His Mistake, My Revenge

I picked up the pen that morning knowing I was signing my life away. My parents watched. My father with his cold coffee. My mother with her shaking hands. Neither of them stopped me. "Just sign," my father said. "Here. Here. And initial here." I asked what happens if I don't. He walked out of the kitchen. Poured himself a drink. That was my answer. So I signed. Adrian Cross owned me before I ever saw his face. The dress was white. Supposed to be white. My mother stood behind me at the altar, fiddling with a pin that kept coming loose. Her hands were shaking. Not because she was emotional. Because she'd already started drinking. It wasn't even noon. "You look beautiful," she said. I didn't answer. Adrian Cross stood across from me. Thirty-four. Billionaire. Widower. He didn't look at my face. He looked at my father. Then at his watch. Then back at my father. The priest talked about love. I didn't listen. When it was time for the kiss, Adrian grabbed my chin. His thumb pressed into my jaw. Hard enough to hurt. "Smile," he whispered. I smiled. His lips touched my cheek. Not my mouth. Someone behind me laughed. His mother, probably. After the ceremony, she found me near the champagne table. Thin. Sharp. Perfume that smelled like warning. "The last one cried at her reception," she said. Swirled her drink. Didn't look at me. "Made a scene. Embarrassing." I didn't ask what happened to her. I mean it wasn't any of my business. The reception ended late. Adrian's car was running outside. Black. Low. He stood by the passenger door. Didn't open it. I stopped on the porch. Buster was in the window. Nose against the glass. Tail moving slow. He was fourteen. I'd had him since I was twelve. "The dog," I said. Adrian turned his head. Just his head. "He's old. He doesn't eat much. I can just — " "No." Buster put his paw on the glass. "Please. He doesn't have much time left. I just want — " Adrian walked over. His shoes were quiet on the wood. He stopped in front of me. Didn't touch me. Just stood there. "You want what?" I couldn't answer.I froze, not out of fear. I didn't even why. He reached past me. Opened the car door. Then he waited. Buster's tail stopped moving. I got in the car. We drove in silence. I pressed my nails into my palm. Hard enough to leave marks, enough to feel something besides the cold in my chest. His house was big. Too big. A woman with gray hair showed me to a room. Small bed. White sheets. No pictures. "Bathroom down the hall," she said. "Mr. Cross doesn't like noise after eleven." She left. I sat on the edge of the bed. The sheets were cold. I thought about my mother. Her shaking hands when she pinned my dress. "Try to be happy," she said. Her breath smelled like wine. It wasn't even noon. I thought about my father. Walking out of the kitchen instead of answering my question. Shaking Adrian's hand after I signed. Like I wasn't standing right there. I thought about Buster. His paw on the glass. How he would wait by my bedroom door tonight. How he wouldn't understand why I wasn't coming back. I lay down. Stared at the ceiling. There was a crack in the plaster. Shaped like a bird with one wing. I didn't cry. But I put my hand on the pillow next to me. Where Buster should have been. Something woke me. Not loud. A soft thump. From the other side of the wall. I sat up. Listened. Another thump. Then a creak. Then nothing. I got up. Pressed my ear to the wall. A whisper. Barely there. "Please. "A woman's voice. I waited. My heart was loud. Nothing else came. I stood there for a long time. Ear against the cold wall. Then I heard it. A door opening. Somewhere down the hall. Footsteps. Heavy. Walking past my room. The footsteps stopped. Right outside my door. I stepped back. Stared at the doorknob. Waited for it to turn. It didn't. The footsteps moved on. Faded. A door closed in the distance. I didn't move for a full minute. Then I looked at the wall again. Someone was in there. I thought about Adrian's mother. "The last one cried." I thought about the contract. "Page se venteen. In the event of breach." I thought about the woman on the other side of the wall. I always knew the Cross family wasn't one to mess with. That was why my dad quivered even at the sight of their cars. But this? This was extreme. I didn't know who she was. But I was going to find out. And exactly why she was here.