CHAPTER1
1348 Words
CHAPTER ONE
I didn’t expect to be home this early. Meetings had wrapped up faster than usual, so I decided to surprise Zachary with lunch from his favorite restaurant.
“Zachary!” I called, my voice light and unsuspecting.
No response.
That was when I noticed the faint noise, a hushed giggle floating down from upstairs. My hand tightened around the bag, unease prickling at the back of my neck. I climbed the staircase slowly, each step heavy with dread, my breath catching when I pushed the bedroom door open.
There he was. My husband. Zachary. Tangled in sheets. With Jane. My sister.
The bag slipped from my hand, the sound echoing through the room like a gunshot.
“Zachary?” My voice was barely a whisper.
He turned to me, unfazed. “Maureen.”
That was it. No shock, no guilt—just my name, flat and cold.
“What is this?” I asked, my voice breaking. My eyes darted between the two of them, looking for any sign that this wasn’t real.
Jane sat up, her expression smug. “It’s exactly what it looks like, sister.”
I couldn’t breathe. “Jane… you—”
“Oh, come on, Maureen,” she interrupted, swinging her legs off the bed as if she owned it. “Don’t act so surprised. You had to know he didn’t love you.”
Zachary rose casually, grabbing his shirt from the floor. “She’s right. I never loved you.”
The words hit me harder than a slap. “You’re lying,” I whispered, tears stinging my eyes.
He laughed. Laughed. “No, Maureen. I married you because it was convenient. You were an heiress. Rich. Perfect for my plans. But love? Don’t kid yourself.”
My knees buckled, and I grabbed the doorframe to steady myself. “Plans?”
Jane grinned, her tone saccharine. “Yes, plans. You’ve been so generous, sister. Giving me nothing while our parents handed you everything.”
“You betrayed me, Jane! You betrayed your own sister!” I snapped, my voice trembling.
“Oh, don’t make this about family.” Her voice sharpened. “You were the favorite. You always have been. Mom and Dad handed you the world on a silver platter while I was left in the shadows. So, when Zachary came to me with a plan, I thought, why not? Finally, something for me.”
“Plan?” My voice cracked again. “What plan?”
Zachary smirked and reached for a folder on the nightstand. “This plan.”
He threw it at my feet. My eyes skimmed over the documents, but my brain refused to process the words. Legalese blurred together, but one word stood out: transfer.
“I’m not signing this,” I said, shaking my head.
“Oh, but you will.” Zachary’s voice turned low and dangerous as he circled me.
Jane joined him, her face alight with triumph. “You’ll sign, Maureen, or things will get… messy.”
“I won’t,” I spat, stepping back, my fists clenching.
I barely had time to react when Jane lunged at me. A sharp sting pierced my arm, and I looked down in horror at the syringe she had just emptied into my vein.
“Wha—what did you…?” My voice slurred as my knees buckled.
“Nighty night, sister,” Jane said with a smirk, her voice fading as darkness consumed me.
When I woke up, the cold bite of rope burned against my wrists. I blinked, my vision swimming, to find myself tied to a wooden chair in the middle of the dining room.
Zachary sat on the table’s edge, flipping through papers. Jane leaned against the wall, arms crossed, a cruel smile plastered on her face.
“Finally,” Zachary said without looking at me. “You’re awake. Took you long enough.”
“What is this?” I croaked, my throat dry. “Let me go!”
“Oh, Maureen,” Jane cooed, stepping closer. “This is your fault. If you’d just played nice, we wouldn’t have to do this.”
“You drugged me!” I struggled against the ropes, but they only dug deeper into my skin. “Let me go, or I’ll—”
“You’ll what?” Zachary interrupted, finally looking at me with that same cold indifference. “You’re in no position to make threats.”
He walked over and shoved the same folder from before into my lap. “Sign the papers, Maureen.”
“No.” My voice was weak, but I glared at him. “I’m not signing anything.”
Jane sighed dramatically, snatching the folder and waving it in front of my face. “Do you even know what’s in here? Or are you just being stubborn?”
“I know enough,” I spat. “It’s a transfer. You want everything—my company, my money, my life.”
“Well, that’s not entirely true,” Zachary said with a smirk. “We don’t want your life.”
“Yet,” Jane added, her smile widening.
“Why are you doing this?” I demanded, tears welling up. “We’re family, Jane! How can you betray me like this?”
Jane’s face twisted with anger. “Family? Don’t make me laugh. You were always the golden child, always the favorite. Mom and Dad gave you everything while I got scraps. Well, now it’s my turn.”
He leaned down, his face inches from mine. “Sign, Maureen. Or this will get ugly.”
“Go to hell,” I hissed.
Jane let out a frustrated growl and snatched my phone off the table. “God, you’re so stubborn!” She smashed it against the floor, the screen shattering into pieces.
“Jane!” I screamed, the sound echoing through the room.
“Sign the damn papers!” she shrieked, slamming her fist on the table.
“Never!” I cried, tears streaming down my face.
“Fine,” Zachary said, his tone icy. He rolled up his sleeves and grabbed my chin roughly, forcing me to look at him. “Let’s see how defiant you are after this.”
The first blow came fast—a slap that sent my head snapping to the side. Pain exploded across my cheek, but I refused to cry out.
“Still nothing?” he taunted. “You’re tougher than I thought.”
“Try harder,” I spat, my voice shaking but defiant.
Jane laughed darkly. “Oh, this is going to be fun.”
They took turns—slaps, punches, cruel taunts that cut deeper than any wound. My body ached, my head spun, but I clung to one thought: I won’t let them win.
“Sign it,” Zachary demanded again, shoving the pen into my hand.
“No.”
“Sign it, Maureen!” Jane screamed, slamming her hands on the table.
“Burn in hell,” I whispered, spitting blood onto the papers.
Zachary let out a frustrated sigh and forcefully held my hands to sign it.
They laughed wickedly, laughing and taunting me as they gathered their things.
They walked out, their laughter echoing behind them. The door slammed shut, leaving me alone in the suffocating silence.
I sobbed, the weight of everything crushing me. My husband, my sister—people I had trusted, loved—had destroyed my world in a matter of hours.
I didn’t know how long I sat there, tears streaming down my face, my body trembling with pain and heartbreak. But then, through my haze of despair, I saw something.
A face.
A man’s face, watching me from the shadows.
“Who…?” I whispered, my voice weak.
He tilted his head slightly, his lips curling into a faint, almost predatory smile.
“Hello, my little lamb,” he said, his voice smooth, deep, and dripp
ing with quiet menace.
The last thing I saw before everything went black again was the glint of his dark eyes and a faint, dangerous smile.
- Writer
