Chapter 5

He stayed home that night.

After a night of frantic, almost desperate passion, he held me in the dark, his breath warm against my ear.

"Ava," he whispered, his voice rough. "You're not mad I fired you, are you?"

I paused, the air still. Then I turned in his arms to face him and replied softly, "No, I'm not."

I had no right to be angry. No leverage.

Three years ago, my mother was drowning in gambling debt. To pay it off, I was working at a dimly lit bar, serving drinks to men with wandering hands. One night, the creditors came for me. They cornered me in the alley, their voices hard and threatening.

Nathan was there, drinking away his sorrows after Chloe had left him for a life in Europe. He saw what was happening. He stepped in, a checkbook in his hand, and paid off everything. Every last cent.

Our fate was intertwined from that moment. He made me his "kept woman."

For three years, I had been the perfect partner. Dutiful, obedient, supportive. I cooked, I cleaned his home, I warmed his bed. I wanted only to take care of him, to repay the debt I felt I owed. I asked for nothing else.

He found my compliance endearing, my devotion convenient.

He held me tighter now, his arm a heavy band across my waist. "Ava, you're my beautiful bird in a golden cage. You're the one who can never, ever leave me."