On the night of our wedding, friends came over for the traditional newlywed party games.

The very first round required the bride and groom to kiss for three minutes.

But my husband, Neil Sanchez, grabbed his secretary by the arm and kissed her without a second's hesitation.

They kissed for a full three minutes. When they finally pulled apart, a thin string of saliva still connected their lips.

The smiles around the room froze. Every pair of eyes shifted to me, stiff with awkwardness.

Neil wiped the moisture from the corner of Shirley Cobb's mouth with his thumb, his expression utterly unbothered.

"The girl's shy. She'd never handle something like this in the future, so I figured I'd help her get some practice ahead of time."

He tossed a stack of cash onto the table in front of me. Twenty thousand dollars.

"That enough? Take the money and settle down. Don't act like you've been so terribly wronged."

"All I did was swap out the game partner. I still went through with the whole wedding for you. You should be grateful."

Shirley nestled into his arms, coy and blushing, her eyes brimming with adoration.

I nodded calmly, slid my wedding ring off, and dropped it onto the pile of bills.

"Mr. Sanchez is too funny. Of course I'm not upset."

"After all, I was planning to swap out the man on my marriage certificate too."

——

Silence.

The room went so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Neil smashed the ashtray beside him. Glass shattered across the nightstand, and his expression turned black as a storm cloud.

"Kathryn Henson, it was just a game partner swap. Do you really have to be this petty about it?"

"Fine. Here's another ten grand. Take back what you just said and stop ruining the mood for everyone."

Like he was scolding a child who didn't know her place.

I looked at that face, the one that used to make my heart race, and felt nothing but revulsion rise in its place.

"I think I made myself perfectly clear. We never filed for a marriage license anyway, so consider us done."

"Oh, and think of tonight's wedding as my gift to you, Mr. Sanchez. A little practice run for the real thing. No need to thank me."

The temperature in the room plummeted.

Shirley suddenly looped her arm through mine, all smiles.

"Don't be mad, Kathy. Mr. Sanchez was just worried I wouldn't know what to do at my own wedding someday, so he gave me a little preview."

"Tell you what. For the next game, I'll let you have the bride's role back."

I frowned. That word, let, scraped against my nerves like a nail on glass.

Before I could agree or refuse, Shirley was already reaching into the game box, pulling out a slip of paper, and reading it aloud.

"The bride must kneel before the groom and bark like a dog ten times, to demonstrate her absolute loyalty to her husband."

A beat of stunned silence. Then murmurs rippled through the group.

"Didn't we agree not to put any humiliating ones in there? Who wrote that?"

"Not me..."

"Wasn't me either..."

Shirley shot them an exasperated glare.

"Oh, hush. You all think it's humiliating, but maybe Kathy here thinks it's a treat."

"I mean, a gold digger like her just loves groveling to keep a man happy. Me? I could never. I have too much self-respect." She sighed theatrically.

Her gaze locked onto mine, a taunting smile curving her lips.

"Well, Kathy? You wanted to play games with Mr. Sanchez so badly, didn't you?"

"Go on then. Get on your knees and bark. Who knows, maybe if he's pleased enough, he'll toss you another twenty grand. Wouldn't want to miss an opportunity like that."

Neil sat through all of it without saying a word.

My eyes drifted to the red silk quilt beneath him, the one I'd chosen with such care. I hadn't even sat on it yet.

But their kiss had already crushed it into wrinkles.

Tradition said the wedding quilt had to be sat on first by the newlyweds together. A blessing for a happy marriage.

Just days ago, I'd been imagining it: wedding night, the two of us beneath that quilt, planning our future.

How unnecessary that all seemed now.

I shoved Shirley's arm away, cold and deliberate, and let a razor-thin smile cross my face.

"Miss Cobb, you're really too modest. The way you were flicking that tongue around just now? You've got every dog in town beat when it comes to licking. Doesn't seem like you need the practice at all."

"You're so good at playing the lapdog. Why don't you bark a few times first so I can learn from you?"

I'd grown up surrounded by the calligraphy and paintings of master artists. I'd recognized the handwriting on that slip of paper as Shirley's the moment I saw it.

Shirley's face flushed crimson, her voice dripping with wounded innocence. "Neil, how can she humiliate me like this..."

A glass of red wine came crashing down over my head.

Neil yanked Shirley into his arms, shielding her, and glared at me with open contempt.

"Kathryn, enough! You won't do this, you won't do that, all you're good for is bullying a young woman. There's a limit to how unreasonable you can be!"

"You're a part-time calligraphy instructor. With that pathetic salary of yours, I'd be embarrassed to let you pay for gas."

"You live the life you live because of me. Where do you get the nerve to stick your nose in my business?"

A sneer curled across his lips.

"Shirley actually helps me at the company. Forget just swapping her into a party game. If she wanted the moon out of the sky, I'd pluck it down for her."

"And what can you do for me? You wormed your way into a wedding ceremony without putting up a single cent of dowry. You're nothing but a gold digger trying to get something for nothing!"

"So, Kathryn, take the money and sit quietly. If it's not enough, I'll give you more. But if you cause one more scene, I won't sign the marriage certificate at all!"

My chest tightened until I could barely breathe.

So refusing to accept my husband kissing another woman was causing a scene.

And five years of devotion, of standing beside him while he built everything from nothing, amounted to getting something for nothing.

But Neil didn't know.

My dowry had been ready for months. The assets were so extensive that the paperwork had simply taken time to finalize. I'd planned to present it all the day we signed the certificate, as a surprise.

Now it was clear he didn't deserve it.

"Well, that works out perfectly. I was thinking the same thing."

I said it coldly, turned, grabbed my coat, and walked toward the door.

The moment I pulled open the front door of the villa, his voice came from behind me.

"Hold on!"

