I screamed myself hoarse, thinking I was about to watch my mother die.
Then, a sharp crack cut through the air. One clean shot. The man dropped dead on the spot.
That’s when I saw him—Steven—gun still warm in his hand, uniform crisp, broad-shouldered and all sharp lines, moving with lethal precision. He didn’t just save us. He stole my heart that day.
Later, in the back of a military SUV, I saw his face clearly—angular jaw, high-bridged nose, impossibly handsome. I fell in love at first sight.
I chased him for a year before he finally gave in and agreed to date me.
We were together for five years. I hung on his every word. But all of my sincerity was met with betrayal.
It’s almost laughable.
The bathroom door creaked open.
Steven stepped in, saw me crouched on the floor—pale, trembling. His face twisted in annoyance. “It’s just laundry, Lucia. Stop acting pathetic. Who are you trying to guilt-trip?”
The sour burn of bile rose in my throat. I forced it down, swallowing the nausea. I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction.
I started searching the floor—looking for the one thing that still mattered. My mother's pocket watch. It was torn to pieces. I picked them up, one by one.
Behind me, Steven’s voice cut through the silence. “When Nel finishes her recovery, we’re getting married. She’ll move in with us.”
Nellie turned to me, casting me her grateful look. “Lucia, thank you for accepting me and the baby. I’ll never forget your kindness—”
I cut her off, not even sparing her a glance. I turned to Steven, voice cold.
“No. We’re not living together. I’m taking my mother’s things. Text me the door code—I’ll have movers pick up the rest.”
Steven pressed a string of numbers on the lockpad while looking at me with disdain. “You’re making a big scene. But in the end, you’ll come crawling back.”
Nellie tugged gently on his sleeve and said in a meek voice, “Mr. Grant… the bedroom…”
His gaze flickered. Then, without asking, he took her hand and led her into my car.
He then told me, “I’m coming with you. Just to make sure you don’t take anything you shouldn’t.”
I didn’t realize until we got home why he was so insistent on coming back with me.
The second I stepped inside, it hit me. Adult toys scattered across the living room sofa. Candles on the dining table—clearly not the scented kind. Then, in the bedroom, I saw handcuffs bolted to both the headboard and footboard.