Chapter 3
1046 Words
Catherine’s pov
The word hangs in the sterile office air like a death sentence.
My father, freezes. His hand was resting on Andrian’s shoulder, touch too lingering, too familiar to be parental.
Adrian, the man who was supposed to slide a diamond onto my finger in less than twelve hours, doesn't pull away. Instead, he looks at me with an expression that isn't guilt.
It’s irritation.
Catherine…” my dad starts, his voice careful, almost gentle but I don’t hear concern, I hear control.
“What is this?” I ask, my voice coming out thinner than I want it to.
Andrian exhales sharply, like he’s already tired of this.
“You shouldn’t be here,” he says flatly.
I blink at him. “I shouldn’t…” I let out a small, disbelieving laugh. “I got a message on my phone for you.”
"That message wasn't for you." He cuts in
"I... I thought it was a mistake," I stammer, the phone in my hand suddenly feeling like a block of ice. "I thought you were in trouble. Or... or that you were cheating." I let out a jagged, hysterical laugh. "I didn't think I’d find you with him."
My father finally finds his voice. "Cat, listen to me. It’s not what it looks like."
"Then what is it, Dad?" I scream, the sound tearing through the quiet of the executive suite. "You’re touching him! You’re looking at him like…” I choke on the words. "Like I’m the stranger here. Is this why you pushed for this marriage? Is this why you were so eager to merge the companies? Was I just the cover for your... your affair?"
My father steps toward me, his face hardening. The doting, protective father I’ve known for twenty-four years vanishes, replaced by a man with cold, calculating eyes. "This is about survival, Catherine. The company was hemorrhaging. Andrian was the only way to save the family name. We did what we had to do."
"We?" I whisper, looking between them.
Andrian steps forward now, adjusting his cufflinks. He looks predatory. "Your father and I have a deep understanding, Catherine. One that doesn't involve you, beyond your role as the Mrs. Vane who keeps the tabloids quiet. You were supposed to stay in your room, look pretty in white, and play your part."
“And what about you?” I turn sharply to my father. “Was this your plan too? To marry me off so you could my voice shakes violently now “…so you could hide whatever this is?”
"I'm calling the police," I say, my voice trembling as I lift the phone. "I’m telling everyone and showing this to everyone, does mum know? The wedding is off. I’ll ruin both of you. I’ll…”
"Give me the phone, Catherine," Adrian says. His voice has dropped an octave. It’s a warning.
"No!" I turn to run, my heels skidding on the polished hardwood. I don't make it to the door.
“Let go!” I scream, twisting, trying to pull free.
Andrian’s grip tightens, pain shooting up my arm.
“I told you not to run,” he says, his voice low and dangerous.
“Get off me!” I shout, kicking out blindly, panic taking over completely now.
“Dad!” I scream. “Help me!”
"Victor , help me!" Adrian grunts, trying to wrestle the phone from my grip.
My father hesitates for a heartbeat, then moves. He doesn't help me. He grabs my other arm, pinning me against the edge of Adrian’s massive mahogany desk.
“Dad, please…”
"Just give it to him, Cat!" He hissed in my ear. "Don't make this worse! We can talk about this!"
"You're disgusting!" I spit, twisting my head to look at him. "I hate you! I hope you both rot…”
Adrian snarls, a sound of pure, unadulterated rage. He lets go of my wrist to strike out, intending to grab my throat to quiet me. But I dodge, and in the chaos of the struggle, his shove carries the full weight of his billionaire’s arrogance and his athlete’s strength.
I lose my footing.
The world tilts. The last thing I see is the sharp, jagged corner of a heavy crystal award sitting on the desk a "Businessman of the Year" trophy.
CRACK.
The sound is sickeningly loud in the small space. It’s the sound of bone meeting stone.
Pain, white-hot and blinding, explodes at the base of my skull. I don't even have time to scream. My knees give out, and I slide to the floor, the plush carpet feeling like a cloud as my vision begins to fray at the edges.
"Catherine?" My father’s voice sounds miles away. "Cat? Get up."
I try to breathe, but my lungs feel like they're filled with water. I can feel something warm and thick spreading into my hair, soaking into the collar of my dress.
"s**t… she’s not moving," Andrian says. There’s a frantic edge to his voice now.
"Check her pulse," my father commands.
I feel cold fingers press against my neck. They’re shaking.
"Nothing," Andrian whispers. "Oh god. Victor she’s dead. You saw it… it was an accident! She slipped!"
"It doesn't matter if it was an accident," my father’s voice is suddenly terrifyingly calm. "If this gets out, we lose everything. The merger, the money... the prison time."
"What do we do?"
"We clean it up," he says. I can hear the sound of him pacing. "We take her out the back service entrance. No cameras there. There’s a construction site near the ravine... the old drainage ditch."
"And the wedding?"
"She eloped," my father says, the lie forming instantly. "We’ll find a way to plant a note. She was stressed, She had a secret lover. Everyone will believe the heartbroken father and the jilted groom."
I want to cry out, I want to tell them I can still hear them but the darkness is pulling me down, heavier than the earth they’re planning to throw me into.
The last thing I feel are the hands of the two men I loved, lifting my broken body to discard it like a piece of unwanted trash.
Then, there is only the cold.
- Writer
