Page 22

Thirteen

Maddie

“I’m sorry I can’t get away for a honeymoon. Too much is up in the air right now. I can’t leave the city.”

These are the first words Aidan says to me on the way to his house after the ceremony.

It’s the first time he’s spoken to me since we left the reception.

I’m so exhausted from this whole day, and now I’m terrified of being alone with him.

The trip to the reception at least had an end point and was a place where we’d be surrounded by people again, but now there’s no more pretense. No more buffers or known end points.

I sit in the back of the limo as far away from him as I can get, staring down at my wedding ring. It’s a platinum band with a row of princess cut diamonds. And just like everything else for this wedding, it’s exquisite and exceptionally tasteful.

We’ve been driving what feels like forever when I finally speak.

“What’s going to happen to me?” I can’t bring myself to look up and meet his gaze when I say these words.

“You’re going to be a good wife.”

“And what does that mean?”

Aidan offers no reply. It’s like he’s only planned just this far and can barely believe he’s gotten away with it. Like it’s the crime of the century, and he never expected to actually escape with the diamond.

Aidan is saved from having to answer my question because we’ve reached his prison-like estate And it looks very much like a prison, at least the security surrounding the house.

There are high iron gates and a fence with sharp pointed spikes at the top.

We have to be admitted through a security checkpoint to get inside the gate. He has armed guards everywhere.

The driveway feels like it stretches forever with an expansive view of rolling hills and large shade trees.

There’s a water feature with a pond and a fountain closer to the house.

It’s all lit up now. Giant topiaries frame the front of the estate.

There are Roman columns on the enormous white two-story mansion.

This place is at least three times the size of my house and I’d always felt like we lived in a pretty big house.

The front of the building has an extremely generous porch, though “porch” feels far too homey and normal for what this is.

This house is far too grand for such a word like “porch”.

The front of the building is well-lit as though the house never truly sleeps.

Two armed guards stand in the front beside the large double doors.

Guards stand at every entrance around the side of the house, and I’m sure there are many more around the back as well.

The second floor has generous balconies for what must be the various living quarters. Right in the center with a giant window and glass door, must be the master bedroom.

How much muscle does this man have? And what a boring life to just stand outside carrying a gun all day. Is all this security really necessary? Is it to keep his enemies out, or me in?

Aidan helps me out of the car and guides me inside. In the main entry way, we’re met by an older woman.

“This is Cora, the household manager,” Aidan says. “She’ll get you settled in for the night.”

Then he just… walks off without a backward glance to me. He seems distracted or like he has some important business he has to get to. I’m not sure what I thought would happen when we got inside or what I expected his house to be.

I think I expected some kind of dark gothic estate, since black seems to be his favorite color to wear.

I guess I thought we’d go to something closer to a darkened castle and I’d be shoved into a cell or something.

I mean I don’t think I really thought he’d keep me in a cell, but I didn’t expect this well-appointed, well-lit, and tastefully decorated house with so many light and bright colors.

The subtle white and beige parquet floor gleams under my feet.

Cora smiles kindly at me. “Well, let’s get you settled, Mrs. Stryker.”

I wonder how much she knows about all of this, probably not a lot.

But it isn’t as if I’ve ever been here before, so surely she must think it’s odd for him to randomly bring a wife home one day.

I follow her up a grand staircase. I stare at the glittering chandelier of the main entryway when I’m eye level with it. This is… a lot.

“Aidan is the third generation to live in this house. His grandfather built it and his father added onto it. After his father died, he went to live with his uncle Martin, and while Martin took over the business until Aidan came of age, they thought it would be better for him to grow up in a place a little less grand than this. And also… too many memories, you know.”

She says this as though she assumes I know Aidan’s whole backstory. I smile and nod like I have any idea what she’s talking about.

On the second floor we go down an impossibly long hallway, past the room I was sure was the master bedroom. We don’t stop until we get to the very end of the hallway, just beside a secondary back staircase. Two guards I recognize quite well, stand outside the door.

