Thea still hadn’t come back, even though it was already eight in the evening.
He didn’t want to wait for her, didn’t want to worry about where she was, but Dashiell couldn’t quite shake the unease creeping into his chest.
He could simply ignore her and go to sleep, but if something happened to his wife, he’d be the one dealing with the fallout.
He had no idea what she was up to.
She was probably cooking up some clever scheme to win his sympathy again, after he’d thrown her out of his room the night before.
Maybe Saphira was out spending time with other men, exactly like the rumors he’d heard.
Perhaps he simply hadn’t satisfied her, and that was why she was seeking satisfaction elsewhere.
Should he gather proof and show his grandfather exactly what she was up to out there?
It seemed like a reasonable idea.
Dashiell stood by the window, staring out into the dark night.
He’d been standing there for over an hour already, unmoving.
He knew he shouldn’t be doing something this foolish; it did him no good whatsoever.
He decided if Saphira wasn’t back within the hour, he’d punish her until she learned her lesson.
She seemed to have forgotten she already had a husband.
Thea still hadn’t returned, and it only deepened his suspicion, his mind conjuring the worst possible assumptions about her.
It was already nine o’clock, and there was still no sign of his wife coming home.
Frustrated after waiting so long, Dashiell decided to call his assistant.
He was determined to start watching her closely from now on; he wanted to know exactly what Saphira was doing.
“I want you to send someone to follow Saphira. Watch her every move and report back to me who she’s meeting.”
“Are you certain about this, sir?” His assistant sounded hesitant, since something like this felt inappropriate, especially given how recently they’d married.
If Dashiell’s grandfather ever found out, he’d surely be furious.
“Of course I’m certain. Track her movements and tell me exactly who she meets. You already know about the ugly rumors surrounding her, so don’t hide anything if you find something. Get me solid proof, because I want to show it to my grandfather!” Once he had that proof in hand, he wanted to see exactly how she’d try to cover up whatever filth she was involved in.
“Understood, sir. I’ll follow her and keep a close watch.”
“Good.” Dashiell ended the call.
He had no intention of waiting any longer.
He turned to walk away, but stopped in his tracks when he spotted a taxi pulling up outside the house.
Thea stepped out of the car, having stayed out late again after meeting with a lecturer to discuss coursework.
She hadn’t meant to keep Dashiell waiting, and she had no idea he’d been waiting for her at all.
Thea hurried toward the house, hoping Dashiell was already asleep so he wouldn’t notice how late she’d gotten in, though she doubted he’d even care either way, given how indifferent he’d been toward her from the start.
Thea knocked gently on the front door.
She had no key of her own.
The night air was bitterly cold, and she found herself rubbing her arms for warmth.
She knocked again, but no one answered.
It wasn’t that no one heard her; the staff certainly did, but none of them dared open the door, since Dashiell was there and had specifically ordered them not to let her in.
He wanted to see exactly how long his wife could last out there in the cold.
He also wanted her to understand, once and for all, that she couldn’t just do whatever she pleased and expect no consequences.
Thea knocked a third time.
Was no one hearing her at all, or had Dashiell deliberately instructed the staff to ignore her?
She tried peering through a window, but couldn’t make anything out inside.
She was starting to think her best friend’s husband simply wasn’t a good man.
It seemed unlikely Saphira would ever find real happiness holding onto this marriage, but did Saphira even care about it in the first place?
Probably not, Thea thought, knowing full well her friend already had a boyfriend she had no intention of leaving.
Their whole situation was bound to get more complicated eventually, but why should that be her problem?
She was only a stand in, with no business thinking too deeply about any of it or getting further involved than she already was.
Thea knocked again, and again there was no response.
It seemed pointless to keep trying.
She leaned back against the door, rubbing her freezing hands together.
Her gaze drifted up toward the night sky, as dark and heavy as her own heart, as dark as the foolish choice she’d made.
She couldn’t blame anyone else for this, since she was the one who’d wanted it in the first place.
