[ THIS CHAPTER HAS TRIGGERING CONTENT. I TRIED TO MAKE IT AS MILD AS POSSIBLE. 

PLEASE DO NOT READ IF EASILY TRIGGERED. ] 

~

Isabella violently adjusted the neck of her gown which felt like it was growing into the length of her neck to suffocate her more and more just as her husband's presence did.

But, she was just harming the poor gown whose neckline did a good job of giving her chest breathing space.

Her hands retreating from the almost mutilated material, Isabella found a nearby bench to sit on to gather her thoughts properly.

As it turned out to be, the only source of help she had put her hope on was putting her in a spot.

A spot she did not see coming.

Recalling his proposition which he said with all seriousness, Isabella wondered why it had to be her of all people.

She understood that he would want her to pay back for what she did, but marrying her?

Why?

It was just absurd. Who gets married to someone who has hurt them?

Even if she wanted to atone for her sin and she decides to get married to him, there would always be Gabriel and her father holding her back.

That is a cage she has found herself in, a cage that is seemingly impossible to break free from.

'But maybe this is the miracle you have been waiting for.'

A voice from the back of her mind reminded her.

 As she stared at the space ahead, her mind suddenly derailed and she recalled the time he briefly took off his robe. Not only did her face heat up a bit, her insides turned mushy, and her neglected private part cried for attention.

Those few seconds were hellish for her and for an extra minute, she wanted to desperately satisfy the sexual starvation that mere toys failed to fill. For a minute, she wished to end up in bed with him.

But as usual, she held her head high and acted calmly.

Well, that was until he mentioned the incident.

She expected that he would mention it, but she did not foresee the way he casually dropped the bundle of her sin.

Isabella sighed as she looked up at the huge building that spanned grandly to form the hotel.

As she recalled events that had passed, she acknowledged that she messed up in the past and that was causing her present life to face disaster.

At that point, her tomorrow wasn't looking so good either.

"Do you think I should marry him to save my company?" Isabella asked the pigeon that had perched right beside her in search of crumbs. "You know my company means a lot to me."

The bird did not acknowledge the devastated woman who was engaging it in a conversation, but her phone rang before she put all her attention on the animal and raid it with questions it wouldn't be able to answer.

"Caleb?"

'How did the meeting go? Are we going to get help?' a concerned Caleb asked from the other end.

Isabella quickly weighed her options. She was less likely to accept Charles's proposition, but since a part of her wanted the miracle she yearned for so bad, being married to two men didn't sound so bad.

'Isa, are you there?'

She shook her head as her thoughts immediately made her feel disgusted.

"Mr. Oxford and I are trying to work something out, but it doesn't seem like we are going to get that help soon," Isabella replied, her eyes narrowed.

'That sucks. I hope he changes his mind and helps us. Anyway, Gabriel came by a few minutes ago.'

"What did he say he wants?"

'He... he said he knows you are ovulating today.'

Her arm that rested against the arm of the bench felt weak instantly. "What?"

'Isa... Be honest with me. Is your husband molesting you? Is he forcing you to do things you don't want to do?'

"I..."

'Talk to me, Isa.'

"I need to get home, Caleb. I will talk to you later."

'Isa...'

She cut the call and let out a shaky breath as her eyes followed the bird as it flew away, its feet almost touching the ground.

A few seconds later, Isabella gathered her stuff and braced herself for the craziness ahead.

~

Gently, her feet moved as a part of her wished her husband was deeply asleep.

"Hey, baby."

Startled by his sudden voice, Isabella clutched her chest area, her eyes bulging a bit afterward as they saw the sight waiting for her.

Gabriel, who was in nothing but a robe was poised in a weird way, a rose flower in one hand, a card in another.

"What's going on, Gabriel?" She recalled that he had even called her 'baby'. That word of endearment scared Isabella greatly.

His sand-coloured hair, which he seemed to have taken time to roughen danced as he approached her.

With a hint of excitement, he said, "What do you mean? I am treating you to something nice before we get down to business."

"Uh..."

