Chapter 4

The door slammed shut, the sound reverberating through the room like a judge's gavel. Harrison dropped her. Arlene hit the mattress, the breath knocked out of her lungs. The velvet duvet was soft, but it felt like a trap.

She scrambled backward, trying to put distance between them, but the headboard stopped her. Harrison was already moving. He planted one knee on the bed, the mattress dipping under his weight. He loomed over her, his shadow swallowing her whole.

The room was dark. He hadn't bothered to turn on the lights. The only illumination came from the moonlight spilling through the floor-to-ceiling windows. It carved his face into sharp planes of silver and black, making him look less like a man and more like a statue carved from ice.

"What did you just say?" he asked, his voice deceptively soft. His hands went to his collar, pulling the silk tie loose. He let it fall to the floor, a slither of fabric in the darkness. "Divorce?"

Arlene pressed herself against the headboard, her pulse hammering in her ears. "Yes," she said, forcing the word out past the lump in her throat. "The agreement-"

He moved fast. One moment he was at the foot of the bed, the next he was on top of her. His mouth crashed down on hers.

It wasn't a kiss. It was a punishment. It was an invasion. His teeth scraped against her lip, hard enough to draw blood. The metallic taste filled her mouth.

Arlene gasped, trying to turn her head away. His hand shot up, his fingers tangling in her hair and gripping tight, holding her in place. His other hand caught both her wrists, pinning them above her head in a grip she couldn't break.

She struggled, kicking her legs, but his body was a dead weight pressing her into the mattress. He was everywhere, suffocating her.

His mouth left hers, trailing down her jaw, biting the sensitive skin of her neck. She whimpered, the sound involuntary.

He paused, lifting his head just enough to look at her. His eyes were glittering in the dark. "What's wrong?" he taunted, his breath hot against her cheek. "Regretting your little escape attempt already?"

He let go of her wrists, but before she could move, his hands grabbed the neckline of her sweater. The sound of tearing fabric was obscenely loud in the quiet room. The cool air hit her bare skin, raising goosebumps.

Arlene froze. The shame washed over her, hot and prickling. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, spilling over before she could stop them.

Harrison saw the tears. His hands stilled for a fraction of a second. Something flickered in his eyes-was it doubt? Regret?-but it was gone in an instant, replaced by a cold, hard mockery.

"Are you crying?" he asked, his voice a low sneer. "You didn't cry three years ago. You were so obedient then."

The words were a slap. They dragged up the memory of their wedding night. The only other time he had touched her like this. It had been cold, clinical, a duty he had to perform to seal the deal. She had lain there, staring at the ceiling, waiting for it to be over.

But this was different. This wasn't duty. This was destruction.

He didn't wait for an answer. He forced her legs apart, settling between them. There was no tenderness, no preparation. He took her with a brutal efficiency, his body moving like a machine.

Arlene turned her face away, pressing her cheek into the pillow. She bit down on the fabric to muffle her sobs. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of hearing her cry.

Her mind drifted, detaching from her body. She thought of the baby. The tiny, fragile life growing inside her. I'm sorry, she thought, the words a silent prayer. I'm so sorry.

The physical pain was nothing compared to the crushing weight of her helplessness. She was a vessel for his anger, a canvas for his revenge.

When it was over, he pulled away immediately. The bed shifted as he stood up. Arlene lay there, a broken doll, her limbs heavy and numb. She didn't move. She didn't look at him.

She heard the bathroom door open. The sound of the shower starting, the spray hitting the tile. He was washing her off. Scrubbing away the contamination.

The water ran for a long time. Arlene stared at the ceiling, the tears drying on her cheeks. A sharp, twisting pain gripped her lower abdomen. She tensed, her hands flying to her stomach.

No. Please, no.

The pain subsided after a moment, leaving a dull ache. She took a shaky breath, trying to calm her racing heart. She couldn't fall apart. Not now. She had to protect the baby. She had to survive.

The bathroom door opened. Harrison walked out, a white robe tied loosely around his waist. His hair was damp, his face scrubbed clean. He looked completely unbothered, as if he had just finished a workout.

He walked past the bed without a glance, heading for the bar in the corner of the room. He poured two fingers of whiskey into a crystal tumbler. The ice clinked against the glass.

He leaned against the window, looking out at the dark ocean. The moonlight caught the amber liquid in his glass.

Arlene pulled the duvet up, wrapping it around herself like armor. Her voice was hoarse, barely a whisper. "Are you satisfied?"

Harrison took a sip of his drink. He turned to face her, his expression unreadable. "This is just the beginning, Arlene."

He set the glass down on the table with a sharp clink. "Tomorrow morning. Seven o'clock. Wear something black. We're going somewhere."

He didn't elaborate. He didn't need to. He turned and walked out of the bedroom, the door clicking shut behind him.

Arlene stared at the closed door. The silence of the room pressed in on her, heavy and suffocating. The smell of him lingered on the sheets, mixing with the salt air from the open window.

She curled into a ball, her arms wrapped around her stomach. The ache was still there, a constant reminder of what she had just endured. But beneath the pain, a new feeling was taking root. A cold, hard resolve.

He thought he had broken her. He thought he had won. But he didn't know the truth. He didn't know that she was already dead inside. And dead women had nothing left to fear.