Fine, she thought, she didn’t mind sleeping outside, and she wouldn’t hold it against anyone, since this was exactly what she’d signed up for.
There was no reason to feel sorry for herself, and certainly no reason to blame Dashiell for any of it.
“When are you coming back, Saphira? I honestly can’t stand playing this ridiculous role anymore!” She rubbed her hands together again.
It was so cold.
Should she just head back to her rented room instead?
Rather than stay here looking pathetic, she decided she’d rather leave, even knowing Dashiell would probably accuse her of something later.
Let him think whatever he wanted; she had no reason left to try winning anyone’s favor or doing Saphira any more favors.
She almost wished Saphira wasn’t tied to such a cruel, unpleasant man at all.
Thea had already decided to leave when the front door suddenly swung open.
She nearly stumbled forward, but someone caught her arm, then let go just as quickly.
“Th-thank you!” Thea pressed a hand to her chest, but the words died in her throat the moment she saw Dashiell glaring at her.
“Truly impressive, Saphira. Just how many men have you been sleeping with, to keep coming home this late?” His words landed cold and sharp, cutting straight through her. This chapter was taken from novelping(.)com without permission.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Dashiell. I wasn’t sleeping with anyone.”
“Don’t lie to me. If you weren’t sleeping with anyone, then why are you coming home this late? Do you really think you can fool me? I already told you, I won’t fall for your little tricks, because you’re nothing but a whore out there!”
“Whatever you’ve heard about me, believe me, it’s all lies. I wasn’t with any man, and I didn’t do any of what you’re accusing me of. I’m home this late because I went to meet with a lecturer to discuss coursework.”
“Oh?” Dashiell crossed his arms, studying her now with open contempt, an expression that could only be read as an insult.
“So you were discussing coursework, and sleeping with that lecturer too?”
“What? Don’t say things that aren’t true, especially without a shred of proof. The lecturer I met was a woman, so how exactly would I have slept with her?”
“Even if I’m wrong about that, you’ve just admitted yourself that you would have slept with that lecturer if it had been a man instead. Your own words just proved everything, Saphira.”
“What?” Thea stared at him, utterly baffled.
What kind of logic was that?
Had his hatred for Saphira blinded him completely?
If that was really how twisted his thinking had become, she decided she’d do everything she could to help Saphira get away from a man like him.
“No need to keep playing dumb. I can see right through your act. Don’t think for a second you can fool me, and I’d suggest you stop trying to hide it!”
“Suit yourself!” Thea turned and started walking away, unwilling to argue any further with this madman.
“Where do you think you’re going? We’re not finished here!” Dashiell grabbed her arm.
“I don’t want to argue with you anymore, Dashiell. Think whatever you want of me, I honestly don’t care.”
“You don’t care because you’re exactly the whore I said you were!” Dashiell shouted, his temper flaring completely out of control now.
“Fine, I’m a whore. So what are you going to do about it?” Thea shouted right back.
She’d had enough.
Standing in for Saphira didn’t mean she had to let this man trample all over her however he pleased.
“Good, you’ve finally admitted it. Since you haven’t serviced anyone else tonight, you’ll service me instead!”
“What are you talking about?” Before she could even process the situation, Dashiell had already scooped her up and was carrying her back into the house.
“Let go of me!” Thea began fighting against him, refusing to let him touch her body again.
“If you already think I’m a whore, why would you even want to touch one?” She tried to hit him, tried to kick, though her strength was nowhere close to matching his.
“You’re a whore I paid good money for, so right now your only job is to service me. And if I find out you’ve serviced any other man behind my back, you’ll pay for it!”
“Even if you were the last man on this entire earth, I would never let you touch me!” Her words only made Dashiell more determined to punish her.
“Good. Then I’ll just have to force you, whether you want it or not!” Dashiell carried her into the bedroom and shut the door firmly behind them.
There was no escaping him now, and she knew there never really had been, since she was entirely under his control.
However much Thea screamed, however much she begged, there was no one left who could save her.