don't you dare ruin this deal for me, Sophia."
• I followed him out to the patio outside the church where the wedding pictures were being taken.
• No one questioned Jerry's absence and as I posed for the pictures alone and with different members of my new family, I felt dead inside.
• I just wanted to be done with this sham of a wedding.
• Just when I thought we were done with the pictures, I felt an arm slide around my waist.
• I stiffened as my cheating husband took his place next to me with a charismatic smile that looked so believable that if I hadn't seen him with Kate a few minutes ago, I would have believed him in love with me.
• Just what sort of marriage had I agreed to?
• The answer to my question came sooner than I expected on my wedding night.
• We had just stepped inside the room after a long exhaustive reception party where I had worn a fake smile all through when Jerry began to take off his suit.
• I blinked at first, unable to process what I was seeing. It wasn't until he began to unbutton his shirt that I found my voice.
• "What are you doing?" I asked, my voice filled with disbelief.
• Jerry turned to me, dropping his shirt to the ground before cocking his head curiously to the side.
• "Isn't it obvious?"
• He… he actually wanted to… no way.
• I began to back away from him but faster than I could blink, Jerry pushed me up against the wall.
• His blue eyes sparkled with malice.
• "Don't act shy now, it doesn't suit you."
• "Shy?" I was confused. "Even if I were to conveniently forget about you and Kate, we don't know or like each other, how can we have s-"
• Jerry gripped my hair tight making me flinch in pain.
• "You had no problem fucking my grandfather to become my bride so what's the problem now?"
• "What?!" I couldn't believe what I had just heard. What was Jerry talking about?
• He chuckled darkly, his free hand pushing up my dress. "A maid like you becoming a bride to the Baxters. Unbelievable. Must be some golden pussy you have under this gown to make the old man ask this of me on his deathbed."
• Usually, I wasn't the most assertive woman on earth but even I had my limits.
• I refused to be raped by this lying piece of shit that saw me as a whore.
• I kneed Jerry in the nuts and when his hold on me slackened as he cursed in pain, I slapped him right across his face.
• For a moment, Jerry stared at me slackjawed as if he had never expected me to fight for myself.
• "I never slept with your grandfather. Yes, I took care of him while his own family deserted him but he was like a father to me. I will not let you insult his memory like this."
• I took a deep breath channeling all the anger, frustration and helplessness I felt.
• "And by God, I swear if you try to force yourself on me again, I'll castrate you."