A group of rich brats burst into laughter.
One of them shoved my head to the floor. “This is where you belong; lick it clean.”
I struggled against them. The noise caught Jaxon’s attention.
Arabelle spotted me and spoke sweetly, her voice loud enough for everyone to hear. “This is the friend who just got out of prison?”
All eyes turned toward me, humiliation burning my skin as I remained pinned to the floor.
Then Arabelle knelt and pulled me up, gently wiping the cream from my cheek.
“Be grateful, okay? Jaxon, let you come back.”
Jaxon handed me a document. “Sign this. Marry someone in Arabelle’s place. Repay your debt.”
It was a marriage contract to wed a man in a coma.
Sneers echoed around me.
“They’ll probably substitute a rooster for the groom.”
“She’s marrying into the Montgomery family. Every bride there ends up dead.”
Jaxon looked torn. “If you don’t want to, you don’t have to…”
“I’ll do it.”
I cut him off, just as calm as I had been when I fell for him all those years ago.
He stared at me, stunned. “You’re willing?”
I met his gaze without flinching. “This is what you wanted, right? Is this the final thing I need to do for you?”
Sensing his hesitation, Arabelle leaned into him.
“Jaxon, are you going soft?”
That snapped him out of it. He pulled her into a tight embrace.
“I’d never let Arabelle marry someone like that.”
She smiled victorious.
I picked up the pen and signed my name.
When I didn’t even hesitate, he tried to soften the blow.
“I’ll treat you well this week. If you want, you can sleep in my bed.”
Then came the knife beneath the sugar.
“But we won’t have kids. I’ll never father a child that isn’t Arabelle’s.”
I didn’t respond. A strange calm settled over me.
After this last task, in seven days, I would finally be free.
After signing the paper, I stood up, only to be hit by a sudden wave of dizziness. Years of malnutrition in prison had left me with severe hypoglycemia. My body gave way, collapsing forward uncontrollably.
Then, a pair of arms caught me. I was lifted gently, cradled horizontally, and placed on the sofa. Moments later, the sweet taste of honey water touched the corner of my lips.
With each spoonful, the haze slowly lifted. My vision steadied. The face before me blurred and shimmered through my tears.
Once upon a time, Callum had cared for me just like this.