A Bird in the Cage novel Chapter 1

Chapter 1 Please, Let Me Go

Catherine Green had been tortured for an entire night. In the past three years, she had been tortured by that man countless times. In her memory, he would treat her worse every time she cried. She didn’t understand whether his behavior was due to his dominance or because his love towards her. Was it because the more you loved someone, the more passionate you were, so the more you would spare no effort to make them yours? “Do you want it, little thing?” “Will you never forget me for the rest of your life?” “Remember, you’re not allowed to let any man lay a finger on you except me!”

 His passionate words of love seemed to be echoing in her ears. Whenever Catherine thought of that, her face would turn red. Today, she dragged her weary body to attend the wedding of her best friend, Jasmine Burton. Catherine had never seen the groom before because Jasmine wanted him to remain mysterious, so Jasmine didn’t inform Catherine of the identity of the groom beforehand. However, what Catherine never expected was that the groom was actually the man who had tortured her for three whole years. He was the same man who had whispered words of tenderness to her just the night before! He liked his steak medium-rare; he had a birthmark on his thigh; he frowned slightly whenever he was in deep thought.

 Catherine thought that she knew him very well, but she was the last one to know about his marriage. What was even more ironic was that he was marrying her best friend! Feeling as if being stabbed in the chest, Catherine subconsciously rubbed her hands together. It wasn’t because she didn’t want to question the man in front of her, but she had no right to do it. However, she forced herself to regain her composure quickly as she maintained a warm smile. Turning to her best friend, she uttered, “Congratulations, Jas!”

“This is my best friend, Catherine! I call her Catherine the beauty!” Jasmine introduced Catherine cheekily to her groom. Ryan Walker looked at Catherine indifferently, as if he had never met her before. “Nice to meet you. I’m Ryan Walker,” he greeted. He then reached out his large palms and shook Catherine’s hand. Perhaps the weather in June was too warm, so Catherine’s palm was covered in sweat. After lightly touching the tips of his fingers, she quickly retracted her hand. Catherine dared not look him in the eyes as she was afraid that she would panic. She didn’t want Jasmine to notice the unusual relationship between them. However, Catherine quickly realized that her worries were unnecessary. He was so calm and composed. Indeed, she knew that he wouldn’t give himself away and hurt his beloved wife. There was a strand of hair on Jasmine’s delicate face.

He noticed it when he turned his head to look at her. With a warm smile, he reached out one hand to tuck it behind her hair. His touch on her skin was tender, as if he was touching a fragile crystal. His movements were gentle and careful. Catherine felt her heart clench. He had never treated her so gently. She always thought that he was an indifferent person. Well, she now knew that he wasn’t. It was just that she wasn’t worthy of his tenderness. In a trance, Catherine was led into the hotel lobby like a puppet and was seated. The wedding hall was very lively. People were enthusiastically discussing the couple and how they were a perfect match for each other. However, Catherine wasn’t happy for Jasmine. This was because Jasmine’s husband could maintain such a relationship with others without her knowing, he was a scum. Despite that, she couldn’t tell Jasmine about her relationship with Ryan, so she could only resort to other means. Hurriedly, Catherine sent a message to Kevin, hoping that she could prevent the wedding. Right after she sent the message, the wedding march suddenly rang. All the guests stood up to greet the arrival of the couple. Jasmine’s dad handed her palm into the hands of Ryan, who was standing in an elegant and graceful manner. The guests broke into rapturous applause. For some reason, Catherine felt that Ryan had been searching for her among the crowd. Perhaps it was just an illusion. When she looked at him, he had his eyes fixed on his wife affectionately.

 The wedding went on. After the exchange of rings, the ceremony was going to be complete, but why hadn’t Kevin arrived to stop the ceremony yet? She could no longer watch Ryan smile at Jasmine lovingly. Getting up from her seat, Catherine left the wedding hall quietly. In the bathroom, she dialed Kevin’s number and was about to call him, but suddenly, she felt something warm from behind. Before she knew it, she was hugged. Catherine was shocked. Just as she was about to scream, a warm hand covered her mouth. She was very familiar with the scent from this hand. The man behind her was none other than Ryan. Wasn’t he supposed to be exchanging rings right now? Why was he here? Did he regret it on the spot? Was he not going to get married anymore? “Aren’t you… exchanging rings?” Catherine asked in a trembling voice.

 What she got in response was a hot breath of air beside her ear, followed by his hoarse voice. “I want you, now!” He said it firmly. She thought he would withdraw from the marriage for her, but her hope was shattered by his explicit request in an instant. Furrowing her brows unconsciously, Catherine turned to look at him in disbelief. She wanted to ask, “Are you out of your mind?” Ignoring what she wanted to say, he dragged her into the bathroom with force, then locked the door behind him. “Stop!” Catherine growled. This was the first time she had said this to him, and it was also the first time she had rejected him. At least at this moment, he was her best friend’s husband. This was their wedding. She couldn’t do this. If she did, she would look down on herself and lose all the dignity she had left.