I was placed under complete house arrest. My phone and ID were confiscated, and I was locked inside the villa with no way out.
Stan went to the office during the day. At night, he came home and found new ways to torment me.
At meals, he had the housekeeper prepare dishes he knew made me nauseous. At bedtime, he cranked the air conditioning down to freezing and left me to shiver through the night.
Eventually, he stopped pretending altogether and brought Annette home.
Right in front of me, he held her close, his arms wrapped around her while she nuzzled against him.
"Stan, Miss Kaufman is watching," Annette murmured, nestled in his arms.
Stan spared me a careless glance.
"She's just a disobedient little toy. Ignore her."
I sat on the couch and watched their performance. Not a single ripple disturbed my heart. If anything, I found it laughable.
In my past life, I'd been kept in the dark, drowning in agony. Now all I felt was disgust.
I stood to go back to my room.
Annette called out behind me.
"Miss Kaufman, could you pour me a glass of water?"
I didn't bother acknowledging her and kept walking.
Stan's voice cut through the air like a blade.
"Stop."