"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."