Neil descended the staircase, chin lifted, wearing a half-smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Kathryn. That down jacket you're wearing. Canada Goose. A hundred thousand dollars. I paid for it."

"If you've got the guts to walk out, then don't take my things with you. Can't you afford your own clothes?"

"Oh, and don't forget to leave every card I ever gave you."

The villa doors gaped wide open. Wind laced with snow bit into the back of my neck.

It still wasn't as cold as what I felt inside.

Last winter, when the weather first turned, he'd complained that the down jackets I bought were cheap brands that didn't keep me warm. He'd thrown every single one of them out without asking. The next day, he'd given me the Canada Goose himself, telling me that things were better now, that he'd never let me freeze again.

Neil knew all of that perfectly well. He was doing this on purpose, just to humiliate me.

In that moment, all I felt was regret.

Regret that I'd been so blind about who he really was.

One of the guests thought things had gone too far and tried to intervene. "Come on, Neil. It's below zero out there. She's barely wearing anything underneath. Without that jacket, she'll freeze."

"It's supposed to be a happy occasion. Don't let it end like this. Just swallow your pride and make up with your wife. There's no shame in that."

Neil clearly didn't see it that way.

His lips twisted into a mocking smirk.

"We haven't even signed the certificate. What wife? I spoiled her too much before, that's all. Now she thinks she can throw around words like 'breaking up' whenever she pleases. She should be grateful I'm not making her walk out of here with nothing but the clothes on her back."

"Kathryn, don't say I didn't give you a chance. Apologize right now, promise to get along with Shirley from here on out, and I'll forgive you. We'll sign the certificate, and you'll still be Mrs. Sanchez, just like you wanted."

Shirley nestled against his side and settled in, beaming.

"She's right, you know. Sis, if you've already lowered yourself to being a gold digger, why get so worked up over a little thing like this? I'd quit while I was ahead if I were you."

"It's two in the morning, and in weather like this, you won't find a cab out here. The nearest hotel is miles away. Try not to freeze to death on the side of the road."

The moment the words left his mouth, Neil seemed struck by his own idea. He pulled out his phone and dialed.

"Call every hotel in Capital City. Kathryn Henson is not to be given a room. Anywhere."

My heart plummeted.

This was Neil's obedience test.

He wanted me to understand that he could dictate my life on a whim. He was trying to train me into submission, to break me into something compliant and small.

I drew a long, slow breath. Then I slapped every last bank card onto the coffee table.

Without a second of hesitation, I stripped off the designer coat and tossed it into the fireplace beside me.

The flames surged, casting a bright orange glow across Neil's stunned face.

I didn't look back. I walked straight into the blizzard.

The wind hit me like a wall. I pushed forward, shaking so hard my teeth rattled, arms wrapped tight around myself. Every step was a fight against the cold that clawed through my clothes and sank into my bones.

I finally found an internet café still open nearby. The owner handed me a cup of hot water, and I sat there clutching it, letting warmth seep back into my frozen fingers.

But before long, my eyelids grew impossibly heavy. I slumped over and fell asleep.

Through the haze, I felt hands on me. Groping. Tugging.

I forced my eyes open and found myself staring straight into the owner's greasy, bloated face.

The café that had been buzzing with people just moments ago was now completely empty. The metal security shutter had been pulled down to the floor.

The owner leered at me, his grin wet and obscene.

"Hey there, sweetheart. Pretty little thing like you, wandering in alone this late... you homeless or something?"

"Poor baby. Let me take care of you."

The water. He'd put something in the water.

Terror crashed over me like a wave.

I bit down hard on my tongue. The sharp sting of pain cut through the fog in my head just enough.

I shoved him with everything I had, scrambled toward the restroom in the corner, and threw myself inside. The lock clicked into place under my trembling fingers.

I was about to call the police when Neil's number flashed across the screen.

One percent battery. I stared at it, my breath ragged, and answered.

The sound that came through the speaker was unmistakable. Heavy breathing. The kind soaked in lust.

"Kathryn, where'd you put those condoms I brought back from overseas last month? I'm teaching Shirley a few things tonight."

His tone shifted, turning mocking.

"What, now that you know you can't survive without me, you went and stole them to sell? Is that how desperate you are?"

I swallowed back the nausea clawing up my throat and forced the words out.

"Neil, I'm at an internet café on Guangfu Road."

"The owner is trying to assault me. Please, come get me—"

Neil's voice went taut with alarm. "What? I'm on my way!"

Then, in the very next second, Shirley's voice slithered through the line, dripping with saccharine contempt.

"Oh, sis. Are all gold diggers this calculating?"

"I drove past that road just today. There's no internet café there. You're pulling a sympathy stunt to guilt Mr. Sanchez into caving first, aren't you?"

"Mr. Sanchez, if you actually go, you're just rewarding her little tantrum. Next time she'll threaten you with divorce every time she doesn't get her way. How embarrassing would that be?"

Before I could get a single word out, Neil's voice exploded through the phone.

"Kathryn, you have absolutely no shame! You'd stoop to a lie like this?"

"Don't think I'm going to keep indulging you. You want to come back? Fine. Be kneeling outside my office by morning and admit you were wrong!"

"Without me, that pathetic salary of yours couldn't even cover rent on a decent apartment. You'd try selling yourself on the street and men would turn you down for the lousy accommodations. Think about that!"

The line went dead.

A second later, the screen went black. Zero percent.

Something inside me went cold and still, like ash after a fire burns out.

Click.

The bathroom lock gave way.

The owner burst through the door, grabbed a fistful of my hair, and yanked. That same revolting grin split his face.

"Where do you think you're going, you little tramp? This is my place. You think I don't have a key?"

"Trying to call your boyfriend for help? I heard every word. He's busy with some other woman and can't even be bothered with you."