27. Elodie
Chapter 27
Elodie
T he bus ride to the on-campus library felt longer than usual. I slouched in my seat, my head resting against the cold window. I’d tried to cover the cuts from Lola with makeup, but the stares I got on the bus told me it hadn’t worked.
When I finally reached campus, I pulled out my phone to check the time and saw a text from my stepmother.
We need to speak. William is not happy.
I sighed, feeling the weight of her words pressing down on me. I don't know what you want me to do about it; I texted back, hoping she wouldn’t demand something impossible.
He's threatening to sue
Based on?
I couldn't believe what I was reading. William, suing? For what?
Someone bumped into me from behind, jolting me out of my thoughts. I turned to see a fellow student muttering an apology before rushing off. My phone buzzed again.
Breach of contract. Meet me at home. Well, my home. Now.
I stared at the message, feeling a combination of anger and helplessness churn in my stomach. Breach of contract? What contract? This had to be some kind of manipulation, another way for them to control me.
But as much as I wanted to ignore her demand and stay at the library to study for summer midterms, I knew I had no choice. My fingers hovered over the screen before typing out a reluctant response.
Fine.
My phone’s battery icon blinked red, taunting me. If it died before I got home, I’d have no way of contacting anyone. I made a mental note to ask if I could buy a portable battery the next time I had a bit of extra money, though knowing my stepmother, that request would likely be denied.
Except, I didn't answer to her.
My wedding ring gleamed.
Keaton would get one for me.
I sighed and turned back toward the bus stop. The library’s towering facade shrank behind me as I hurried down the sidewalk, my feet pounding against the pavement. A bus screeched to a halt just as I arrived. I hopped on and swiped my pass, making my way to an empty seat near the back.
The drive to my stepmother’s house always felt like a journey into another world. Crestwood Academy, with its sprawling green lawns and elegant buildings, gave way to the gray monotony of the town. The bus snaked through narrow streets lined with dingy storefronts and weathered apartment buildings. The air inside felt thick with the mingled scents of fast food and exhaust fumes.
I watched as we passed by a small park where children played on rusted swings. Their laughter floated in through the cracked window beside me. As we moved further away from Crestwood, the neighborhoods grew rougher. Graffiti adorned brick walls like unwelcome tattoos, and trash littered the sidewalks.
My phone buzzed weakly in my hand. Another text from my stepmother:
Hurry up.
I shoved it back into my pocket, not wanting to waste any more of its precious battery life on her demands. My mind wandered to Keaton, remembering our brief encounter in the locker room. His presence had been a welcome distraction from everything else weighing me down.
The bus hit a pothole, jostling me back to reality. A man sitting across from me muttered something under his breath as he clutched his newspaper tighter. We continued on, stopping and starting with an irregular rhythm that only seemed to prolong the trip.
Eventually, we reached my stop. I stepped off the bus and began the short walk to my stepmother’s house—or rather, her house that she allowed me to live in. Each step felt heavier than the last as I approached the door, dreading whatever new scheme she had cooked up this time.
My fingers tightened around the strap of my bag as I took a deep breath and knocked on the front door.
Stephanie answered the door, her eyes narrowing when she saw me. Her hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail, and she wore a pristine white apron over her clothes. There was part of me that relished seeing her regulated to playing butler like I had to for so many years. The satisfaction of watching her do the menial tasks she’d always dumped on me felt good, but then guilt seeped in, and I pushed the bitterness away. I wasn’t like them. I didn’t want to be.
“Finally,” Marion’s sharp voice cut through the hallway as I stepped inside. “The dining room. Now.”
Stephanie turned on her heel without a word, leading me through the familiar maze of hallways to the dining room. The walls were still adorned with photos of my mother’s family, reminders of a time when this house felt like home.
When we reached the dining room, I froze in my tracks. William sat at the head of the table, his arms crossed over his chest, an arrogant smirk playing on his lips. The sight of him made my stomach churn.
“What’s going on?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.
Marion’s eyes bore into me as she pointed to an empty chair across from William. “Sit down, Elodie.”
