Seven months earlier.. "Oh, my God. It's not possible. Not my sweet Chloe," Ellie Winters said to herself in an urgent whisper. She was alone in the doctor's office where she worked and no one heard the torment in her voice. She was horrified by the videos she had just watched on James's laptop, completely by accident, while looking for a file her boss had asked her to do. Initially, she had been looking for a medical document, something he had asked her to print. She had been distracted by seeing an icon called "Chloe Videos" and she hadn't been able to resist the temptation of seeing what she assumed were happy images of her best friend, even though she knew she was clicking on something she shouldn't have. She had expected to see some moments of joy from her friend, a smiling Chloe that Ellie, in all honesty, hadn't seen in a while. Her friend had recently been distracted and unusually nervous, and Ellie wanted to know why. Chloe Colter was one of those people who was naturally kind and sweet. Unfortunately, the scenes had not been joyful. The videos were terrifying. Ellie had only been working for Chloe's doctor fiance for a week. He was demanding, but what she had just seen made her realize that James was much more than just a scumbag. He was pure evil! Tears streamed down Ellie's face as she logged off and turned off her laptop, knowing that she needed to talk to Chloe as soon as possible. I need to talk to her. She cannot marry him. Why the hell is she still engaged to him? The idiot should be in jail! Shit! Ellie was furious with herself for not pushing harder to find out why Chloe looked so different since she'd returned to Rocky Springs. She had assumed her friend was just distracted and adjusting to her being home again after being away for so long to train as an equine veterinarian. Or maybe she was stressed about her marriage to James. Getting married and planning a wedding was stressful, right? Especially when Chloe was still trying to establish her career. There's a lot more to this story that I don't understand. I need to talk to Chloe, find out why she's hiding the fact that James is an abuser. A feeling of fierce protection made Ellie's stomach tighten. She remembered all the times Chloe had jumped to her defense in their twenty-plus years of friendship. How many times had Chloe offered to help her out of poverty when they were children? Ellie had lost count. Just as she couldn't remember how many times Chloe's family had fed her when her mother had to work. Or that she had given her new shoes or clothes, with Chloe claiming they didn't fit her and that she wanted Ellie to have them. There were so many sweet things Chloe and her mom did for me over the years. Suppressing a sob of sadness, Ellie was determined to make sure her best friend didn't end up married to the devil himself. Chloe deserved the most amazing husband possible. Why? Why is Chloe covering up what James is doing to her? Ellie didn't have the answers, but she intended to find them. If necessary, she would drag Chloe out of that relationship, kicking and screaming, before sitting back and watching as godmother as her friend signed a life sentence with Satan. Frantically, she grabbed her bag, ready to go to Chloe's house. Ellie considered
them. If necessary, she would drag Chloe out of that relationship, kicking and screaming, before sitting back and watching as godmother as her friend signed a life sentence with Satan. Frantically, she grabbed her bag, ready to go to Chloe's house. Ellie considered calling her, but needed to confront her in person. She had no doubt that Chloe didn't know about the videos and would probably be horrified when she saw them. Chloe Colter had been her best friend since elementary school. Ellie knew that the terrified screams of pain and agony in the video weren't some kind of perverted sex game.
