Chapter 1
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As the heavy door of Ashwood Mental Hospital creaked open, a pale, slender woman stepped out. She was Audrey Patel. She covered her aching stomach and dragged her feet to walk, while the murmurs behind her
followed like shadows.
Someone whispered, “Mr. Patel’s such a saint. He still sticks with her after she went nuts and hurt others with a knife.”
Another person said bitterly, “If my wife pulled a stunt like that, I’d kick her out the same day. She’s a total disgrace to Mr. Patel.”
Someone else chimed in, “If Ms. Patterson’s father hadn’t passed away, and she hadn’t moved in with her uncle, she would’ve married Mr. Patel ages ago. Audrey would never have had the chance.”
Audrey squinted against the harsh light and gave a bitter little smile.
Everyone knew the story. She was an orphan girl from some no–name town who somehow married Clayton Patel, a big–shot lawyer with a spotless image. People all said she won the lottery.
But now, with a reputation for being violent and unstable, fired from her job and fresh out of a mental hospital, she looked even more out of place next to Clayton.
Audrey thought bitterly, ‘They all think I don’t deserve him. Funny thing is, the one who stuck me in that hellhole and slapped that label on me was my perfect husband himself!’
It was July. The sun blazed down, but Audrey felt chilly all over, especially her heart.
Ashwood had a glossy cover story–something about correcting troubled youth and improving their mental state. But what went on inside was a nightmare.
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Audrey, a 23–year–old grown woman, had been locked in there for a month because her husband claimed she was a danger and needed to have her mind straightened out.
During the past month, she was punished, starved, locked in pitch–black isolation—until she cracked, until she agreed she was wrong and promised
to change.
Now, standing outside, breathing free air again, she watched Clayton hang up a call. His handsome face twisted with irritation.
“Zoe’s ran a bath for you. Let’s go home and wash off the bad luck,” Clayton said to Audrey.
Audrey dodged the hand he reached toward her shoulder.
Clayton was always well–groomed with tailored suits and expensive cologne. But today, he didn’t smell like his usual scent. Instead, he reeked of something sickly sweet, like overripe fruit. That scent made Audrey sick.
Ignoring Clayton’s grim face, Audrey pulled open the passenger–side door and got in.
driver, who’d already opened the back door, glanced at Clayton in
nfusion.
Clayton watched her, his lips pressed tight. He thought she was clearly still sulking after a month of confinement. He figured she wasn’t used to that kind of strict environment, so she threw a tantrum.
Though he had his reasons, he still went too far to send her in against her will. So, for now, he didn’t blame her for her little temper.
He sat in the back seat. The driver closed the door and started the car.
Audrey turned to the window and closed her eyes. The whole thing a month ago appeared in her mind.
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It was her birthday that day. Clayton brought home a special guest–his childhood friend, Valerie Patterson, and her three–year–old daughter,
Luna Patterson.
While Clayton went to get the cake, Valerie grabbed a fruit knife and pressed it to her wrist, threatening to hurt herself if Audrey didn’t give Clayton back to her.
Tears streamed down Valerie’s face as she said she and Clayton were meant to be, that she came back to fix what they once lost.
Audrey lunged to stop Valerie and tried to snatch the knife just as Clayton walked in.
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Valerie stumbled into Clayton’s arms, sobbing like she’d just survived a war. “Audrey, please don’t hurt Luna. Clayton and I haven’t done anything. You’re getting it all wrong.”
Audrey stood frozen with the knife still in hand, her mind blanking out.
Valerie, still clinging to Clayton, glanced up at Audrey with a smug glint in her eyes. “Clayton only let us move into your house ‘cause we had nowhere else to go.
“I swear I’ll pay back every penny he lent to us. Just don’t scare my baby, okay? She’s got autism.”
Clayton wrapped his arms around Valerie and Luna and shot a cold stare at Audrey. “Valerie’s hands are for painting. How could you hurt her?”
