Chapter 14
1346 Words
Jade felt the rush of adrenaline coursing through her bloodstream and the cold air brushing roughly against her face.
She stopped to catch her breath.
She had been keeping up with these morning runs for several days now, ever since Xavier had seemingly neglected her for work.
And she couldn't help but notice that it was because of someone in particular.
Who could it be?
A man or a woman?
Carrie had mentioned it was a man the other day.
She wasn't exactly sad about it because she had expected it. She was only in this for the s*x anyway.
Suddenly, Jade felt her head spin.
Nausea settled heavily in her stomach. Her mouth turned sour, and dizziness washed over her.
Holding her abdomen, she dropped to her knees and vomited near the water.
Why was she feeling so terrible?
Jade pushed herself back to her feet, but the dizziness lingered. Her head felt light, and her body strangely weak.
“Well, look who we have here.”
Carrie jogged toward her.
Great.
She wished for her husband, and this one showed up instead.
“I don't have time for you, Carrie,” Jade said flatly.
“And what makes you think I have time for you?”
“Yet here you are.” Jade scoffed, placing a hand on her hip as the dizziness slowly faded.
“You must think you're important. Marrying Xavier must have given you some kind of confidence.” Carrie glared at her.
“Oh, Carrie.” Jade laughed softly and stepped closer. “I never imagined you'd be this hurt by my marriage. Xavier really did a number on you, didn't he?”
Carrie's jaw tightened.
“I have to admit,” Jade continued, “I love seeing the jealousy in your eyes. It’s surprisingly satisfying.”
“Shut the f**k up, you tramp!” Carrie shoved her lightly.
“I'm married. Did you know that, Carrie?” Jade pouted dramatically. “Married to your boss and your dear friend. Yet you throw yourself at my husband every chance you get. You find every excuse to get close to him while openly showing his wife how much you hate her—and how much you hate the fact that she married the love of your life.”
Carrie's eyes widened.
“How dare you say such—”
“Am I lying?” Jade interrupted. “You act like a woman who's in love with another woman's husband. Tell me, Carrie, who exactly is the slut here?”
Jade watched as Carrie struggled to respond.
“I never said anything like that,” Carrie snapped. “Don't you dare put words in my mouth.”
She grabbed Jade by the collar.
“You've been warned, Jade. Be careful.”
“Oh, I'm terrified.” Jade gave a fake yawn. “So corny.”
She pulled away from Carrie's grip.
“I'm warning you too, Carrie. Stay away from my husband.”
Carrie laughed coldly.
“Don't tell me little Miss Perfect is feeling insecure. Xavier will throw you out when he's done playing this game. You're not worth all this trouble. And when that happens, I'll gladly be there to comfort him. He deserves someone in his league.”
Her smile sharpened.
“You're pathetic, Jade. You won't know what hit you until it's too late.”
“We'll see about that,” Jade shot back.
“No, you don't understand.” Carrie's expression darkened. “What isn't yours will never be yours.”
“And yet I'm his wife.”
Jade deliberately flashed her ring.
“The sooner you accept reality, the easier it'll be for you. I'd hate for you to do something dramatic.”
With that, Jade turned and jogged away.
She had never wanted Xavier.
At least, that was what she kept telling herself.
But after that conversation with Carrie, something had shifted inside her.
It wasn't emotional attachment.
It wasn't physical attraction either. That had always been there.
It was something deeper.
Something she couldn't explain.
A feeling that pulled her toward him despite every reason she had to stay away.
And that terrified her.
Because she knew where feelings like that could lead.
Jade kicked off her trainers the moment she entered the room.
To her surprise, Xavier was there, aggressively typing on his laptop.
Without saying a word, she grabbed a towel and slammed the bathroom door behind her.
Xavier paused briefly before returning to his work.
A little while later, she emerged wearing fresh clothes.
She was fooling herself.
Enough was enough.
The fun was over.
She reminded herself every day why she hated him. She reminded herself of the threats, the manipulation, the cage he had built around her.
So why was she allowing herself to get carried away?
Jade poured herself a glass of mango juice.
“What's wrong?”
Xavier finally looked up.
She had planned to ignore him.
But the anger bubbling inside her wouldn't allow it.
“You know exactly what's wrong, so stop sitting there pretending everything is fine.”
She drained her glass in one gulp.
Xavier studied her carefully.
Then Jade abruptly stood and rushed back to the bathroom.
This time, he heard her vomiting.
Immediately, he followed her.
By the time he reached her, he was already holding her brown hair back.
“Are you okay?”
He helped her back to the bed.
“You have a temperature.”
“I'm fine.”
She moved away from him.
“I'll call someone—”
“I said I'm fine.”
Pulling the duvet over herself, she turned her back on him.
Jade couldn't help hating him all over again.
Everything she had felt after discovering her parents' betrayal came rushing back.
The hurt.
The anger.
And the desperate need to escape.
At least Xavier gave her space.
She hardly saw him anymore, which gave her plenty of time to remember just how little she belonged here.
He's a monster.
Yet ever since they arrived on the island, he had been nothing but kind to her.
Kinder than she had ever seen him.
“Jay!”
Jade heard her name carried by the wind.
She stopped running and looked around until she saw a familiar figure racing toward her.
“Lily?”
A confused laugh escaped her as she ran forward.
“Jay!”
Lily threw her arms around her.
“I thought that was you!”
“What are you doing here?” Jade asked nervously, glancing around. “This is dangerous. No one can see you with me.”
“Relax.” Lily rolled her eyes. “I can't believe you're still being held captive. This is getting ridiculous. My dad sent me on a business trip. I'm closing a deal here in two days.”
“Lily, you need to go.”
“No, I'm not going anywhere.” Lily folded her arms. “Not until you tell me who's keeping you locked up.”
Jade hesitated.
“His name is Xavier. He's a—”
“Mafia lord.”
Lily's face turned pale.
“Xavier? You're talking about Xavier? He's a crime boss, Jay. A dangerous one. People don't even like saying his name because—”
“And that's exactly why you need to leave!”
“No. You need to escape! Whatever happened to that plan?”
“It's impossible.”
“You're sick, aren't you?”
Lily suddenly grabbed her shoulders.
“Use whatever medicine he's giving you. Drug his entire team if you have to. Remember that trick we used to pull when we were kids to avoid school? Do something like that. Take him somewhere public. A seafood restaurant, maybe. Then make your move.”
“Lily...”
“I really have to go.”
Lily glanced around nervously.
“Just think about it.”
Then she hurried away.
Jade stood there staring after her.
Oh God.
Was she really considering another escape attempt?
And if she did...
Would it actually work this time?
- Writer
