CHAPTER 70

CHAPTER 70


Elena

The hallway felt longer than any road I'd ever walked. Every step toward the room where Archer was waiting felt like walking deeper into a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from. My hands were sweaty, and my heart was pounding so hard.

Was this really happening? Is he making me wed him against my will? Why am I only meeting misfortunes over misfortunes?

Ever since my childhood, I've never had anything good come my way. I thought growing up I'd finally have a good life, but I was so wrong. It's even worse than I ever imagined.

Living with Archer is going to be like living with the devil himself.

The soft murmur of voices grew louder as I approached, the scent of fresh flowers and expensive cologne filling the air as if covering the stench of betrayal with sweet perfume

Two of his men flanked the doorway, and when I hesitated, one of them gave me a slight nod. It wasn’t encouragement.

It was a warning. Keep walking. You have no choice. I nudged myself.

I swallowed hard and forced my feet to move. The moment I stepped into the room, every eye turned to me. I wonder who all these people are, even though there were a few, I wondered who they were.

But I only saw him. Archer. Standing tall at the front, dressed in a black suit, a simple silver ring glinting between his fingers.

His dark hair was slicked back, and his face was unreadable calm, cold, as if he hadn’t destroyed me a hundred times over.

As if he hadn't regarded me as a slut last night and used my body to his satisfaction.

Our eyes locked. I expected something. A flicker of guilt. A hint of shame. But there was nothing. Nothing. It broke something inside me all over again.

Is he happy seeing me this broken? Am I not supposed to look cheerful on my so-called wedding day?

The priest cleared his throat, motioning for me to come forward. I walked down the aisle slowly, the heavy silence pressing against my chest, each step echoing like a scream only I could hear. There were no friends. No family.

Just his men, standing like statues, and the suffocating weight of inevitability.

I stopped a few feet from Archer, my hands clenching into fists at my sides.

The priest began speaking, his voice a dull murmur in the background, but I barely heard him.

I stared up at Archer, searching, begging, for any sign that he knew how wrong this was.

"You may now exchange vows," the priest said politely. Vows. A mockery.

Archer took a step closer, slipping the silver ring onto my finger with steady hands.

I flinched at his touch, but he acted like he didn’t notice.

“Do you, Edward Cattaneo, take Elena Monroe to be your lawfully wedded wife?” the priest asked.

“I do,” he said without hesitation, his voice like ice slicing through me.

The priest turned to me.

“And do you, Elena Monroe, take Edward Cattaneo —”

“I don’t,” I whispered, so quietly that the priest faltered. But Archer heard.

His hand clamped around mine, firm and commanding, his thumb brushing over my skin as if silently telling me not to be stupid. “You don't have much of a choice, darling,” he whispered to me, and at that moment, I felt like breaking down.

I bit down on my trembling lip, swallowing the protest that burned in my throat.

I hated him.

God, I hated him more than words could hold.

But I was trapped.

Trapped by the life growing inside me by the chains he had wrapped so tightly around my existence.

The priest cleared his throat awkwardly and repeated the question, giving me a chance to redeem myself.

This time, I forced the words out.

"I do," I said, each word tasting like ash on my tongue.

The moment it was done, Archer pulled me to his side. His hand went to the back of my neck and pulled me in for a kiss, I didn't kiss him back.

The priest declared us husband and wife, but the words rang hollow, empty, a cruel joke.

I looked up at him one last time, hoping, praying to see the man I once thought he could be.

But Archer was a fortress, closed, unbreakable, and utterly unrepentant.

And as the room broke into a low murmur of forced congratulations, I realised something that hollowed me out even further: He had won.

And I had lost myself.



I stood there quietly as the water ran down in streams over my skin, scalding at first and then cooling into a numbing drizzle.

My heart kept on thumping in my chest, and my knees trembled, but I still stayed rooted to where I was standing. Standing so still as if the water could wash away the guilt and shame I was feeling at this moment.

I braced my hands against the tiled wall, head bowed and chest heaving as I sobbed silently. My long, damp hair clung to my shoulders, and my tears blended with the water sliding down my face.

I glanced over to my wrist and saw the red marks from when Archer pinned me with his hands. I hated myself for not being able to finish what I started and being caught by this monster. And the worst part is that he forced me to marry him. How could this happen?

Am I now tied to this monster forever?

I can't believe I almost got Sena killed even after she risked her life to get me out of this shit hole. I made her dedication go in vain. Even though she was frightened of Archer, she did everything in her power to get me out of there, only for me to get caught again. Oh my God. I'm such a fool.

