Chapter 6
Click-
The studio lights blazed to life. Sloane jolted awake, eyes stinging from the blinding brightness.
She was lying in a pitch-dark room-except for the light beaming down on her-and her clothes were gone.
A chill surged through her veins.
Panicked, she curled into herself, arms crossing tightly over her chest. But the feeble shield did nothing to fight the cold… or the terror. Her limbs were drained of strength, she couldn’t even sit up.
“Miss Sloane, you’re absolutely stunning. Especially through my lens.”
A man’s voice, low and amused, came from behind the camera. The gaping, black lens aimed directly at her
like a beast baring its fangs.
“You sick bastard! I’m calling the cops! This is illegal!”
“Oh? So who are you going to report? Me-or your dear husband?”
The man gave a short, mocking laugh. “This is my estate. All I asked was for you to be a model. To serve the
art. I made a promise to Declan-I wouldn’t lay a finger on you, not beyond the shoot. But if you wanted more… I wouldn’t mind-”
“Get away from me!”
Her scream cracked, tears spilling down her cheeks. She felt like a carcass laid out for butchery, stripped bare on the soft backdrop, a puppet with its strings cut.
But the man didn’t let up. “Yes… perfect. Cry for me, sweetheart. You’re breathtaking when you cry.
The flashes from the camera sliced into her like blades, each one carving deeper than the last. Time blurred. Eventually, the flashing stopped. The camera powered down with a soft whir.
Sloane didn’t even remember how she got dressed. Didn’t remember standing up, didn’t remember walking
out.
She moved like a shattered marionette, humiliation dragging each step through mud.
“I’ve shot thousands of women, but you’re the first one handed over by her own husband.” The photographer called after her, voice laced with cruel amusement.
Her hand whitened on the doorknob. She knew now wasn’t the time to retaliate. Not yet.
Chapter 6
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Her voice came out soft and bitter, “He’s not my husband anymore. We’re divorced.”
The door clicked shut behind her.
And finally, she broke. Arms wrapped around herself, she stood trembling, as if trying to hold together whatever pieces of warmth she had left.
Downstairs, the charity event was wrapping up. She wandered, dazed and numb, through the hall-until a sudden boom cracked the sky.
A split second later, fireworks exploded overhead.
Brilliant sparks lit up the night above the estate, forming glittering letters: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, VIVIENNE.
So this… this was Declan’s big surprise. Midnight marked Vivienne’s birthday.
In the garden, beneath the bloom of lights, Declan stood under the dark sky, eyes filled with emotion. “Happy birthday, Vivienne. Whether it’s a dress or a ring, if you want it-I’ll make it happen.”
He flipped open a jewelry box. Inside was the emerald ring-the one he’d traded Sloane for.
Laughter and cheers erupted around them. “Kiss her! Kiss her!”
Declan hadn’t moved yet, but Vivienne rose up on tiptoe and kissed him.
That moment made Sloane sick to her stomach. She doubled over on the grass, vomiting until tears
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