Chapter 3
1324 Words
Marcus crossed the room in a few long strides, grabbed Audrey by the shoulders, and slammed her against the wall.
The wounds on her back had only just begun to close. The impact tore them open again, sending a bolt of pain through her body.
Megan wrapped her arms around herself and spoke in a trembling voice.
"Mrs. Prescott, I know what I did was wrong. Please don't post those intimate pictures of Marcus and me online. People will tear me apart. I know I'm disabled and don't deserve someone like him, but I truly love him."
Audrey watched Megan slip effortlessly into the role of the helpless victim, and the last shred of sympathy she had felt for her vanished.
The seemingly innocent woman Audrey had once pitied was nothing more than a viper in disguise.
Marcus's face hardened.
"Audrey, I thought you were only jealous because I fell in love with Megan. I never imagined you'd go this far to ruin her. When did you become so cruel?"
Audrey met his gaze without flinching. "I wasn't recording anything. Marcus, after all these years, you know I'd never stoop that low."
Marcus frowned as doubt flickered across his face. Deep down, he knew Audrey wasn't capable of doing something so underhanded.
Before he could respond, Megan screamed, snatched a letter opener from the desk, and slashed it toward her wrist.
"Mr. Prescott, I grew up in the slums. I should never have dreamed of being with someone like you. I'll die to make it up to Mrs. Prescott!"
Marcus lunged forward, knocked the letter opener from her hand, and pulled her into his arms.
"Megan, I'm the one who fell in love with you. None of this is your fault. I was the one who dragged you into this relationship."
Hearing Marcus admit that he loved another woman still sent a sharp ache through Audrey's already broken heart.
She turned to leave, but Megan struggled in Marcus's arms and cried, "No, Mr. Prescott! Mrs. Prescott still hasn't forgiven me. If she posts those pictures, my life will be over!"
Marcus fixed Audrey with an icy stare. "I'm giving you one last chance. Tell me why you came into the study, or I swear I won't go easy on you."
Audrey said nothing.
She couldn't tell him the truth. If Marcus discovered that she planned to take the agreements and leave, he would never let her go. He might even lock her away forever.
His next words landed like a slap.
"Since you won't explain yourself, I'll make this right for Megan. You brought this on yourself by going after her. Strip her and stream it live on the dark web. Make sure she never dares to secretly record anyone again."
Several bodyguards stepped out of the shadows, restrained Audrey, and dragged her into the concealed room behind the study.
A computer monitor flickered to life. A website on the dark web loaded on the screen, and the camera began streaming.
Audrey fought with everything she had. "Marcus, you know I didn't record anything! Let me go, or I swear you'll regret it!"
Marcus lifted Megan into his arms and cast Audrey one final, cold glance.
"I told you already. Megan is the only person I can't bear to see suffer."
The study door slammed shut behind him.
One of the bodyguards advanced toward Audrey. She backed away until her injured back struck the wall, sending another wave of pain through her.
"Don't touch me!"
He grabbed the front of her dress and tore off the first button.
Audrey clawed at his hands, leaving bloody scratches across his skin, but he barely reacted.
"Marcus!"
No one answered.
The second button popped off and rolled across the floor.
"Marcus!" Audrey screamed again.
The bodyguard yanked open the neckline of her dress, exposing one shoulder. When Audrey tried to cover herself, he twisted her wrist behind her back until pain shot up her arm.
"Let me go!"
Tears streamed down her face as she struggled and drove her knee toward his leg.
Comments began pouring into the livestream.
A: [This is getting good!]
B: [Is she married? She looks so innocent!]
C: [She doesn't look innocent to me!]
D: [I'm obsessed with her!]
E: [Take the rest off, and I'll tip 1 million dollars!]
Every line on the screen made Audrey's stomach twist.
"Marcus!" Her voice had gone hoarse. "I didn't do it! Do you hear me? I didn't do it!"
Marcus had to be close enough to hear her, but only silence came from outside the door.
The bodyguard tore the dress from Audrey's body, and the fabric split with a harsh ripping sound.
Audrey finally realized that fighting back wouldn't stop them.
She sank to the floor, covered her chest with both arms, and wept.
She had never imagined that strangers around the world would one day see her like this.
On their wedding day, Marcus had wrapped an arm around her waist and announced to every guest, "She's mine. No one else gets to look at her, much less think about her."
Everyone had laughed and teased him for being possessive. Audrey had laughed with them, her heart overflowing with happiness.
Back then, even another man's glance had been enough to make Marcus jealous.
Now he had ordered her stripped and displayed online for strangers around the world to watch.
He had meant every tender word back then, just as surely as he meant every cruel act now.
Audrey stared at the closed door. Her tears slowly dried, and her gaze turned cold and hard.
She would make Marcus and Megan pay for this.
After 1 hour, the bodyguard finally released her and warned, "Mrs. Prescott, Mr. Prescott said that if you try to hurt Miss Shaw again, tonight's humiliation will be nothing compared to what happens next."
Audrey dressed with shaking hands and staggered out of the study.
She dragged herself back to her room and found Noah asleep. She didn't dare cry loudly enough to wake him, so she went into the bathroom, washed her face, and forced herself to steady her breathing.
Once she had calmed down, Audrey contacted someone with connections on the dark web and offered any price to have the recording wiped from every site.
A reply arrived in under 1 minute.
Contact: [The video has already been deleted from every site. My people weren't the ones who removed it.]
Audrey stared at the message in surprise. She couldn't imagine who had stepped in to help her.
She was too exhausted to investigate.
Instead, she opened an encrypted folder containing evidence of Marcus's affairs, leads on his hidden assets, and recordings of him threatening Noah.
She sent everything to Daniel.
Audrey: [I've sent you the evidence. Please investigate Megan Shaw as well. How are the new identities coming along?]
Daniel: [The process is underway. The new identities will be ready in 12 days. Stay safe.]
Only 12 days remained.
If Audrey could survive those 12 days, she would be able to disappear from Marcus's world forever.
The next morning, Audrey heard shouting downstairs.
When she reached the living room, she found Megan confronting Noah. The floor was littered with pages torn from a passport, a ripped acceptance letter, and shredded visa documents.
"You destroyed my passport, my visa, and my acceptance letter!" Megan shrieked. "You've ruined everything I worked for!"
Noah pressed his lips together as tears ran down his cheeks. "I didn't do it. I never touched any of them."
"You're still lying! I'll teach you a lesson myself!"
Megan raised her hand and swung it toward Noah's face.
Audrey rushed forward and pulled him aside. Even so, Megan's nails raked his cheek and drew blood.
Audrey's fury boiled over. She raised her hand and slapped Megan across the face.
"Who the hell do you think you are? You have no right to discipline my son!"
- Writer