The goons. My second shift goons, specifically.

Cora acts as if they aren’t even there, and guides me into the room.

“These are your private quarters, Mrs. Stryker.”

It’s a bright multi-room suite. The suite begins with a sitting room with a television, sofa, and a couple of chairs.

A vase of fresh white roses sits on the coffee table.

There’s a bar and a stylish mini-fridge off to one side.

A set of white double doors lead into a bedroom with a king-sized bed and a fireplace.

Off to one side is the door that leads out onto the balcony.

I step outside, sucking in the fresh air like it’s my last chance to get it.

The balcony is isolated and doesn’t connect to any other second floor balconies or entrances back into the house.

And the drop is steep. There’s no trellis or any other convenient way to climb down.

Any attempt to jump off would result in serious injury or death.

He’s not worried about me escaping this way.

“This used to be Aidan’s mother’s rooms,” Cora comments.

“Where is she now?” I ask. I feel stupid as soon as I’ve said it. I’d heard of his father’s death when we were children, but at that age everybody I knew had a mother, and my brain just never processed what him living with an uncle truly meant.

Cora seems surprised I don’t already know this. “She died right after Aidan turned five, and then eight months later, his father passed as well.”

“How did she die?”

“Oh, we don’t speak of it,” Cora says. But she doesn’t say it in an unkind or judgmental way. Just matter-of-fact as though it’s just one of the house rules. She doesn’t seem like the person to have an unkind bone in her body which makes it a mystery why she’d work for a family like this.

“And here is your closet.” She gestures and seems quite proud as she guides me through the door as though it’s the crown jewel of the entire suite.

The closet is a huge elegant white and beige walk-in, the size of the bedroom I grew up in.

It’s not just a closet. It’s a dressing room.

It’s well-lit with a three-paneled floor-length mirror, a plush chair, a sofa, and a small side table with a lamp, as if someone might take tea up here while contemplating their vast wardrobe.

There are shelves for my shoes, places for jewelry, spaces to hang clothes and to fold and store them, what feels like endless drawers with small crystal knobs.

It takes me a moment to realize what I’m really looking at.

There are already shoes and clothes and jewelry in here.

Not just things in my size but my things.

My things which were auctioned off by the government in a single big lot are all here.

I’m sure I gasp, but I cover my reaction quickly when Cora looks my way again.

“And finally, the bathroom,” she says.

It’s the last door on the tour. A giant whirlpool tub stands as the centerpiece in front of a floor-to-ceiling window that overlooks the property.

“During the day, no one would be able to see in, but if you decide to use the bath at night, you might want to draw the curtains, first for privacy” Cora says. A gauzy white curtain is pulled back and looped around an ornate hook.

I’m not sure the curtain conceals much, but all I say is, “Thank you.”

Even at night, it’s an amazing view given how well-lit the entire property and all the walking paths are. There’s a large maze-like garden in the back with outdoor lighting scattered about. I can see the pool from here as well. And then in the distance more rolling hills and some trees.

There’s a separate standing shower on the other end of the bathroom and double sinks, even though I’m sure this entire suite was designed for one person. The toilet is in its own separate contained space with a doorway and a curtain covering it, so as not to disrupt the ambiance of the room.

Cora opens a large cabinet over the sink. “You’ll find your towels and basic toiletries here… shampoo, conditioner, soap. If there is anything specific you require, you can make a list and either I will handle it or I’ll send someone out for it.”

“Am I not allowed to leave the house?” I ask, immediately wishing I hadn’t.

Cora looks at me like I’ve said the most insane thing she’s ever heard, and I know that can’t possibly be true given that she must know the kind of business Aidan runs. I mean, why else does she think he needs so many guards on the house? People with this much security have enemies.

“Of course you’ll be able to leave the house, Mrs. Stryker. I just thought you might not want to be bothered with such mundane shopping.”

I feel my cheeks heat. Does Cora even know my situation? If not, I must sound crazy to her.