Swapped: His Dead Wife's Revenge

Chapter 11

June’s Pov

The dinner was already going from bad to worse, and I told myself I would just stay quiet the whole time. Keep my head down. Say as little as possible. But even that felt impossible. From everything I had seen on Chloe’s i********:, she was loud, bubbly, always smiling for the camera. If I stayed too silent for too long, they would definitely notice something was wrong.

Nikolai’s mother kept talking about the accident, her voice soft but probing. “We should discuss that in a couple of weeks when you’re feeling stronger. For now, just focus on getting better and starting work soon.”

I was grateful Nikolai had said I would start next week, but the idea still terrified me. I knew nothing about their business world. Boardrooms, deals, corporate politics — it was all foreign. What if I messed everything up and made things even worse?

Chloe’s father nodded. “Very well. I would love to see you at work soon, Chloe.”

I managed a weak “Okay,” and the table fell into an awkward quiet.

My eyes kept drifting to Betty. She was all over Nikolai, her hand resting on his arm, leaning in too close, laughing at everything he said. The way she touched him looked wrong. Too intimate for a sister. It made my stomach turn. Was she obsessed with him? Had she and Chloe been sleeping together behind his back? The thought gave me a headache. This family was twisted in ways I couldn’t even begin to understand.

I couldn’t take it anymore. I pushed my chair back and stood up.

“I’m sorry, but I’m really tired,” I said quietly. “I think I need to go to bed now.”

Nikolai’s mother looked surprised. “Oh, dear. I thought you would stay a little longer.”

Nikolai shot me a look of pure disgust, like I had personally offended him by existing.

I forced myself to stay calm. “I just need a lot of rest right now. The accident… it’s still affecting me.”

His mother nodded kindly. “Very well. Go and rest, dear.”

I turned and walked upstairs as fast as I could without running. The moment I closed the bedroom door behind me, I sank onto the bed, my hands shaking. How was I supposed to survive this? I didn’t know how to do any of the things they expected from Chloe. Work, business, pretending to be the perfect wife. It was all too much.

I stared at the new phone on the nightstand. Before I could stop myself, I picked it up and dialed Frederick’s number. I still knew it by heart.

It rang once. Twice. Three times.

“Hello?” Frederick’s voice came through, familiar and cold.

Relief washed over me so strongly that tears pricked my eyes. “Frederick… it’s me. June.”

There was a long pause. Then he laughed, low and mocking. “June? Are you missing me already? Why are you calling? And whose number is this? I blocked you. Did you change your number just to reach me? Is that how desperate you are now?”

I rolled my eyes even though he couldn’t see. “Frederick, I didn’t call for this nonsense. Something terrible happened to me. I need your help.”

“Help? Already?” His tone turned nasty. “How many weeks has it been? I gave you enough money. If you used it properly, you wouldn’t need my help now.”

“Please, just listen,” I begged, my voice cracking. “I was shot that day I left the house. I died. But when I woke up, I was in someone else’s body. I’m married to the man who shot me. It’s a lot. I don’t know what to do. I’ve been trying to reach Blue but she’s not answering. Please, come get me out of here.”

The line went silent for a moment. Then Frederick burst out laughing. “You’ve finally gone crazy. You miss me so much that you’re making up wild stories now? Switching bodies? Really, June?”

Tears slipped down my cheeks. “I’m telling the truth. If you can’t help me, at least call Blue for me. Give her this number. Please. For the sake of everything we went through.”

“Don’t call this number again,” he said coldly. “If this is your new tactic, it’s pathetic. I wonder how I ever ended up with a woman like you.”

He ended the call.

“Hello? Hello?” I whispered desperately into the dead line. He had hung up on me.

The door suddenly opened.

I looked up. Nikolai stood there, his expression dark.

“Well, well, well,” he said, stepping inside and closing the door behind him. “You said you were going to bed because you had a headache. Yet here you are, on the phone. Who were you talking to? One of your other boyfriends? I know you, Chloe. You never stayed with just one man.”

“It was just a friend,” I said quickly, wiping my tears.

“A friend?” He walked closer, his presence filling the room. “Why couldn’t you say you were answering a friend’s call instead of lying about going to bed?”

“I don’t have time for this right now,” I whispered. “I just need to rest.”

Before I could finish, Nikolai bent down and grabbed my chin hard, forcing me to look up at him. His fingers dug into my skin.

“You do not interrupt me when I’m talking, Chloe,” he said, voice low and dangerous. “You have everything you wanted. You have me. You have this life. And right now, I’m going to treat you exactly as you deserve.”

He released my chin abruptly.

“First of all, why did you come down late when I told you the exact time for dinner?”

“I… I didn’t think you gave me an exact time,” I stammered. “Someone just told me to be ready and I prepared as fast as I could.”

“You’ve been behaving strangely ever since the accident,” he said, eyes narrowing. “I think you need to be taught a lesson.”

My heart slammed against my ribs. “What do you mean, a lesson?”

“Take off your clothes, Chloe.”

I froze. “What? No.”

Confusion flashed across his face for a second, then turned into anger. “No? You’ve been throwing yourself at me for months. Begging for my attention. Sending me pictures. Wanting me. And now that you finally have me, you’re saying no?”

“That was before,” I said desperately, my mind racing for any excuse. “I’ve changed. I’m not in the mood right now. Please, just leave.”

“You don’t get to decide,” he replied coldly. “This is my house. You cannot tell me to leave.”

He moved fast, grabbing me and bending me over the bed. I struggled, but he was stronger. “Keep quiet and take it like a good girl.”

I didn’t enjoy a single second of it. Not one. It felt wrong in every way. This body had only known one man before — Frederick — and now this stranger was taking what he wanted without care. I cried silently the entire time, tears soaking the sheets, my heart breaking all over again.

When he finally finished, he pulled away and looked down at my tear-streaked face.

“What the f**k are you crying for?” he asked, sounding genuinely annoyed. “Go clean yourself up. You look like a f*****g mess. And anytime I want this from you, you’re going to give it to me. You do not have the right to tell me no. Ever.”

He opened the door and left without another word.

I stayed on the bed, curled up, sobbing quietly into the pillow.

This was my life now.

And I didn’t know how much longer I could survive it.