Where Love Could Not Follow

Chapter 2

When I opened my eyes again, pain cut through every part of my body. Thick ropes dug viciously into my wrists and ankles.

I was bound tightly to a leather sofa, unable to move.

Looking around, I realized I was in an extravagantly furnished villa.

Every corner was filled with photographs of Brielle and Gavin.

Cold flooded my heart. This was the place where Gavin kept her.

Brielle descended slowly from the second floor in a black lace slip. The thin fabric clung to her curves, and her makeup was immaculate and seductive.

She sauntered over, looked down at me, and smiled in open provocation.

I glared at her. "What are you planning this time, Brielle?"

She bent down until her lips were beside my ear, her voice vibrating with eerie excitement. "Don't be impatient, Elise. I invited you here to watch a great show."

Then she raised a hand, signaling the bodyguards.

One of them immediately stepped forward and stuffed a strip of cloth into my mouth.

They hauled me to my feet and dragged me, stumbling, into a room at the end of the hall.

The room was small and oppressively cramped. But an enormous sheet of one-way glass had been set into the wall facing the room next door, giving me an unobstructed view of everything inside.

I instantly understood what Brielle meant by a great show.

Only a few minutes later, the door to the adjoining room opened.

Gavin strode inside.

The moment he saw Brielle standing in the center of the room, his expression turned glacial and fury churned in his eyes.

He crossed the room in a few long strides and slapped her hard across the face.

Her head snapped sideways. Her cheek immediately swelled red, and her hair fell loose around her face.

There wasn't a trace of fear in her eyes. If anything, her obsession burned even hotter.

Gavin's voice was icy and vicious. "Brielle, let Elise go!"

Brielle slowly raised her tear-filled eyes and gave him a crazed smile. "Let her go? Fine."

She stepped closer to him, grabbed his hand, and pressed it firmly against her slim waist. Then she plastered herself against him in blatant invitation.

"It's simple, Gavin. Spend the night with me, and I'll let Elise walk away unharmed. I swear I won't bother you again."

She rose on tiptoe and brought her lips close to his.

I clearly saw Gavin's Adam's apple bob.

The anger remained on his face, yet he made no move to push away the woman offering herself to him.

Emboldened, Brielle wound both arms around his neck, tears trembling in her eyes. "I would do anything for you. I've kidn*pped for you, committed crimes for you, gone to prison for you, and let the whole world curse me for you.

"Gavin, you're the only man I'll ever love. I don't want anything else. I only want you. Just give me this one night, please?"

Like a vine growing wild, she wrapped herself around him and refused to let go.

The stalemate lasted only seconds. Before my eyes, the coldness in Gavin's gaze slowly faded.

He caught the back of Brielle's head and bent down to kiss her fiercely.

The next second, they tumbled onto the bed in each other's arms, their clothes gradually coming off.

Every detail of their intimate entanglement struck my eyes with brutal clarity.