Trial marriage

The Scars She Hid From The World

REGINA MCBRIDE

The heavy iron gates of the Wilderness Correction Camp groaned as they released me after three years of state-sponsored hell. I stood on the dirt road, clutching a plastic bag that held my entire life, waiting for the family that claimed they sent me there for "rehab." My brother, Brady, picked me up in a luxury SUV only to throw me out onto a deserted highway in the middle of a brewing storm. He told me I was a "public relations nightmare" and that the rain might finally wash the "stink" of the camp off me. He drove away, leaving me to limp miles through the mud on a snapped ankle. When I finally dragged myself to our family estate, my mother didn't offer a hug; she gasped in horror because my muddy clothes were ruining her Italian marble. They didn't give me my old room back. Instead, they banished me to a moldy gardener’s shack and hired a "babysitter" to make sure I didn't embarrass them further. My sister, Kaleigh, stood there in white cashmere, pretending to cry while clinging to her fiancé, Ambrose—the man who had once been mine. They all treated me like a volatile junkie, refusing to acknowledge that Kaleigh was the one who planted the drugs in my bag three years ago. They wanted to believe I was broken so they wouldn't have to feel guilty about the "wellness retreat" that was actually a torture chamber. I sat in the dark of that shed, feeling the cooling gel on the cigarette burns that covered my arms, and realized they had made a fatal mistake. They thought they had erased me, but I had returned with a roadmap of scars and a hidden satellite phone. At dinner, I didn't beg for their love. I simply rolled up my sleeves and showed them the price of their silence. As the wine spilled and the lies crumbled, I sent a single text to the only person I trusted: "I'm in. Let them simmer." The hunt was finally on.

Modern Revenge Scheming

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In the duty room of the hospital, Camila Haynes was putting on her doctor uniform.

Tonight was the first night of her marriage.

But when a colleague had asked Camila to take her shift for the night, she had gone straight to the hospital without hesitation.

Looking at her reflection in the mirror, Camila straightened her lab coat and smiled bitterly. No one cared where she went anyway.

All of a sudden, the door was violently kicked open from the outside, sending it crashing against the wall.

Before Camila could look up to see what was going on, she heard the click of the light switch, and the whole room became pitch black.

Scared out of her wits, Camila trembled, her hair standing on end.

"Who's—"

Before she could get another word out, she was suddenly shoved down onto the table. With a loud clatter, the things on the table fell to the floor. Camila could feel the coldness of a sharp blade being pressed against her neck, and a strange voice barked, "Quiet!"

When her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could barely make out the man's face, though his eyes stood out. They were sharp and cold.

The metallic smell of blood filled her nose. Instantly, she knew that this man was injured.

Maybe it was because of her training as a doctor, she was used to staying calm and level-headed even in situations as scary and stressful as this.

She subtly lifted her leg in an attempt to kick the man. But the second she moved, the man noticed and forcefully pressed her restless leg down.

"I saw him heading this way!" a voice sounded from the distance.

Then, Camila heard the sound of footsteps approaching them.

It seemed that they'd barge in any second now.

In a moment of desperation, the man suddenly lowered his head and pressed his lips against Camila's.

Wide-eyed, Camila struggled to free herself from his forceful kiss and shoved the man away. Fortunately, he didn't hurt her with the knife he was wielding.

Camila touched her lips in a daze, unable to wrap her head around what just happened.

Just then, she heard the sound of the doorknob turning.

Making up her mind, Camila gritted her teeth and wrapped her arms around the man's neck. Without hesitation, she raised her head and kissed the man.

She whispered in a trembling voice, "I can help you..."

The man swallowed audibly. The next second, he made his move. His hot breath sprayed against her ear, and his voice was low and sexy. "I'll take responsibility for this."

But he seemed to have misunderstood her. Camila only meant to put on an act.

When the door was pushed open, she moaned as loudly as she could, mimicking the sounds she had heard on porn videos.

For a second, the man was stunned. She was so fascinating and seductive.

The people at the door were also in a daze when they heard her moan.

"What the fuck? It's just a couple making out here! I can't believe they'd do this at a hospital."

The door was pushed open a little more. The light in the corridor shone on Camila's body. The man shifted his body, trying to block the sight of those prying eyes. In the dim light, the people outside could only see that the two were hugging and kissing.

"That's definitely not Isaac. He's badly injured. He wouldn't have the strength to do this no matter how sexy that girl is."

"You have to admit, that girl's really good at making slutty sounds."

"Shut up and move! If we can't find Isaac, we're doomed!"

Soon, the sound of footsteps faded away.

The man knew that his assailants had left, but he found that he couldn't move away from the woman. He licked his lips, his lust blinding his reason.

The crisis was solved now, so Camila tried to push the man away. But just as her palms pressed against the man's chest, she suddenly thought about her marriage.

Her whole life had been controlled by others, including her marriage.

Her father, a man ruled by his greed, had forced her to marry into the Johnston family.

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