The Devil’s Bride

Chapter 6: Doll in Designer Clothes

Moore’s POV

I woke up to pure pain.

A deep, relentless ache pulsed between my legs with every small movement. My thighs felt sticky, and my neck and breasts throbbed where Ethan had bitten and bruised me. The black silk sheets clung coldly to my naked skin, acting as a cruel reminder of everything that had happened during our wedding night.

I lay there staring blankly at the ceiling, my body curled tightly into itself like it was trying to disappear. Silent tears slipped down my cheeks, soaking into the expensive pillows.

The good thing is Annastasia is safe. The surgery was a complete success. Tim and Talia are going to be okay.

Those words had kept me going since yesterday. But this morning, they felt like fragile glass—one heavy breath away from shattering into pieces.

The bedroom door opened without a knock. Suzie entered the room carrying a heavy silver breakfast tray, her face entirely blank and corporate.

“Your husband ordered that you eat every single bite,” she said, placing the tray on the marble nightstand. “A little secret about Mr. Vance: he absolutely despises weak people. Do not disappoint him on day one.”

I clutched the black silk sheet tighter to my chest, mortified. Suzie didn’t even blink at the dark purple bruises covering my collarbone and shoulders. She looked at me like I was a piece of inventory that had been roughly handled.

“You should take a shower,” Suzie added, her voice flat. “You smell like sex.”

In the private bathroom, I turned the water as hot as it would go. I scrubbed violently at every single place Ethan had touched—my neck, my breasts, the insides of my thighs, and between my legs. My skin turned bright red and raw under the blistering water, but I couldn’t wash away the memory of last night.

How could my body betray me like that? How could I come apart under his pure cruelty? How could I make those shameful, breathless sounds while he laughed at my distress?

I hated myself for it. I hated my own skin.

When I finally stepped out of the steam, my flesh stinging, Suzie was waiting for me. She led me into an enormous walk-in closet. Automatic LED lights flared to life, revealing row after row of designer clothes, custom shoes, and luxury handbags that screamed obscene wealth.

“Mr. Vance selected most of these pieces personally,” Suzie said in her clinical tone. “You are to wear whatever he approves from now on. Hear this clearly.” She pulled a luxurious, cream-colored cashmere sweater dress from a rack. “Accessible. Exactly as he prefers his property to be.”

My hands shook violently as I began to dress. First came the tiny, expensive lace lingerie—delicate to look at, yet scratchy against my bruised skin. Even though the soft cashmere dress would completely hide Ethan's marks from the outside world, the lace underneath felt like an invisible brand. It was a constant, intimate reminder of exactly what my husband expected from me later tonight.

As I finished adjusting the hem of the dress, Suzie stepped closer, invading my space.

“You are a ten-million-dollar asset on Mr. Vance’s ledger, Moore. Don’t ever forget that. Your only job in this house is to look the part and be completely available whenever he calls.”

Her words hit me like a physical slap. I froze, my breath catching sharply in my throat. Before I could recover, Suzie placed her cold hands on my shoulders and forcefully turned me toward the full-length mirror.

“Look at yourself.”

The woman staring back at me in the glass was stunning. Polished. Elegant. The cream cashmere hugged my curves perfectly, making me look like a high-society woman who truly belonged in this world of marble and millions.

But I knew the ugly truth.

The girl in the mirror was completely empty. I was just a w***e wearing expensive packaging.

Suzie adjusted the collar of the dress with precise, professional fingers. “One final thing. Stay completely away from the driver, Connor or the other male staff, Mr. Vance has made his security instructions very clear. If I catch you speaking to him, looking at him, or accepting any of his little comforting gestures, I will report it to Mr. Vance immediately. You don’t want to be responsible for what happens to that boy, do you?”

My chest tightened painfully. Connor was the only person in this entire nightmare who had shown me basic human warmth. Now I had to completely avoid him—not just for my own safety, but to protect his life from Ethan’s ruthless wrath.

Suzie checked her digital watch. “When Mr. Vance returns for dinner tonight, be waiting by the grand foyer. He does not tolerate waiting.”

She turned on her heel and left the room without another word. The heavy closet door clicked shut, and the silence that followed was completely suffocating.

I sank onto the velvet bench in the middle of the massive closet, surrounded by hundreds of thousands of dollars in clothes that would never truly belong to me. The soft cashmere felt like a gentle lie against my skin, while the lace underneath scratched at my flesh like a secret punishment.

I hugged my knees tightly to my chest and began to rock slowly, staring at the polished stranger in the mirror.

What have I done?

I had saved my family… but I had completely lost myself.

A broken sob finally tore from my throat as the full, crushing weight of my new reality crashed down on me. I cried hard, muffling the sound against the thick fabric of my dress so the staff outside wouldn't hear my weakness.

My mantra was beginning to sound like a joke.

Because in this cold, beautiful prison, I wasn’t surviving. I was slowly being erased. And I didn’t know how much longer I could keep pretending to be strong.