"See..." He pointed toward the area behind him. "I even bought the best champagne in town."

"Oh." Isabella was confused further as she glanced at the champagne bottle which she sure was one of the expensive ones.

Gabriel was being nice, too nice. She had to be wary.

Once he was standing in front of her, Gabriel let go of the items in his hands and his long fingers began to trace her face. They grazed over her cheek for a while before they went to cup her chin. Tilting her head, he murmured against her lips, "God, you fucking are beautiful."

"Thank you?" she whispered as she was still not sure what to make of the drama he was acting.

"And, I can't wait anymore," he uttered before capturing her mouth fiercely. Without the thought of making sure the woman in his arms was willing to keep his pace, he began to bite at her lower lip as he suckled on it fiercely.

Isabella pulled away as she was beginning to feel the deep imprints of his teeth on her soft tissues which she felt would become a bruise.

Her lips crying for a means of being soothed, Isabella said to the eager man, "Gabriel, I can't do this today."

"What do you mean?"

"I can't have sex today, Gabriel."

His eyes narrowed. "But you are ovulating today."

She closed her eyes as she shook her head with determination. "I am tired, Gabriel."

"What nonsense are you saying? First, you lied about your period, I said nothing. Now, you are giving some silly tiredness excuse."

"But I am tired, Gab..."

"Shut up!" She jolted, her eyes slamming shut as she wished for the silence that ensued to last for a long time. "Just keep quiet," Gabriel growled.

As she felt his heavy breath against her lips, Isabella opened her eyes. It seemed that moment of silence wouldn't come after all.

Cautiously she nodded, saying, "Gabriel..."

"Don't..." He went straight for her neck. "Don't freaking call my name."

"Gabriel, your hands. Please release your hands." He was not squeezing, but she felt suffocated because of the way his fingers circled her neck.

"Are you telling me what to do?" She shook her head frantically. "How dare you? How dare you tell me you won't be having sex, because you... you are tired?" His hold tightened a bit as he angrily asked with a deep scowl implanted on his bulgy face.

"Gabriel... Please your hand..." Isabella pleaded.

"I said shut up!" Within a second, he had her back against a nearby wall, his fingers pressing into her flesh a bit harder. As she struggled to ease his hold and not piss him off, he continued with a hoarse voice, "In case you have forgotten, your father sold you to me and you have no right in whatever way to refuse whatever I ask you to do."

"Hmm..." she groaned as his other hand snaked past her gown and up her thigh.

"Now, I want to have sex with you and..." His long fingers went past her vulva and without warning, he dug three of his digits into her dryness causing a loud shriek to escape her lips. "If you say no, I am going to deal with you. Do you understand?"

As he talked, his fingers expanded her painfully, her eyes just had to let her tears flow.

Those were tears she had been hiding for a while.

Gabriel finally retracted his hold on her neck but quickly replaced it with his mouth which bit into her skin without mercy.

He ignored her sobs as she was already giving in without putting up a fight. "I asked you a question, baby." His fingers inside her had eased a bit. "Do you understand what I just said?"

Isabella nodded.

Then, he plunged the fingers back in. This time, her scream was louder, it showed the pain she had been hiding. "Answer me with words," he demanded, his voice making her flinch.

"Y- yes." Her voice sounded tired. She was very tired. She was fed up.

"Good. Now moan for me." He bit her earlobe hard.

"Hmm..." she made the sound as more tears broke out.

Gabriel's hand reached for her dress roughly and tore it mercilessly, exposing her half-naked. Next, he tore her panties and removed his fingers which had caused so much damage already.

Isabella just stayed against the wall hopelessly as she beat herself up for putting up a fight in the first place. She watched as he removed the robe which he put on to hide his nakedness.

Almost lifelessly, he threw her up, and instantly, he jammed her with his manhood, going almost ball deep.

This time, it was a mixture of a scream and a cry that left Isabella's lips.

While Gabriel took up the job of initiating distasteful motion between them, Isabella cried even more.

She cried for her life, her sorry life.

She cried because of her unnecessary suffering, she cried because almost six years ago, she threw away an invitation to a good life because of her father.

