His Unspoken Promise

The day before our wedding, my fiancé, Damian Carter, suddenly said, “Postpone the wedding for a week. I have to leave on a business trip.” His cold expression reminded me of the message his assistant, Sophie Shaw, had sent me the night before. “Mr. Carter wants to take me on a trip around the world before he gets married. You don’t mind, do you?” I agreed to his request, then quietly canceled the wedding altogether. The next day, Damian and Sophie were locked in a passionate embrace beneath the Eiffel Tower. I went to the hospital alone and ended my pregnancy. On the third day, Damian and Sophie stood naked together before the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Burj Khalifa. I told Damian’s mother that I was leaving him and would never see him again. Chapter 1 “Vivian, Damian’s probably just overwhelmed with work. “When he gets back, I’ll talk to him and make sure he apologizes.” Mrs. Carter didn’t even look up. All her attention remained on the manicure she was getting. As far as she was concerned, it didn’t matter how upset I became. I was already pregnant. If anything, she seemed pleased that Sophie was around. After all, Sophie had started calling her “Mom” long before I ever had. As his fiancée, I was probably nothing more than someone expected to give the Carter family an heir. A bitter smile touched my lips as I quietly turned to leave. “I’ve decided to step aside and let Damian be with Sophie.” Mrs. Carter didn’t notice me leaving. She hadn’t even listened to what I said. “Vivian, Damian is the CEO of a big company. Sometimes business requires him to flirt and play along. “Everything he does is for the future you’re building together. “You need to be more understanding. Even if Sophie disappears, there’ll always be another woman. If you get angry every time, you’ll only ruin your health. “Besides, you’re pregnant now. Who else would want you but Damian? “Trust me. I’ve been through all this before.” She continued talking to herself long after I had left the villa. I rested a hand gently on my stomach. Because I was pregnant, they thought they could treat me however they wanted. They believed the baby had tethered me to them like a kite on a string. No matter how hard I struggled, I could never escape their grasp. But I was about to cut that string for good. When I got home, I lay in bed and cried until I eventually fell asleep. Sometime later, Damian returned. Still half asleep, I felt him pull me into his arms. Then he fastened a necklace around my neck. “A wedding gift. Do you like it?” I looked down. I had to admit, the necklace he’d bought in Paris was beautiful. If I hadn’t already seen it on Sophie’s social media, I might’ve been thrilled. But Sophie had posted six necklaces. Damian had given me the cheapest one, the one she’d liked least. In the comments beneath her post, Sophie had written: “This $180,000 necklace was just a free gift that came with The Blue Lover. I would’ve thrown it away if Damian hadn’t told me to keep it.” The necklace around my neck was nothing more than a freebie that had come with a designer masterpiece worth over ten million dollars. I quietly took it off. “You even remembered to bring home Sophie’s freebie for me. How thoughtful.” Damian stiffened behind me, and his voice turned cold. “It was all for show. Why are you being so petty?” I answered flatly, “You don’t have to go to so much trouble. What you do has nothing to do with me.” His temper flared. “We’re about to get married, and you’re still determined to make a scene? “Do you even want this wedding anymore?” Before I got pregnant, Damian would never have dared speak to me that way. But now his meaning was obvious. I was pregnant, so I should behave. No one else would want me anyway. Anger rose in my throat. I was about to tell him the truth when he stormed out and slammed the door so hard the sound shook the room. The next morning, I woke to find Damian already sitting beside the bed. Chapter 2 A breakfast tray sat on the nightstand. Damian was always like this. He always assumed that no matter how angry I was, one small peace offering would be enough to make me forgive him. To him, that had become a simple fact. Maybe I had been too forgiving in the past. So forgiving that he took it for granted and stopped valuing me altogether. I ignored him, got out of bed, and began getting dressed. Damian’s expression stiffened. “If this were Sophie, she’d be thrilled.” He picked up the breakfast and began eating it himself. At some point, Damian had become convinced that I couldn’t live without him. No matter what I did, he assumed I was only competing with Sophie for his attention. I couldn’t believe I had spent years hopelessly in love with a man like him. How pathetic. Thankfully, that was over now. — By the time the anesthesia wore off, I was lying alone in a hospital bed. Every other woman in the room had someone beside her. At their most vulnerable, they had people speaking gently to them, comforting them, and bringing them water. I couldn’t even use the bathroom without forcing myself through the pain in my lower abdomen and stumbling there