Chapter 21
Maya
And the days pass by in a way I can only describe as pure bliss.
I am completely pampered by him, spoiled rotten by his wealth and terrifying devotion.
Even though he appears to be sucking the colors and life right out of me, absorbing them into his own dark soul and breathing air suddenly littered with real human emotions, I enjoy it.
It doesn’t feel like he’s draining me. It feels like I am finally sharing my inner world with someone.
I am the very first person to ever breathe actual life into this monster, to inject vibrant colors into his dead grey universe every single time my tongue touches his.
Who am I kidding?
I don’t just like it.
I love it.
And God help me, I love him.
But today, it appears the honeymoon phase is coming to an end.
We are making our relationship public. I don’t want it.
Dread pools in my stomach because I know exactly what’s waiting for me.
I’m going to be hit with endless stares, whispers, and judgment.
The people attending this charity gala are all part of an elite circle.
I am guaranteed to stumble into a person or two who remembers that Graham was married to my sister.
People I literally interacted with at events as Valeria’s invisible sister.
I push down the toxic spike of jealousy at the reminder that Valeria got to have him first—even if his vows to her were nothing but a lie.
The simple black dress he bought me is completely backless, tying around my neck and leaving the entire span of skin from the nape of my neck to the dimples of my ass exposed.
I look sexy. I rarely wear outfits that show off my body because Valeria’s insults, combined with my own insecurities, always made me hide beneath baggy clothes.
But I want to show up looking my absolute best, praying the insults and stares will roll right off my back.
The bathroom door opens, and Graham walks in.
It’s like he instantly falls into a trance, devouring every square inch of my exposed skin.
I feel myself blush. I twirl around to give him the full show.
I’m wearing the black Christian Louboutins he bought me.
The vintage dress would have been elegant if it weren’t missing the entire back.
It’s a mix of high class and absolute trashiness.
My brown hair is pinned into a low bun at the nape of my neck, and I actually took the time to do a full face of makeup.
“Fuck,” Graham breathes as he steps into my space. “You look breathtaking, Maya.”
“Why, thank you,” I tease, offering him a nervous smile.
He twirls me back around so my back is facing him. I watch his reflection in the mirror. A furious tick forms in his right cheek as his obsidian eyes study my exposed spine.
“They will all be looking at you,” he sneers. “Every single one of those bastards is going to look at what’s mine.”
I shake my head, turning back around and pressing a kiss to his jaw. Even in my six-inch heels, he still completely towers over me.
“And I will only have eyes on you, Graham,” I murmur. “Besides, if they look at me, I’m sure it will be to judge, not to admire.”
I bite my lower lip as anxiety creeps back into my chest.
His face contorts into a snarl.
“Fuck them. They can judge as much as they want. As long as I have you in my arms, I don’t give a single shit about any of them.”
The monster doesn’t care about his reputation, only me. I lean up on my tiptoes to kiss him, but the second our mouths touch, I realize his body is rock-hard. He is incredibly tense.
And I find out exactly why a second later.
Graham bends me forward over the vanity. His hot breath coats my skin before he bites the nape of my neck. He begins to suck and nip his way down my spine, all the way from my neck to the area above the crack of my ass.
He litters my skin with hickeys.
“Great,” I huff, rolling my eyes, though the pleasure sends my pupils to the back of my head. “They’re going to look even more now, Graham. Everyone will see these.”
“Good,” he mumbles against my skin. “They will look at these marks and know that you’re a claimed woman.”
Graham doesn’t leave my side for a single second. Not from the moment I step into the back of his Cadillac to the exact moment the valet opens our doors at the venue.
He is completely all over me. Incapable of staying still, constantly touching me. He caresses the dimples above my ass, presses kisses behind my ear, and spanks the flesh of my inner thigh whenever the car hits a bump.
Honestly, I’m thankful.
It helps distract me from my fears.
Yet the moment we arrive, it appears no amount of affection is enough to distract me. Every single pair of eyes in the room instantly snaps toward us. And then the whispers start.