As Gabriel took his finishing grunts, she cried even more because of her father who has been ignoring her after dumping her into a terrible mess.

Isabella had no idea when Gabriel put her down, but when she heard him say, "That should get you pregnant," she came back to her sorrowful present and all she could do was lay in her mess on the cold tile, her eyes streaming with more and more tears.

Like every other human on earth, Claire Oxford had her past sins.

And typical of some iniquities, her sin was back to haunt her and take grasp of her son, Charles.

While she wondered what her precious son was doing at that moment, she took another second to silently pray that he did not stray or fall into wrong hands.

As she took a seat on one of the cushions in her tailoring room, Claire wondered if it would be safe to let her husband know of the present situation.

She certainly did not hide her previous shameful marriage with Ordinaz from her husband. And, she always appreciated the fact that he did not judge her based on the fact that she was sold to the evil man called Ordinaz.

Her husband even accepted her son who was the primary reason for running away from Ordinaz's abode. Claire also saw danger looming when troubles kept mounting troubles in Ordinaz's home.

No, she wasn't going to tell her husband, Claire immediately decided.

She shook her head as her eyes wearily wandered the huge room that reeked of lavender and was a sight to anyone who loved expensive garments. Telling her husband about the return of her past could hurt him. He might begin to worry about Charles which could turn out to be dangerous to his health.

So, Claire pushed that idea aside. As she inhaled deeply, the sophisticated woman realized that it was not enough if all she could do was wail silently. She had to do something. She needed to take control of the situation before things can get out of hand.

If Ordinaz was playing a dirty game with her, she sure could play along and get him to lose.

But, she was not so sure about her son. Charles was not in his right mind.

Even if he found a wife just as her ex-husband required, Charles could find out that Ordinaz wants something more and since the boy was very blinded by his need to know his real father, he would do it.

So, she wasn't comfortable with sitting idle when Ordinaz ruin could her only son with his stupid requests.

No doubt, it was necessary for Claire to take charge of the situation regardless of what her stubborn son said or says.

Setting Charles up with a lady from one of the reputable homes around was not too terrible for a start.

Nodding, Claire decided she was going to do that first.

Only if she had the intention to lie to herself, she was aware that she would not be able to bear the thought of her son marrying just anyone, even if it was just for show.

As she picked up her phone to dial her son's number and notify him of her intentions of coming down to the States, Claire quickly changed her mind.

Setting the device aside, she realized that she needed to be meticulous about her intentions.

As she happily sketched a plan in her head, her phone rang.

"Yes," came Claire's curt greeting.

'Good day, ma'am. This is Christina Kane, Mr. Oxford's secretary.'

A frown deepened on her face as Claire wondered why her son's secretary was calling her. "Is something wrong with Charles?"

She hoped that was not the case.

'Not at all, ma'am. It is just...'A pause that lasted seconds ensued before the next words came. '... I don't know if it is my place to say this, but yesterday, a woman came to see Mr. Oxford, and by chance, I heard him ask her to marry him.' Claire's eyes bulged instantly. 'I was so surprised, I thought I had to call you to tell you about it.'

"Miss Kane, right?"

'Yes, ma'am.' The politeness in the so-called Secretary's voice failed to rouse Claire Oxford.

"Tell me, do you always spy on your boss? Do you always report his movements like a jobless idiot?"

'No. Not at all ma. This just happened to be a...'

"I will make sure I have you sacked. My son shouldn't be around people like you."

'Ma'am...' the voice from the other end begged but Mrs. Oxford ended the call before she could utter another word.

Her head ticking even more, Claire, as she put down her phone knew that at that junction, she had to act fast.

She had to act before her son takes the wrong path or worse, fall into the wrong hands.

~

"Yes, she is married to Gabriel Manifold." The name was not familiar to Charles who signaled to the man in front of him to go on with his report. "He was once a millionaire, but he wasted all of his money, including his inherited fortune on gambling and women."

Charles frowned instantly.

What was Isabella doing with such a man?