Chloe had been traumatized, terrified and begging James to stop. But the son of a bitch hadn't stopped. What kind of sick little game was he playing? And how had Chloe gotten involved? Why hadn't she just walked away from him? After all, she was a Colter and didn't need any man. Chloe was rich and educated enough to run her own life. Plus, she had four older brothers who would have beaten James up if they'd realized what he'd done to her. And then there was the more important question: Why hadn't Chloe turned him over to the police? There had to be an explanation, but Ellie couldn't find it in her rush to get out of the office. The sound of someone picking at the lock on the office's front door, which was locked, caused Ellie to panic. She held the notebook to her chest and ran out from behind the desk. Her heart was racing when the door started to open. She didn't look to see who she was. There were few people with the key and she was one of them. Even if it was the cleaning crew, she didn't intend to risk it to find out. The only thing she could think of was running out the back door, getting to her car, and going straight to Chloe. - Ellie! Hearing James scream from the reception area tripled her heart rate. She ran to the back exit. I just need to get to my car. I just need to find Chloe. Ellie heard James' heavy footsteps in the hallway behind her, but she kept running. Her breathing was hazy with panic as she opened the back door and ran out the metal door without hesitation. Hating herself for wearing high heels that morning, she kept running as fast as she could, hugging her notebook as if her life depended on it. I need to get to Chloe. I need to get to Chloe. Please just let me get to her house. She was almost at the old economy car - which she had long ago nicknamed the Blue Turtle because, despite being slow, she kept moving - when James' body collided with hers. They both fell to the ground, but unfortunately, his body pinned her against the cold concrete. - Skirt. From above. From. Me." Ellie's voice was a breathless hiss as she struggled to get him off of her. - Is there a reason you're running away with my notebook, Miss? Winters? asked James as he put his arm around her neck. - I'm going to work from home tonight. - It was a lame excuse, but it was the only thing Ellie could think of. Chloe had always said she was a terrible liar. No matter what she claimed, she doubted James would believe it, as she had been running from him. And the only thing he had asked was to find and print a document. - You saw the videos - he accused in a threatening tone. - I was going directly after Chloe. She's a nosy bitch. I asked you to do something on the computer and you had to see things that shouldn't be seen by anyone. Not now. You will ruin everything. I'm glad I came back when I realized you wouldn't mind your own business. You shouldn't leave things you don't want seen on a computer that can be accessed by anyone, you idiot. Ellie was addicted to crime shows and it was obvious that James was sloppy or psychotic enough not to think about the possibility of her seeing the videos first. Feeling his arm tighten around her neck, she was almost sure it was the second option. - Why are you trying to hurt Chloe? - Ellie gave up pretending to try to get answers. - She would never do something like that to you. She loves You. - The fact that Chloe even liked a monster like James made Ellie feel sick. The idiot didn't even deserve to be in the same room as Chloe. "Of course she loves me," James grumbled. - We're going to get married and no one is going to stop me. I will finally get what I deserve. Ellie wished he would get what she really owed: handcuffs and a very uncomfortable cell for the rest of his life. It was obvious that James felt he was entitled to Chloe's share of the Colter family fortune, almost unimaginable wealth. "You deserve to be in jail," Ellie said with difficulty because of how little air she could take in. - Shut the fuck up! Let's get up. I have a gun and if you make even a sound, I will kill you," he warned in a dangerous tone. There was no doubt in Ellie's mind that James would carry out his threat. After seeing how he treated Chloe, she had no doubt that he was capable of just about anything. He forced her to her feet and it wasn't long before she saw the glint of steel in the dim light of the empty parking lot. He actually had a gun and was prepared to use it. She considered shouting as loudly as possible, but doubted it would do anything other than silence her for good. The office was a lonely building at the end of a dead-end street. It was already dark and it was cold. The possibility of anyone listening to her was very small. She decided that if she didn't want to end up dead, she needed to wait until she managed to escape. What happened next ruined her plan. - I told Chloe you weren't worth anything. You are worthless to her. Your family is poor, you are poor. I only hired her to shut Chloe up! - James exclaimed dangerously, right before punching her in the face. Pain exploded in Ellie's head as she received the blow. Dazed from the brutal punch, she was unable to resist as James took her to his car on the other side of the parking lot. When James slammed her against the car, she finally spoke, wondering desperately if he was going to kill her, even though she didn't scream. "James, you don't want to do this. And Chloe? And your career? Stop this now and I won't say anything. Let me just go home. - She started lying to convince him to let her leave. - Do you think I'm stupid enough to believe that? asked James in a voice that was getting increasingly shrill, a crazy voice that was starting to make Ellie very
Chapter 1 right before
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Chapter 2 After seeing how
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Chapter 3 inspected the tiny bathroom
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Chapter 4 not knowing
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Chapter 5 I got thinner
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Chapter 6 remembering everything
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Chapter 7 She smiled
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Chapter 8 methodically
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Chapter 9 Obviously
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Chapter 10 bit paranoid, huh
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Chapter 11 him more human
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Chapter 12 Seven months
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Chapter 13 she cried
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Chapter 14 Zane raised his eyebrow
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Chapter 15 Let's fill the cupboards
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