The fact that Valeria is mentally unstable and that Graham dissolved the marriage the second she was institutionalized is already well-known gossip.
What they didn’t know is that we have a relationship.
Desperate to numb myself, I snatch a glass of white wine from a passing waiter’s tray and down the entire thing in a single gulp.
“Relax,” Graham whispers in my ear.
I nod quickly, forcing a brave face. I don’t want to embarrass him. I spend most of the night glued to his side, where no one dares mention a thing to my face. They are all terrified of Graham.
When I am with him, I am safe.
Safe from the questions.
Safe from the passive-aggressive comments.
Safe from the sneers.
But eventually, the amount of alcohol I’ve downed catches up to me. My bladder feels like it is going to burst.
“I need to excuse myself to the restroom,” I murmur.
As if I needed any more embarrassment or attention drawn to me, Graham crashes his mouth onto mine. He kisses me possessively for the entire room to witness.
For a second, I get lost in the kiss.
But all too soon, he releases me, and reality slams back into my face.
I have to navigate the long walk to the restrooms alone. The moment I step away from his side, the sneers show their teeth. The whispers grow louder. I quickly duck inside the bathroom, pee, and walk out of the stall to wash my hands.
Two women slide up beside me.
They trap me between them with smiles that feel evil.
“Maya, right?” the brunette asks. “Valeria’s little sister. God, it’s been a while. You look… completely different. We almost didn’t recognize you out there under Graham’s arm.”
“Thank you,” I mutter as I reach for a linen towel. “If you’ll excuse me—”
“Oh, don’t run off yet,” the blonde cuts in, blocking my path to the door.
“We were just saying out there how tragic the whole situation is. Poor Valeria. To be locked away in a facility like that… it must be breaking your heart. How is she doing? Does she even realize Graham has moved on so quickly?”
They’re fishing.
They want gossip.
“My sister’s health is private,” I say, trying to hold on to my courage. “And so is my relationship with Graham. Now, please let me pass.”
The brunette lets out a patronizing hum.
“Private? Sweetie, you walked into a public gala with the man who dissolved his marriage to your sister. And look at your back.”
She steps behind me, her finger gently trailing down my spine. Even though the touch is gentle, I can feel her bitterness.
“He’s showered you in hickeys. There is nothing private about showing up looking like a whore on his leash.”
“Watch your mouth,” I hiss.
“Or what?” the blonde snarls, dropping the nice act. “Let’s call it what it is, Maya. You stole your sister’s husband. The second she got sick, you crawled right into her bed.”
“I never slept with him when he was married to my sister,” I gasp out. “I never did.”
The two women burst into laughter.
“Oh, please,” the brunette mocks. “Are you going to pretend you’re not a homewrecker? You slept with a married man.”
“I told you, I didn’t!”
Why am I defending myself against them?
These women are nothing to me.
I don’t need to prove myself to them.
Yet I think I am because their words reflect what the darkest parts of my mind whisper to me at night.
“Right. So you just flirted with him under her nose instead?” the blonde hisses. “You convinced him to divorce her so he could fuck you? You stole her life before her bed was even cold.”
I want to sink into the floorboards and disappear.
I want to cry.
But I force myself to fight.
I yank the restroom door open and step out into the hallway.
A waiter is passing by with a silver tray. I snatch two full glasses of red wine. Then I turn right back around.
I kick the bathroom door open with my heel. The two women are still standing by the mirror, whispering and laughing to themselves.
I raise both hands and launch the contents of both glasses directly into their faces.
“Oh my God! You psychotic bitch!” the blonde screams.
“My private life is none of your fucking concern,” I scream.
“Do not ever dare act morally superior to me. Half the women here are sleeping with their drivers, and the other half are drinking themselves into an early grave to forget who they share a bed with. You don’t know a single thing about me or what belongs to me. ”
I drop the empty wine glasses into the marble sink, shattering both of them. Without waiting for a response, I walk out of the venue. I hail a taxi and leave, refusing to stand there and be belittled and judged for one more second.