Little Luna, who watched the whole thing, just curled up tighter in Clayton’s arms, shaking like a leaf.
Audrey let out a dry laugh, more from rage than amusement.
She thought to herself, ‘So that’s her game. She used my birthday party to air out her affair with Clayton. Either I suck it up and pretend my
husband’s got no side piece, or I pack my bags and quit the game!
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Audrey turned to Clayton, her voice firm. “Believe it or not, she cut
herself.”
“No way,” Clayton shot back without missing a beat.
He was convinced no one knew Valerie’s talent with a paintbrush better than he did. She would rather die than damage her hands. No chance she’d hurt herself just to frame Audrey.
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Audrey scoffed and pointed straight at Valerie. “Then tell me, why did you let them live in the house I bought and even gave them money? You’re keeping her and her kid on the side, and I’m supposed to just be cool with it?”
Clayton’s colleagues and a couple of his friends were right behind him. Being embarrassed like that in front of everyone clearly rattled him.
“My hand… Clayton, it hurts,” Valerie whimpered, holding out her bleeding wrist, swaying like she was about to faint.
Guilt flashed across Clayton’s face, but it was gone in a blink, replaced by anger. He barked at his assistant, “My wife has violent tendencies. Send her to Ashwood Mental Hospital.”
Thinking back on it, Audrey put on a cold smile, sneering, ‘To protect that woman’s reputation, my husband threw me into that filthy place!
Clayton must’ve caught that mocking look on her face, because for once, he tried to explain himself, “I sent you to Ashwood to keep things from getting worse. You scared Luna.
“She had a fever for days. They’ve had a hard time. You shouldn’t trash Valerie like that.”
Audrey opened her eyes, her gaze turning icy. “I picked the house. I pay the mortgage. They’re living in it and spending money from MY husband. Yeah, clearly I screwed up. I should’ve been more generous, huh?”
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Clayton took a deep breath and said, “Vally doesn’t blame you, She’s already dropped the charges. It won’t affect you.”
Audrey sneered, thinking, ‘Won’t affect me? Due to my so–called violent tendencies you pinned on me, I lost my job three days after staying at Ashwood.‘
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Clayton and Valerie went way back. Years ago, both Valerie and Clayton’s fathers got sick. Valerie’s father gave up his shot at treatment and donated his kidney to save Clayton’s father.
After that, Valerie and her mother moved out of town to live with her uncle. The night she turned up again, she was on the run. She was beaten by her husband, so she took her daughter to leave.
Clayton just happened to be on a business trip in that exact city. He swooped in like a hero, took on Valerie’s divorce case, and brought her and her daughter back to Ironhaven.
The car slowly rolled into Hightower Homes. Audrey didn’t wait for it to stop but opened the door, got out, and headed straight for the elevator without a glance back.
She took a long shower and changed into clean clothes.
When she came out, Zoe was carrying dishes from the kitchen. She said with a smile, “Dinner’s almost ready, ma’am. Mr. Patel picked all your favorites.”
Clayton was on the couch going through some documents. He looked up over the rim of his gold–rimmed glasses and said, “Dry your hair first. I’ll wait to eat with you.”
Anyone walking in might’ve thought he was the picture of a devoted husband, setting aside legal briefs to dine with his wife.
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But Audrey knew this was just his usual trick: slap you across the face and then hand you a candy.
Clayton took off his glasses and walked to the dining table. Pulling out a chair, he said, “It’s a bit late today. I’ll have Zoe buy your favorite fish
tomorrow.”
Audrey sat down without a word and picked up her fork.
Clayton was good at keeping his emotions locked up and hardly ever spoke more than necessary. Most of the time when they were together, Audrey always babbled him with some online gossip just to fill the silence.
Each time, Audrey would laugh out loud, yet Clayton was just calm and would sometimes give her a look to remind her of being composed.
Now, Audrey didn’t even look at him. Worse, when he tried to serve her some food, she just picked it up and tossed it back onto the plate.