alone. As I struggled to my feet, my phone rang on the table. By the time I reached it, the call was about to disconnect. The moment I answered, my manager began yelling. “Vivian Stone, where the hell are you? Get to the office within thirty minutes! “Mr. Carter inspected the office today, and you were the only employee missing. “Because of you, the entire department lost its bonuses. If you’re not here within half an hour, everyone’s scheduled time off for the rest of the month will be canceled.” A wave of sadness washed over me as I listened. Damian had once arranged a position for me at his company because he claimed he wanted to see me every day. But after all these years, not a single person there knew about our relationship. Whatever he was trying to accomplish today no longer mattered to me. “I quit,” I said calmly. My manager went silent for a moment before becoming even angrier. “What, do you think you’re Sophie Shaw? “You think you have some special relationship with Mr. Carter? “Stop acting like a diva and get back here today! “Otherwise, even if you insist on quitting, I’ll make sure your resignation takes at least a year to process.” Desperate to be free of them as soon as possible, I dragged my weakened body back to the office. “Mr. Carter and Sophie finally went public.” I heard my coworkers gossiping the moment I walked in. “When Mr. Carter toured the office today, he had his arm around her the entire time.” “They’re so sweet together. The cold, powerful CEO and his adorable assistant. It’s like something straight out of a romance novel.” Just then, another coworker spoke up. “I’ve got even bigger news.” Everyone turned toward him. “What is it?” “Stop keeping us in suspense!” He cleared his throat. “Mr. Carter is getting married in a few days.” The office erupted. “No wonder he took Sophie on that business trip.” “Didn’t you see her posts? They were having an early honeymoon!” It was obvious Damian had done this deliberately. He had summoned me back to the office because he wanted me to get jealous. He expected me to lose control and confront him. Then he would soothe me with a few empty words, just as he always had, and the whole thing would be forgotten. But I didn’t love him anymore. I quietly finished writing my resignation letter. My manager signed it without hesitation. “Good riddance. Now I don’t have to decide whether to bring you to Sophie’s birthday party the day after tomorrow.” Then he stood and clapped his hands for everyone’s attention. “The entire company gets the day off the day after tomorrow. Mr. Carter has invited every employee to Sophie’s birthday party.” My hand trembled slightly as I accepted my resignation paperwork. The day after tomorrow was supposed to be my wedding day. I’d thought he couldn’t hurt me anymore. But the pain still cut straight through my heart. I was still so weak after the abortion that I didn’t have the strength to pack my things. Chapter 3 I was too weak to do anything but rest at home for one more night. Damian came home late, reeking of alcohol with his arm around Sophie. When he saw me lying in bed, he sneered. “Get out. Sophie’s sleeping here tonight.” He spoke to me as if I were a servant. Sophie had dropped the sweet, innocent act she put on in public. Dressed in skimpy lingerie, she kept pressing herself against him. “Sorry, Vivian. Damian and I drank a little too much tonight, and we don’t feel like going anywhere else. I hope you don’t mind letting us use your bedroom. “Oh, and Damian says you’re terrible in bed. Why don’t you stay and learn a few things?” Rage consumed me, and my body began to shake. Damian looked down at me, his expression smug and amused. Sophie glanced up at him coyly. “Damian, Vivian looks angry. Did I say something wrong?” He pulled her into his arms. “How could you be wrong? She just lies there like a corpse. You and I are much more compatible.” I forced myself out of bed, shoved past them, and headed for the door. “Oh, my. You’re stronger than you look,” Sophie cooed. Then she glanced at my waist. “No wonder you’re so strong. Look how thick your waist is.” My waist had grown during the pregnancy, and the reminder sent a fresh wave of bitterness through me. Damian wrapped an arm around Sophie and kissed her. “Enough. Of course her waist got thicker while she was pregnant. You’ll have to take care of my needs from now on.” Sophie pouted. “I’m helping her, but instead of thanking me, she pushes me around.” They didn’t even bother closing the bedroom door. Soon, their moans echoed through the house. I didn’t want to hear them, but I was too weak to leave. All I could do was lie down in the guest room. Even the thick walls couldn’t block out the sounds. Their moans followed me all the way to the guest room. I had no idea how much time had passed when Damian climbed into bed behind me and wrapped his arms around me. His voice was still thick with desire. “Vivian, don’t be mad. You know you’re the one I love. “You’ve been so cold to me lately. I only used Sophie to make you jealous. I don’t have any feelings for her.” He sounded as aroused as ever, as though what he’d just done with