Chapter three.
893 Words
walked out the door.
But an hour later… I was sitting in the back of his car.
Silent.
Regretting everything.
The city lights blurred past the window, but I wasn’t really seeing them. My mind kept going back to one thing
Page four.
I shifted slightly and reached for my bag.
The contract was still there.
Of course it was.
Carefully, I pulled it out and flipped through the pages.
Slow this time.
No rushing.
No skipping.
Page one.
Page two.
Page three.
Page four.
My eyes scanned the lines quickly at first… then slowed my eyes full of shock and widened
They stopped.
My chest tightened.
“No way…”
I read it again.
And again.
Like maybe I was misunderstanding it.
Like maybe the words would change.
They didn’t.
“The wife agrees to fulfill all marital roles and responsibilities as required by the husband for the duration of the contract.”
My grip on the paper tightened.
“What kind of—”
I stopped myself, taking a breath.
No.
There had to be more.
I kept reading.
“Failure to comply may result in termination of financial support and legal penalties.”
My heart dropped.
Legal penalties?
“You’ve got to be kidding me…”
The car suddenly felt too small.
Too quiet.
I turned my head slowly.
He was sitting right next to me.
Relaxed.
Like none of this was a problem.
Like he hadn’t just trapped me.
“You knew,” I said quietly.
He didn’t even look surprised.
“I expected you to notice.”
My laugh came out sharp. “Don’t do that.”
“Do what?”
“Act like this is my fault.”
This time, he turned to look at me.
Calm. Steady.
“It is.”
The words hit instantly.
“You signed it.”
Anger rushed through me.
“You set it up!”
“And you agreed.”
I stared at him, disbelief mixing with frustration.
“You’re unbelievable.”
“No,” he said quietly. “I’m careful.”
That made my stomach twist again.
Careful?
This wasn’t careful.
This was calculated.
This is manipulation I screamed internally!!
“This clause…” I held up the paper slightly, “what exactly do you expect from me?”
A pause.
His eyes dropped briefly to the page… then back to me.
“Exactly what it says.”
That didn’t help.
“Be specific.”
The words came out before I could stop them.
For a second, he didn’t answer.
He leaned closer.
Not enough to touch.
Just enough to make my breath catch.
“You’ll stay with me,” he said quietly.
My fingers tightened around the contract.
“You’ll show up when needed.”
My pulse picked up.
“And,” he added, his voice lowering slightly,
“You won’t pretend this is just on paper.”
My heart skipped.
“That’s not specific.”
“It doesn’t need to be.”
His gaze held mine.
Steady. Unmoving.
Like he was waiting for me to understand on my own.
And the worst part?
I did.
A heat crept up my neck, and I looked away quickly.
“This is insane,” I muttered.
“Then why are you still here?”
That question…
That one hit differently.
Because I didn’t have a good answer.
Because deep down
I knew why.
My father.
The company.
Everything falling apart.
He knew it too.
“You’re using this,” I said quietly.
“I’m using what you gave me.”
I clenched my jaw so tight I could heave sworn my jaw would break.
“You could’ve helped without this.”
“Yes.”
I blinked, caught off guard.
“You admit it?”
“I do.”
Silence filled the car again.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
“Then why didn’t you?” I asked.
This time…
He didn’t answer right away.
His gaze shifted slightly, like he was thinking.
Or remembering.
Then he looked back at me.
“Because this way,” he said quietly,
“You stay.”
My breath caught.
“What?”
“You don’t walk away,” he continued.
His voice wasn’t cold this time.
Just… certain.
“And I don’t lose you again.”
The words hit harder than anything else he’d said.
For a second, I forgot how to respond.
Forgot how to think.
Because that didn’t sound like control.
That sounded like something else.
Something I wasn’t ready to deal with.
I looked away, gripping the contract tighter.
“This doesn’t change anything.”
“It doesn’t have to.”
The car slowed slightly.
We were arriving.
I didn’t even realize how fast the drive had gone.
As it came to a stop, my chest tightened again.
This was it.
No turning back now.
I folded the contract slowly and slipped it back into my bag.
Then I reached for the door.
But before I could open it—
His hand closed gently around my wrist.
Not tight.
But enough to stop me.
My breath hitched.
“Ella.”
My name.
Soft this time.
I didn’t turn around.
“What?”
A pause.
“Don’t make this harder than it has to be.”
I let out a quiet breath.
Too late for that.
Because the moment I signed that contract
Everything had already changed.
- Writer
