Sentenced to Marriage by MadlainQ novel Chapter 35

Confession *** TRIGGER WARNING: Dear readers, please be aware that this chapter contains examples and some descriptions of abuse and sexual violence. *** 

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I woke up lying on the floor in the hotel room I had rented the night before. I was still wearing my fabulous golden gown. It took me a few minutes before I could stand up on my wobbly legs and go to the bathroom. I spent some time staring at my reflection 

ne staring at my reflection, trying to recognize myself underneath my smudged makeup. That was it: I was broken. 

I spent three years forgetting and then denying everything that had happened in my relationship with Callan, and last night, my past showed up in front of me, making all of my nightmares resurface. The one who made me bleed stood up before me, mocking the anxieties he triggered within me. I prayed that someone would rescue me from this nightmare, but my Prince Charming only rubbed more salt into my reopened wounds. That felt truly pathetic. 

I untied the corset and took my Cinderella‘s dress off. The ball was over, and as I looked in the mirror, I felt as if I had started to turn into a pumpkin myself. My face had already resembled one a little, swollen from oceans of shed tears and evenly pink–red. My mind felt like a land devastated by a tornado, so I decided to take care of the outer side of myself first. I entered a shower and tried to wash off my restlessness with hot water. I stood there blankly, observing the black smudges from my makeup disappear in the shower drain. I wished that the pain I felt disappeared as well, but it didn‘t. 

I thought that I was strong enough to handle it alone, and I hated the fact that I was turning out to be completely weak. For the first time in my life, I was helpless. I didn‘t know what to do. I had no home, I had already quit the job that was giving me most of my money, and I signed a contract with penalties I couldn‘t possibly afford to pay... 

“Take it easy, Cora. You will solve those problems one by one.” I tried to calm myself down while drying my hair with a towel. 

Suddenly, I heard a knock on the door. It startled me. I didn‘t expect any uncalled–for room service at 8 AM. I hurriedly grabbed an oversized bathrobe and cautiously stepped to the door. 

“Who is it?” I asked, my voice still hoarse from crying. 

“It‘s me, Miranda.” 

I told Aren not to follow me, but I should have known that he wouldn‘t listen. I bet that he was informed about my every move from the second I got into the taxi in front of the Four Seasons Hotel. 

My heart started to pound again, and my body shivered. “I-is Aren with you?” “No, it‘s only me. Can I come in?” I sighed and opened the door. Miranda greeted me with a nervous smile. As she entered, I noticed she carried a thick dress cover with her. 

“I brought some clothes for you. Aren packed it... the lingerie as well. He is really worried about you, you know?” she said as she put the cover on the hotel bed. 

“I seriously doubt that.” I smiled sourly. 

“I know that he screwed up big time… He told me everything,” she claimed, sitting on the chair by the bed. 

I chuckled coldly. “Oh? Did he also tell you that he –” 

“I punched him in the stomach.” She fisted her hands, anger flashing in her expression 

My lips uncontrollably formed a warm smile. “Thank you,” I muttered. “He deserved it,” she stated firmly. I couldn‘t tell when my body stopped trembling, but I guess Miranda‘s presence had some therapeutic effect on me. I sat on the bed and opened the cover she had brought. 

“He doesn‘t really know what his brother can be like. Nanny Mei Lien separated him from Wintons as much as she could, and that probably saved his life.” She frowned, recalling the past in her mind, and then cleared her throat. “What I‘m trying to say is that they lived in the same mansion, but they never even ate meals together. I‘ve known Callan for a long time, and I‘ve seen his sociopathic behavior more than once, Aren hasn‘t.” “Is that supposed to be an excuse for treating me the way he did?” I squeezed through my teeth. 

“Cora... you cannot possibly blame yourself for some crazy fucker‘s shit.” Miranda frowned. “I can contact you with a therapist if you don‘t want to talk–” “No,” I said, brushing off the tears from my cheeks. “I would rather talk to you... if you don‘t mind.” 

I pulled in a shaky breath. “The beginning of our relationship felt wonderful. Callan showered me with roses and gifts and took me on romantic dates. Being with him felt like any girl‘s dream. Until we had sex for the first time...” I paused and swallowed while wiping the sweat off my palms on the bedsheets. “A little while later, he said that I should dye my hair platinum blond. I refused, but then he said that I looked unattractive in my natural hair color. We fought about it and made up... but a day later, he started openly flirting with a girl that was platinum blonde right in front of me. He told her that she was sexy, and he even asked for her number! I got furious... But I‘d already fallen in love with the jerk... I dyed my hair the day after...” Telling Miranda about it felt even more pathetic than dying that stupid hair for him. I was well aware that it was the moment he put a leash on my neck. Unfortunately, the further parts of the story had an even more sour taste...