Sophie hadn’t satisfied him at all. I tried to push him away, but my weakened body had no strength. His hands began roaming over me, touching me in all the ways that used to drive me wild. Once, I would’ve melted beneath his touch. Now I knew it had never been about love. He only wanted to satisfy himself. My resistance seemed to enrage him. He suddenly rolled on top of me and slapped me hard across the face. “Vivian, stop pushing me.” My cheek burned. “You could’ve at least taken a shower, Mr. Carter. You reek of alcohol and that filthy woman.” He slapped me again. Then his fingers closed around my throat. “So you want to do this the hard way?” I was too weak to fight him off. Like an animal in heat, he forced himself inside me. Pain tore through my lower abdomen, nearly making me pass out. Desperate to make him stop, I bit down on his ear. He responded by slapping me again and again. Then he tightened his grip around my throat to keep me from struggling. Between the agony in my abdomen and the crushing pressure around my neck, darkness crept into my vision. My cries grew weaker. The last of my strength drained away. Only then did Damian seem to come to his senses. He stopped. His lips parted several times, but in the end, he said nothing. He simply got up and walked out. I lay curled in pain for what felt like hours, my sweat soaking through the sheets. The fabric beneath my lower body was stained bright red. Whatever love I had left for him died that night. By morning, the worst of the pain had finally subsided. Still lying in bed, I booked a flight. Then I threw on some clothes and made my way downstairs to the living room. Chapter 4 I was so weak that every few steps left me desperate to sit down and rest. As I struggled toward the door, Sophie came downstairs. She was dressed to the nines, looking fresh and radiant. I was deathly pale, barely able to stay on my feet. We were the same age, yet I looked decades older. All because of the same man. The moment Sophie saw me, she strode over with a smug look. “What, are you still waiting around for Mr. Carter to come home and comfort you? “He’s already left for work. If you have something to say, I might be generous enough to pass it along.” I gave her a cold glance. Why did even she assume I was putting on an act just to get Damian’s attention? “What makes you think you can speak for Damian?” She immediately looked smug. “Of course I can. I’m his assistant and the woman he loves. Whether it’s work, romance, or sex, I can give him everything he needs. You’re nothing but an incubator.” I regarded her calmly. “It won’t be long before another woman comes along and replaces you too.” Sophie doubled over laughing. “Do you know the biggest difference between us? “I understand that Mr. Carter will never settle for just one woman. No one gets to keep him forever. “Only an idiot like you would dream about spending the rest of your life with him. “Wake up. You’re ugly, your body’s a mess, and you still think you’re getting a fairy-tale ending?” I let out a contemptuous laugh. There was a time when someone like Sophie wouldn’t have dared speak to me this way. I’d sacrificed so much, only to end up like this. My laugh must have struck a nerve. “Stop acting like you’re better than me, Vivian. You stayed with him for his money and status too. “You’re no different from me. “Damian is mine now. You’ve already lost.” I gave her a mocking smile. “Then I wish you two a long, happy life together. I hope you have a baby soon.” Sophie opened her mouth to respond, but the front door suddenly unlocked. Panic flashed across her face. She grabbed my hand, and the instant the door opened, she threw herself backward. Damian saw the whole thing. Already weak, I lost my balance when she yanked me and fell hard to the floor. Damian rushed over. He stepped around me and helped Sophie up. Tears shimmered in her eyes. “I understand, Vivian. I’ll leave right now.” Her acting was painfully obvious. But Damian’s face immediately filled with concern for her and fury toward me. “Apologize, Vivian.” I said nothing. I struggled to my feet, grabbed my suitcase, and headed for the door. Damian seized my arm. “Didn’t you hear me? Apologize! You don’t get to hurt someone and then run away. I’m so disappointed in you.” I turned back with a cold laugh. “She framed me, and you’re demanding that I apologize?” His anger exploded. He slapped me across the face. “Enough, Vivian! Do you want this wedding or not?” I snapped my head back around and met his gaze without flinching. “Not anymore.” Damian’s eyes burned red with rage. “Who do you think you are? The only reason I’ve put up with you for this long is because you’re carrying my child. “But if you keep using the baby to threaten me, you’ll regret it.” I laughed as tears streamed down my face. Of course. The baby was the only reason he felt so confident that I would never leave. My laughter unsettled him. The panic in his eyes lasted only a moment before his expression softened. He stepped toward me, ready to say something, but I cut him off. “Don’t bother, Damian. The baby’s gone. You don’t have to put up with me anymore.”