Chapter 5 Reality Hits

Maddie woke up to a strange and suffocating silence.

Her body felt heavy as if her limbs had been dipped in lead. She blinked up at the ceiling, feeling disoriented and expecting to see the soft white panels of her bedroom.

But what met her eyes was something entirely different.

A modern chandelier hung above, looking gold-trimmed and far too extravagant for her minimalist tastes and her brows knitted in confusion.

Something was wrong.

She turned her head just then, expecting to see the light and airy blue curtains she had carefully chosen for her bedroom. Instead, thick brown drapes loomed over the windows and swallowed the morning light.

Her stomach twisted with fear as she sat up abruptly on her bed while her breath hitched.

As Adrenaline began to pump into her blood stream, she took in the surroundings-dark wooden furniture, a grand dresser with expensive cologne bottles, a black marble fireplace and walls painted in deep, somber hues.

This isn't my room. She was sure of it.

Panic jolted through her just then as she kicked off the blanket and staggered to her feet. Her bare toes pressed against a plush and dark carpet she didn't recognize. Her heart pounded as she turned in circles while she took in every foreign detail in the room-the absence of her soft floral-scented candles, the unfamiliar leather armchair in the corner and the stark contrast to the feminine elegance she was used to.

Her hands trembled as she rushed to the door while her mind raced with a singular most terrifying question.

Had she been kidnapped?

Her fingers curled around the doorknob and twisted it frantically as she sought for escape and then she froze.

It hit her all at once. Like a slap to the face.

Memories of the wedding.

The cold and detached way Nate Blackwood had stood beside her as they said their vows.

The humiliating moment he had walked away instead of kissing her.

The stifling and tension-filled car ride to this house after the reception.

The way he had stumbled in drunk last night as he practically reeked of resentment.

Maddie slowly let go of the handle while she released a breath that was shaky.

Right. She wasn't kidnapped.

Instead, she was married to Nate.

And the most crazy thing was she didn't even know if she was to be relieved or not.

A bitter chuckle escaped her lips just then as she thought of the irony of her situation.

"God, my life is a joke," she muttered as she rubbed a hand over her face.

She turned back to the massive bed and her eyes fell on the empty space where Nate had collapsed last night. The sheets were slightly wrinkled but he was gone.

Of course, he had left early, he thought bitterly. He probably ran out the second he woke up just so he wouldn't have to face her.

Maddie exhaled slowly and forced back the sting of disappointment.

Not that she cared, she told herself as she climbed back onto the bed, curled her legs beneath her and glanced around the room again.

This was her new life. She was stuck in a cold marriage with a man who loathed her.

She scoffed out loud. "Fantastic. Just what every girl dreams of."

Shaking her head, she reached for her phone on the nightstand. Maybe someone had the decency to check in on her in her new stage of life.

Just then, the screen lit up with an incoming call. Her breath caught in response.

Was it Nate? She wondered despite herself.

Had he, at the very least, sent a text? Some half-hearted, obligatory "Good morning, wife," just to keep up appearances?

She hesitated as she stared at the screen while her pulse quickened.

But when she saw the caller ID, her stomach twisted in disappointment.

It wasn't Nate.

It was someone else.

And somehow, that made her chest tighten even more.