"She got married to him on the sixth of October, 2013." That was barely two months after she left him. "There were rumours of her being pregnant, but they do not have a child to date. Even though they live together, Isabella hardly stays at home, word around says their marriage is not so solid anymore.

Contrary to the situation at beginning of their union, the couple are not close anymore and it seems, Gabriel is cheating on her. Their neighbour said she notices model-like women always going to their house whenever Isabella was not around."

Charles clutched the arms of the chair he was seated in as anger seethed through him.

Why was Isabella with such a man? Even if she had to leave him, couldn't she have found a better man?

Why was she still with that damned soul called Gabriel Manifold?

"Sir, there is more," the investigator continued. "Their neighbour also expressed concern for Isabella. In her words; not only is she looking leaner than usual, but Gabriel might also be abusing her."

"What?" Charles's blood was beginning to boil.

"Their neighbour is not so sure, but on certain days, she hears Gabriel raising his voice in anger and every time, a few minutes later, Isabella always leaves the house looking sad."

Charles's heart squeezed. Yes, he might hate her a bit for the hurt she made him feel, but he still cared a lot about her.

And, just like before, the urge to protect her was coursing through his veins.

"What job does Gabriel presently do?"

"He does nothing, sir," his private investigator replied as he adjusted his hat that covered most of his eyes.

"Nothing," Charles repeated as his fingers played with each other.

Charles finally understood the look on her face that he saw at the party. The man called Gabriel had injected sadness into Bella's eyes, he ripped something out of her.

That had to be it, Charles thought.

"Is there more?" he asked.

"There is also the rumour of Isabella's father using her to settle his debt with the older Manifold."

"What? Her father too?"

"I am still looking into that matter, sir."

"Please do and be fast about it." The man tipped his hat and walked out of the room briskly.

Sighing, Charles sat back in the chair. He wondered why Isabella let herself be used in such a way. The woman he knew didn't give a crap about anyone regardless of who they were. He wondered where all that fierceness went.

There was no doubt, that Charles needed answers just as he needed her back in his life.

And, once he has her glued to his side, he was going to make sure all she might have gone through will become a thing she would forget.

He promised himself.

Isabella felt dirty.

She felt the same way the first time Gabriel had sex with her.

Hours she spent under the shower trying to console herself, trying to assure herself that things would be okay.

Back then, she had told herself that she wouldn't regret her decisions.

Years after, nothing was okay. No amount of days spent under the shower could assure her of better days in Gabriel Manifold's house.

As she gathered her mattress into a corner of her office, Isabella immediately cringed.

The pain from that deadly evening was still there, her body wept and her whole being was crying for help.

But then, she was tired.

Fighting was a ridiculous thing to her at that moment. She just wanted to give up or maybe give in. She was sold off to her husband anyway, she might as well give him the opportunity to use her the way he wanted.

She could give up the company and become a sit-at-home wife who does nothing but follow her husband's words. Occasionally, she could visit her father...

Her father.

'My father,' she thought as she picked up her phone from the desk where it had been laying ignored for the past few days.

Ignoring the numerous messages and missed calls she had gotten from Caleb and surprisingly, Gabriel, she selected the contact of her father's secretary who happened to be her godfather.

For some reason, each time she tried her father's number, it never went through. It seriously bothered her on most days but dealing with Gabriel on several days made it hard for her to think about following up on her father.

The few times she did, she ended up calling her father's secretary who readily picked up her calls every time.

'Isabella, my girl,' a mellow voice said from the other end.

"Uncle Ben, hi. How are you doing?"

'You know how silly old men like me are, I have been moody all week about the number of wrinkles that keep appearing on my face.'

Isabella managed a genuine chuckle before she said, "I am certain you are still finer than my dad anyway."

'He must not hear you say that. How are you, Isabella? How are you holding up?' Uncle Ben, since he was in no place to have a say in her life, could only console her when he found out what his friend was up to. He supported Isabella with words of fortitude when the whole 'marriage to Gabriel' issue happened.

"I am trying to keep sane, Uncle."

'I'll be praying for you from here.'