I took a hesitant step forward, feeling the weight of their stares pressing down on me. This was more than just another one of their schemes—it felt calculated, like they’d been planning this moment for some time.
William leaned back in his chair, his eyes glinting with something sinister. “We have a lot to discuss.”
William leaned back, his smirk widening as he placed a thick stack of papers on the table in front of me. “A contract was drawn up for our arranged marriage, Elodie. And you’ve breached it.”
My heart pounded in my chest as I stared at the papers. “What do you think I owe you?” I managed to ask, my voice barely above a whisper.
William’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction. “An amount of money per day that we aren’t married.”
I swallowed hard, feeling a lump form in my throat. The room seemed to close in around me. Keaton wouldn’t be happy about this, but I knew he would pay it. He had promised to take care of me if I married him, but the thought of depending on him for this made my skin crawl.
But maybe there was a way out of this without having to go to Keaton.
“And if I don’t?” I asked, forcing myself to look William in the eye.
“Oh, my love,” William said, his voice dripping with condescension. “I hope you don’t.”
Marion stepped forward, her expression cold and unfeeling. “He gets you each night you've been married to someone else.”
“What?” My eyes widened in horror. “I’m not the one who signed the contract.”
“But you breached it,” she pointed out flatly. “Not me.”
I moved closer to the table, my eyes narrowing on the stack of papers William had placed before me. He handed them over with a smug grin, clearly enjoying the power he held in this moment. My fingers trembled slightly as I took the contract and began to scan the text.
“How can this be legal?” I asked, my voice barely masking the outrage I felt. “I’m an adult.”
William leaned back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest. “It’s all perfectly legal, Elodie. Your father listed Marion as your guardian in case he were to die, but because he never stipulated an end date, Marion has a right to make certain decisions for you. You’re more than welcome to read every word. But really, I’m just happy to look upon you.”
A shiver of disgust ran down my spine at his words. I glanced back at the contract, trying to focus on the dense legal language instead of William’s unsettling gaze.
“You got yourself into this mess by marrying Douglas,” Marion said from across the room, her tone icy. “You need to figure out how to get out of it.”
I chewed my bottom lip, feeling trapped and desperate. My mind raced for solutions, but every path seemed blocked by William’s smug expression and Marion’s cold detachment.
“I’ll pay it,” I said finally, my voice small but determined. “Of course, I will.”
He chuckled softly, shaking his head. “I don’t know why you’d bother,” he said. “Everyone knows your husband’s reputation. He’s not loyal to his own family—why would he be loyal to one woman for the rest of his life?”
His words stung more than I wanted to admit. Keaton had hinted at his own doubts about loyalty and commitment, but hearing it from William felt like a punch to the gut. Still, I couldn’t let them see how deeply their words affected me.
“I’ll handle it,” I repeated, forcing a steady tone.
Marion’s eyes bore into me, as if she were trying to gauge whether or not I truly believed my own words. “See that you do,” she said finally.
I nodded numbly and turned back toward the door, clutching the contract tightly in my hand as if it were some kind of lifeline.
As much as I hated relying on Keaton for this, I knew that facing him was inevitable now.
"I'll take you to your temporary home," William said, a smirk tugging at his lips.
"No, thanks," I replied, pulling out my phone. Keaton would pick me up. I knew he would. The screen remained dark; it had died. Great. My stepmother and stepsisters wouldn't help, which meant I was walking.
"Come now," William said as I reached the door. He ran his hand down my back languidly. "Don't be stubborn."
"Please don't touch me," I snapped, stepping out of his grasp.
"I can do what I'd like with you until you pay me for your breach," he said, his tone dripping with arrogance.
"I'm not a possession," I shot back.
He grabbed my wrist and pushed me against the wall, his breath hot and close. "That's where you're wrong," he hissed. "You're mine. You married Douglas to get away from me, but you won't."
The fury boiled inside me, and before I knew it, my knee connected with his crotch. His grip loosened as he doubled over in pain. "Don't touch me," I said, my voice trembling but firm.
