Chapter five
1415 Words
ANNA NAGAR
~Two years later…….
Two years later and the abuse never stopped, he stopped hitting me but it changed to something else. He started gaslighting me, making me feel bad in my own skin, making me feel small.
“Are you listening to me?”
Trevor’s voice snapped me back to reality.
I blinked and turned to look at him, realizing he had been talking for a while while my mind drifted somewhere far away. The ocean breeze brushed against my skin as I sat across from him on the balcony of our luxury resort suite.
Another trip. Another expensive getaway.Another attempt to convince myself that I was still happy.
“Yes,” I replied quickly. “Of course I am.”
Trevor studied my face carefully, his dark eyes narrowing slightly as if trying to figure out whether I was lying.
“You weren’t,” he said flatly. I forced a small laugh.
“I was just thinking about tonight’s party.” His expression softened immediately.
“Good,” he said. “It’s an important one. Some investors from Europe are attending. I want you to look perfect.”
Perfect. The word echoed in my mind longer than it should have.
“I always do,” I replied quietly.
He smiled, reaching over to touch my chin.
“We’ll see.”
An hour later, I stood in front of the mirror in our hotel suite, staring at my reflection. The woman staring back looked beautiful. Too beautiful.
My skin glowed under the soft lighting of the room. My makeup was flawless. My black dress hugged every curve of my body perfectly. The diamond necklace Trevor had bought last month rested against my collarbone, sparkling every time I moved.
Anyone looking at me would think I had everything.
Money. Luxury. A billionaire boyfriend.
But they wouldn’t see the exhaustion behind my eyes.
They wouldn’t see the cracks. “You ready?”
Trevor’s voice came from behind me. I turned around slowly.
He stood near the door adjusting his cufflinks, wearing a perfectly tailored suit that probably cost more than most people’s annual salary.
He looked handsome. Dangerously handsome.
His eyes scanned my body slowly. “Hmm.”
I stiffened slightly. “What?” I asked.
“Nothing,” he said with a shrug. “You look… fine.”
Fine. Not beautiful. Not stunning. Just fine.
I swallowed the strange lump forming in my throat and grabbed my purse.
“Let’s go.”
The party was being held in the ballroom of the resort.
Soft music played in the background while people in expensive suits and elegant dresses laughed and clinked champagne glasses.
Luxury everywhere. Trevor loved places like this.
He wrapped his arm around my waist as we walked inside, greeting people with charming smiles and confident handshakes.
For a while, everything felt normal. Until I noticed it. The way his eyes moved. At first I thought I was imagining it. But then it happened again.
And again. And again.
Trevor wasn’t looking at me. He was looking at other women.
A tall blonde in a silver dress walked past us and his gaze followed her for a little too long.
A few minutes later, a woman in a red gown laughed loudly across the room and Trevor’s eyes drifted in her direction again.
My stomach tightened. Maybe I was overthinking. Maybe it meant nothing.
But the longer the night went on, the worse it became. Each time a beautiful woman passed by, Trevor’s attention shifted.
Not in an obvious way. Just enough for me to notice. Just enough to make something uncomfortable twist inside my chest.
“Trevor?”
He turned to me. “Yes?”
“Nothing,” I said quickly. I forced a smile.
“I’m just going to get some air.” He nodded distractedly.
“Don’t take too long.”
The cool night breeze outside the ballroom felt refreshing against my skin.
I leaned against the railing of the terrace, staring out at the glowing city lights below.
Why did that bother me so much?
Men looked at women all the time.
That was normal.
Right?
Still… something about the way Trevor had been looking at them made my chest feel tight.
Like I wasn’t enough.
Like I never had been.
“Anna.”
His voice came from behind me.
I turned around slowly.
Trevor walked toward me, holding two glasses of champagne.
“Here,” he said, handing one to me.
“Thanks.”
We stood there in silence for a moment. Then he spoke.
“You’ve been acting strange tonight.”
“I haven’t.”
“You have.”
His eyes studied me carefully.
“What’s wrong?”
I hesitated.
Then I decided to say it.
“I noticed you looking at other women.”
The moment the words left my mouth, his expression changed.
Not guilt. Not embarrassment.
Annoyance. “Seriously?” he muttered. “I’m just saying what I saw.” He let out a sharp laugh.
“Anna, you’re imagining things.”
“I’m not.”
“Yes, you are.”
My fingers tightened slightly around the champagne glass. “I saw you staring at them.”
Trevor shook his head slowly, almost like he was disappointed. “You know what your problem is?”
“What?”
“You’ve become incredibly insecure.” The words hit me harder than I expected.
“Insecure?” I repeated quietly.
“Yes,” he continued. “You overthink everything now.”
“That’s not true.”
“Isn’t it?” He gestured vaguely toward me.
“Look at yourself tonight.”
“What does that mean?”.He sighed heavily.
“I didn’t want to say this but since you brought it up…”.My stomach twisted nervously.
“What?”
Trevor tilted his head slightly as his eyes moved over my body again. “You’re beautiful, Anna.”
Relief washed over me for half a second.
Then he continued.
“But you don’t look as good as you used to.”
My breath caught.
“What?”
“I mean… look around,” he said casually, gesturing toward the ballroom behind us.
“These women are taking care of themselves.”
My chest tightened painfully. “I take care of myself.”
“You try,” he said with a shrug.
“But let’s be honest here. Time changes things.”
My throat suddenly felt dry.
“What are you trying to say?”
Trevor stepped closer, lowering his voice.
“You’re an African American woman in a room full of international models and socialites.”
The words stung in a way I couldn’t explain.
“Trevor…”
“I’m just being honest,” he said quickly.
“You asked.” I stared at him, feeling smaller with every second. Maybe he was right. Maybe I was imagining things.
Maybe I had changed.Maybe I wasn’t enough anymore.
Silence fell between us.
Then Trevor suddenly sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
“Look… forget I said that.”
He stepped closer, placing his hands gently on my shoulders.
“I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.” My eyes dropped to the floor.
“I’m sorry.”
“No,” he said quickly. “I’m the one who should apologize.” He pulled me into a hug.
“I’ve just been under a lot of pressure lately.” His familiar excuse.
Work. Investors. Stress.
The same reasons that always explained everything.
“I shouldn’t take it out on you.” I nodded weakly.
“It’s okay.” He kissed the top of my head.
“No, it’s not.”
We stood there quietly for a moment before I finally whispered the question that had been lingering in my mind.
“What can we do to fix this?”
Trevor pulled away slightly and looked down at me.
“For things to change.”
His eyes darkened thoughtfully.
“Well…”
“What?”
“There is one thing.”
Hope flickered inside my chest.
“What is it?”
Trevor smiled slowly.
“If we get married… everything will change.”
My heart stopped.
“Married?”
He nodded.
“Yes.”
I stared at him, my mind spinning.
Marriage.
Was that really the solution?
Trevor brushed his thumb gently across my cheek.
“Become my wife, Anna.”
His voice dropped to a soft whisper.
“And I promise you… I’ll change.”
- Writer
