Chapter 20 - The Choice
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The silence in the room was deafening. The only sound was the shallow, ragged breathing of the guests, still held at gunpoint in the shadows, and the soft whimpers of my drugged dog lying by my side.
I looked at my ruined legs. I looked at the blood staining my white dress, the jagged locks of my hair scattered across the floor like dead leaves. I looked at Brandon, the man who had promised to love and protect me, currently cowering in his own urine, claiming he had shattered my bones to save my soul.
They had all made choices for me. My husband had chosen to torture me to manipulate a shadowy cartel. My father had chosen to lie to me my entire life, building a throne of blood and pretending it was an ordinary chair, leaving me completely defenseless when the monsters finally came knocking.
I was tired of being a pawn in men’s games.
I dragged my broken body forward an inch, fighting through the blinding pain in my knees. I reached out, my fingers trembling, hovering just inches above the dark crimson wax of the Syndicate’s seal.
"Emily, please," Dad whispered
, lowering his gun slightly.
Arthur smiled, waiting.
Brandon looked up from the floor, his face pale with absolute terror as he realized what I was about to do.
I grabbed the heavy black envelope.
May you like
The wax seal felt cold beneath my thumb. I looked up at the circle of armed men, at my father, and finally at the husband who had chained me to the floor.
Then, I broke the seal.
