Chapter 6
Vivian fell silent for a long moment before whispering, "I have to marry Julian."
Suddenly, her phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen, and her face went pale.
She grabbed my arm and dragged me toward the guest bedroom. "Julian is coming up. Hide in here. If you go down now, you'll run right into him."
"No, let me go—"
Losing her patience, Vivian slapped me hard across the face.
"Stop acting up!"
My head spun, and I realized my body felt incredibly weak and heavy.
I suddenly remembered the glass of water she had just given me.
"You drugged me? Vivian, I'm literally sick with a fever!"
"Asher, I had no choice. I need to make sure you behave. Just cooperate, okay?"
She dragged me into the bedroom, pulled out a set of restraint ropes she kept for her private games, and tried to tie me to a chair.
The sedative wasn't that strong. I could have fought her off.
But then, Vivian softened her voice, speaking to me like a child.
"We've been together for ten years, Asher. We can't just end. And don't forget... I lost your baby once. You owe me for the rest of your life. You can never pay me back for that."
The words hit me like a physical blow. I froze, letting her wrap the ropes around my body, coil by coil.
The pregnancy had been an accident. Years ago, after I visited her in New York, she told me she was pregnant but lost the baby due to high stress and exhaustion at work.
We had always used protection, but she claimed it was a freak accident.
By the time I found out about the baby, it was already gone.
I had fallen to my knees back then, promising her I would spend the rest of my life making it up to her.
And now, the woman who had cried in my arms used my deepest, most agonizing guilt to blackmail me.
She tied a tight knot behind my back.
"Don't hate me. You're too emotional right now. Just be a good boy and stay here."
Vivian kissed my forehead, then tore a piece of heavy duct tape and slapped it over my mouth.
Outside, the sound of the front door passcode lock beeped. Vivian locked the guest bedroom door from the outside.
A moment later, Julian’s ecstatic voice echoed from the living room.
"Babe! I saw the pregnancy test on the counter! Two pink lines! You're pregnant! Why didn't you tell me?! We need to move the wedding up right away."
"We lost our last baby to an accident... This time, I won't let anything happen to our child..."
My pupils dilated in sheer horror.
The baby Vivian had lost back then... wasn't mine.
"I was going to tell you once the doctor said it was stable... Honey, I'm sorry about last time..."
From outside the door, the unmistakable, muffled sounds of heavy breathing and moaning began to drift in.
I bit my tongue so hard the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth, my stomach turning in violent disgust.
I don't know how much time passed before they finally stopped. The sound of the front door closing left me in a state of sudden terror.
*Vivian will come back to untie me, right? She knows I have a high fever!*
I waited. And waited.
The sun went down, and a new day broke. She never came back.
I lost track of how long I had been without food or water. Eventually, the darkness swallowed me whole.
When I finally opened my eyes, I was lying in a hospital bed, my body completely drained.
"I'm so sorry, Mr. Asher. Boss Vivian got caught up in wedding prep and... forgot about you. She asked me to apologize on her behalf."
Vivian's assistant placed a check on the bedside table.
"This is compensation from Boss Vivian. She'll come visit you in a few days."
I didn't say a word.
My phone buzzed with a trending notification:
[The Royal Wedding of Tech Mogul Vivian and Julian, Heir to the Mercer Empire.]
With a blank expression, I swiped the notification away and sent a text to Seraphina:
*"I lost the bet. I keep my word."*
She replied almost instantly: *"I'm coming to pick you up right now."*
My fingers hovered over the keyboard. I sent one last text to Vivian:
*"Vivian, we are done. For good."*
Ten years of devotion, and I never got to see the dawn.
For the rest of our lives, may we never meet again.