Isabella smiled gently as she wished she had the street to tell him about Gabriel's craziness and how he has been treating her. The first few days of her marriage, she did that very thing and nothing good came out of telling people about it.

Since then, she kept things to herself.

"Is my father there?"

'Uh... no. He just left.'

"I always get this feeling that he doesn't want me around him." Isabella's voice shook as tears threatened to pour.

'No darling, don't say that. Your father loves you regardless of how he acts towards you.'

"All I know is, if he really loves me as you say, he wouldn't have distanced himself like he did ever since my damn marriage."

'Isa...'

"Goodnight, Uncle Ben. My regards to my wonderful father."

As she ended the call, the tears came right after. Ever since what Gabriel did days ago, her tears always fell easily. She didn't have the strength to keep them tucked away for long.

"Isabella..." Caleb squatted by her side as he held her firmly and allowed her to rest on his chest.

"Why doesn't he want to speak with me?" Isabella asked a clueless Caleb through her thick sobs. "He is the reason I am in this mess in the first place. He left me in this mess after making sure I did as he wanted."

"Isabella, it is okay."

"No!" She threw her hands in the air as she released herself from his hold. "It is not fine. If I had not given in to his demand, I would be married to the man I truly loved. I would be happy." She whispered the last words.

"Talk to me, Isa. I need to know what you are talking about."

"I..." Her words were interrupted by footsteps that helped themselves into the office.

"Good day," a firm voice greeted.

Isabella immediately got up, her hands wiping off her tears hurriedly. "H- hi, welcome."

"We are from the bank," the man who appeared to be the leader of the suited trio said.

"Oh yes, hmm welcome." She waved to Caleb to offer them seats.

"Actually, we won't be taking much of your time." Isabella did not trust the smile on the man's face. "Our bank appreciates your patronage over the years. But we regret to inform you that if payments of debts are not made within the next three days, the bank will have to take over your company."

Isabella's legs went weak as she asked quietly, "What?"

"Wait, we still have about a month left to settle that," Caleb butted in, an equally confused look on his face.

"We hate to inform you about this, but our new management had that window sewn a bit tighter." Isabella hated how the man and woman with him kept nodding in agreement with what he kept saying. Their uniformity which extended to the colours of their hair also pissed her off. But that was not even the issue.

Isabella sighed. "This is so... this is crazy."

"In case you won't be able to meet up with that deadline, we have with us documents that you can sign to hand over Shades and Cloaks to the bank without hassles."

"What the heck, guys? At least let us try to pay."

"Caleb," Isabella gave him a soft smile. "It is fine. Can I see those documents?"

Caleb rushed to her side. "What are you doing?"

"I am taking a look at the papers."

The lady from the bank who had been standing with a small frown on her face paused the fetch of the document from her bag.

Their leader then asked, "Is everything okay? Is there a problem?"

"No, there is not." Another voice joined the party.

"Mr. Oxford," Caleb was elated to see the man who he probably considered a saviour at that moment.

Isabella was shocked.

"Hello, gentlemen and... ladies." The frown on the blonde's face instantly changed to a smile.

'Talk about miracles,' Isabella thought within herself.

"I will be helping out my darling over there with her debts. I have been a terrible boyfriend and I need to make it up to her. So..." He took out a book. "How much is this debt?"

"Well..."

Isabella was quick to pull Charles out of the room. "What on earth are you doing?" she asked once they were far from her office.

"Helping my woman out?" He stood akimbo as he looked down at her with a smirk.

"Wipe that smug look off your face, I am not getting married to you."

"Oh trust me, you are going to, eventually."

Isabella scoffed, "Don't you get that I can't be with you? Not only am I married, but my father's life also depends on the marriage."

"Your father?" Charles was almost laughing pitifully.

"Yes, my father."

"Isabella..." He reached for her arms and sent warmth that she ignored, through them. "Your father is no more."

She immediately tore off his hold, anger began to build within her. "What the fuck are you saying?"

He sighed, licked his lower lip, and said, "Your father... is dead. And I have proof."