I stepped outside into the pouring rain, feeling the cold drops pelt my skin like tiny needles.
William came charging at me, his face twisted in fury. He knocked me down, and the impact sent a jolt of pain through my body. The rain soaked through my clothes as I hit the ground, but I didn’t hesitate this time. I fought back.
My fists connected with his side and face, but the blows felt weak compared to his strength. My body still ached from Lola’s attack, and William, though older, was much stronger. He grabbed my arms, pinning them to the wet pavement.
“Shall I fuck you here?” he asked with a sneer, his breath hot against my face. “In the pouring rain? In front of your family? Hmm? Would you like that?”
He pawed at my chest, ripping at my shirt. A button flew off, and the sleeve tore as I struggled beneath him. His weight pressed down on me, making it hard to breathe.
“Get in the car,” he demanded.
“No,” I spat back. “I’d rather walk.”
“Get in the car,” he repeated, his voice menacing.
“Go fuck yourself,” I said through gritted teeth.
His hand shot out, slapping me hard across the face. The sting burned, but I refused to let him see my pain.
“You sound like him,” he said with a twisted smile.
“Good,” I replied defiantly. “He is my husband.”
His fingers curled around my neck, squeezing tightly. The world blurred around me as I gasped for air, my vision dimming.
“Perhaps I’ll shut you up then,” William said, his grip tightening around my neck. “Just stay pretty, pass out, and then I can do what I wish.”
“You’re disgusting,” I managed to choke out, my voice barely a whisper.
He licked my throat, sending a wave of revulsion through me. “You don’t even know the half of it.”
I couldn’t understand why my stepmother wasn’t helping me. She had always been cruel, but to stand by and watch this—it hurt more than anything she’d done before. The world around me started to fade, darkness creeping in at the edges of my vision.
Suddenly, a force knocked into William, sending him sprawling to the ground. I gasped for air, blinking rapidly as the world came back into focus. Through the rain, I saw Stephanie standing there; her face pale and determined.
William’s rage was immediate. He swung at Stephanie, his fist connecting with her jaw and sending her crashing to the ground.
“Stephanie!” I cried out, struggling to get up.
But it didn’t matter. Stephanie had helped me. She didn’t have to, but she did. The rain poured down on us, mixing with tears I hadn’t realized were falling.
My body trembled, but rage surged through me, lending me strength. I charged into William, slamming him to the ground with all the force I could muster. “I’m not paying you,” I snarled, my voice low and dangerous. “And I sure as hell won’t sleep with you either.”
His laughter echoed in the rain, cold and mocking. He grabbed my wrists, twisting them painfully as he forced me back. I struggled, kicking and writhing, but he managed to overpower me. His weight pinned me down, pressing the breath from my lungs.
“I like breaking them,” he whispered in my ear, his breath hot and vile. “I like watching the fight leave their eyes. I thought you’d be timid and meek. But you aren’t.” He leaned closer, his voice dripping with sadistic pleasure. “And I can’t wait to make you timid and meek.”
His words sent a shiver of disgust through me, but I refused to let him see my fear. “You’ll never break me,” I spat back, struggling against his grip.
William’s eyes darkened with anger as he yanked me to my feet. I fought him every step of the way, but it was no use. He was relentless, dragging me toward his car with a cruel determination.
“No!” I screamed, thrashing in his grasp. My nails raked against his skin, drawing blood, but he didn’t even flinch.
“Get in the car,” he ordered, shoving me toward the open door.
I resisted with every ounce of strength I had left, kicking at him as he tried to force me inside. But his grip was ironclad, and my struggles only seemed to amuse him.
“Let go of me!” I shouted, desperation creeping into my voice.
He smirked down at me as he threw me into the backseat with brutal force. The impact knocked the wind out of me, and before I could scramble out, he jumped into the driver’s seat and slammed the door shut.
The engine roared to life, and we sped off into the night. My heart pounded in my chest as I tried to steady my breathing. There was no use fighting him now—not while we were moving—but I wouldn’t give up. Not yet.
I would find a way out of this nightmare. One way or another.