How did this happen? Why did I even stop to talk to Joker? I should've just left. Maybe I would've gotten away if I hadn't spoken to him.

But…how did Joker find me so fast? He even knew where I was coming from. How did he know that? And how does he just show up wherever I go?

He even found me before Archer did. How did he find me so quickly if Archer took so long to find me?

The hot sting in my eyes intensified. “I should’ve run sooner,” I whispered to myself. My voice was hoarse, broken. “I should’ve escaped when I had the chance. Before everything got so…so messed up.” Now, there's no turning back for me.

I pressed my forehead to the cold tiles, fists clenched against the wall. My mind rewound to every red flag. Every moment, I let myself believe Archer was different. I'm so stupid; Archer would never change; he would always regard me as a slut even though he was my first time.

Fuck I hate myself for that; I hate myself for giving him control over my body; I hate myself for falling for him; I hate myself for allowing him to break the walls I created around myself.

He was nothing but a monster wrapped in silk sheets and silver lies.

And now, I couldn’t stop seeing the look on his face when he got out of his car and saw me standing with Joker. The relief in his eyes. And when he kissed me, I felt disbelief. The rage. He looked like he wanted to go on a killing rampage at that time.

As if he had the right to be angry. The only reason why I left was because of him anyway; if only he had behaved like a normal human being, none of this would've happened.

“This is why you ran away, huh? So that you could meet your lover?” he growled, voice low and torn. I wish I had said yes; I wish I had lied to him that he was my lover; what would he have done? Kill me?

I turned off the shower and stepped out; I grabbed a robe and wore it while grabbing a towel for my hair. That night was the first time Archer and I had sex, and he didn't give me aftercare; I'm not supposed to care, but I do.

Somewhere inside me, I'm burning, and I wish I could quench it, but I can't. It's too late, I've officially become his.

Archer

“Now that we're married, Don won't pester me about Crystal anymore,” he said while taking off his tie. So this wasn’t just to keep me tied to him. It was also a way to cut ties with his mistress.

He's so calculative and cunning. He didn't look at me. His back was turned to me while he did his business. Ever since that incident in the rain, his attitude towards me has changed.

He doesn't look at me anymore, and he's always addressing me by my name instead of that nickname.

8 MONTHS LATER…

Archer and I had become more distanced. The only time we would talk was when the doctor was around to check on me. Even though I hate him with every fibre in me, I still want him around me.

My belly has grown a lot, and the doctor says I have a healthy baby; we don't know the gender yet; we want to know on the day of delivery.

I haven't gone outside in all of these months, and I feel so drained, to be honest. I don't feel like myself anymore, and I mostly cry myself to sleep at night. Edward is just treating me like I'm some surrogate. He doesn't even sleep in the same room with me anymore.

It hurts that he's so distant and I can't have him around me, but I don't understand why he's being like that. Is he like this because I kissed Joker? Why would he be pissed if he always referred to me as a slut? Isn't that what they do?

I heard a crashing sound from the hallway. Like someone had dropped a vase or something. Curiosity got the best of me and I opened my door and stepped into the hallway.

My brows furrowed as I stared at her. She was standing there in a lacey outfit. She took short steps towards me and observed me from head to toe.

“What the fuck? Is this why he's so distant? He's taking care of his pregnant bitch?”

I crossed my arms on my chest, surprised. How did she get this far?

“You're really embarrassing you know, staying here like a pet and bearing puppies for your master.”

“Well this pet has a ring on her finger,” I paused and looked at her finger and gave her a disappointed look. “Looks like you don't have one.”

She stepped closer to me, flashing me a deadly glare. “Listen here bitch, I have been betrothed to Archer since childhood, so don't think you're ever going to take him away from me.

I scoffed at her statement. I don't know if she's just dumb or if she refuses to believe the reality. “Edward asked you never to come here again. Get out.” I know how it hurts her whenever I mention his first name.

Her face turned into a frown, and she launched at me at full speed, yelling and grabbing my hair. I winced in pain and grabbed her hair, I was doing all this while I was heavily pregnant.

I kneed her in the abdomen, and she winced in pain while stumbling back a bit, but I didn't stop there, and I wasn't going to stop. I've had it with her and her craziness.

She made life a hell for me every time she was around, and this was payback. I pulled her head backwards, and she shrieked. I landed several slaps on her cheeks, making her face go red.

I don't even know where this sudden strength is coming from. She tried to attack me, but I twisted her fingers, making her wail in pain.

“El.” I looked up and saw Archer standing there and looking at me. I couldn't read his expression, and I didn't care; all I wanted to do was to make Crystal bleed till she dropped dead.