Closer (A Dark Romance, Book 1): The Closer Trilogy

by M. C. Vann

  I didn’t need to pack because I didn’t bring anything with me. The only thing I did was change my horrid clothes.

  When we were on the plane back to Chicago, at least I hoped we were heading there, I sat on the farthest seat away from Henry. It wasn’t very far since the cabin was pretty tight. From across the small seating area, I noticed that he wasn’t paying any attention to me. He remained on his laptop most of the time, talking to some people. It was probably some business conference via Skype.

  I blankly stared out the window. The magical scenery of being above the clouds simply couldn’t bring up my mood this time round.

  What was I going to do about Henry? It was like a switch going off, one that I wasn’t prepared for at all. He was always sweet to me — always considerate and polite.

  But over the past few days, Henry morphed into this completely vicious, ungentlemanlike, and controlling stranger. He treated me so horribly and spoke such hurtful words. He refused to tell me the reason and asking him will only lead to a dead end. Is it going to be like this … forever?

  My thoughts were interrupted when Henry came over and seated himself on the chair across from me. The familiar anxiety made my knees tremble slightly. I continued staring out the window, pretending not to notice him. From the corner of my eye, I spotted a tan envelope in his hands. What now?

  “Your belongings are already at my place,” he spoke, but I remained disinterested. “Did you hear me?”

  Seeing that I wasn’t going to confirm nor deny his question, he sighed with a slight grunt of frustration.

  “When we get off this plane, you’re going to do everything I say. You understand?”

  What? I swung my head to look at him, dismayed by his absurd request.

  “And why would I do that?” I challenged.

  He sneered. “Because you’re my wife.”

  “I’m your wife?” I scoffed. “No.”

  “No?”

  “Once we land in Chicago, I want a divorce.”

  “Already?”

  “Yes,” I asserted, swallowing the lump in my throat only to find myself already in the process of crying. “What you have done to me, how you treated me these past few days, I know better than to stay with someone like you.”

  “Someone like me?”

  “You’re evil.”

  “Ally, I don’t think you’ll want a divorce,” he stated with a shrewd laugh. How could Henry be laughing in a moment like this?

  “And why not? You don’t think I have the courage to.”

  “Will you let Eve’s family suffer then?”

  Eve? Why was he bringing up my sister?

  “What are you talking about?” I asked.

  “If you want a divorce, I want my fifty grand back.”

  “What?”

  “You owe me fifty thousand dollars.”

  “But … I thought—”

  “That I gave it to you for free?” He cackled in his seat. “Nothing in this world comes for free, Ally. You should know that by now.”

  I couldn’t believe Henry was doing this to me — going back on his own words. What did he have to prove?

  He threw the yellow envelope onto my lap and I glanced at him with questioning eyes before he signaled for me to take it. I trembled as I opened it. Inside were some legal papers with two signatures at the bottom that drew my attention, mine and his.

  “You signed the papers, remember?” Henry asked.

  Disbelief struck me. I thought these papers were part of our marriage certificate. How could ... How could he?

  I stared at the man who I used to love and who I thought once loved me. “You tricked me? You tricked me into marrying you. You tricked me into signing this. How … how could you be so heartless?”

  “I didn’t trick you into anything,” he contested casually. “Your love for me made you sign these papers. So, what will it be?”

  So, this was Henry’s plan. He wanted to blackmail me with money, one thing he knew I didn’t have much of.

  “What do you want me to do?” I asked.

  Henry smiled victoriously. “You are to remain at my house. You will put on a smile and keep your mouth shut about anything I do to you or tell you to do. If you tell a soul, you’ll just have to see what I’ll do.”

  I thought back to the time when those gangsters disrupted Thanksgiving dinner at Eve’s house. The terrified looks on Alexis’ and Eason’s faces burned in my memory.

  “Fine,” I said firmly, agreeing to his terms. “I may be your wife on paper. But you will never have me … and you will never have my heart or my love. Remember that.”

  I wasn’t sure what Henry’s reaction was to my words. He probably didn’t feel a thing. He probably laughed at me again. But I wasn’t going to waste another moment looking into those emerald eyes which have betrayed me.

  I quickly stood up and went into the bathroom where I stayed for the remainder of the flight.

  Once the jet landed, we were finally in Chicago. The airport was familiar, and a light snow fell around us. For a moment, I was happy to be back home in the Windy City.

  But when we arrived at Henry’s house, the fleeting happiness I felt dissolved into a pit of darkness.

  This wasn’t home.

  Henry walked a few paces ahead of me in the house but stopped before turning into a hallway. I looked up at him with his back still facing me.

  “I forgot to mention,” Henry started. His face turned slightly to the side. “We’ll be sleeping in separate rooms.”

  And with that, he disappeared into the hallway. I scoffed quietly to myself as if I wanted to sleep anywhere near him.

  Walking into the usual bedroom, I noticed all of my belongings were already set up and in place. My clothes hung in the closet and didn’t even utilized a quarter of the available space. My books were arranged in alphabetical order on a black-finished bookcase. The keys to my car laid on the nightstand next to my bed with a few additions on the ring — they must be keys to Henry’s house.

  I eventually found my camera stored in a plastic box underneath my bed. I sat on the purple sheets of the king-sized bed and turned on my camera. I flipped through random photos until I came across one of Henry and me.

  We were at Buckingham Fountain. It was the night we made wishes together — that moment was a special time in my memory. We looked so happy then … smiling like that.

  But that smile was a lie. Everything he told me then was all lies. Everything he said to me, everything he has done for me has all been nothing but … lies.

  I regrettably wanted to go back and reverse everything.

  My hand hovered over the delete button.

  Just delete it, Ally! Just do it!

  But knowing I still harbored feelings for him, I couldn’t bring myself to do it and that thought sickened me enough. Erasing this moment from my camera wouldn’t achieve anything. I’d still remember everything. I’d never be able to forget, no matter how much I’d tell myself to. The memory would always linger in the back of my mind, haunting me like a phantom. Dropping my camera on the bed, I covered my face with my hands and broke into delirious sobs.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  The next morning after stepping out of the shower, I changed into a pair of clean jeans and a burgundy shirt with long sleeves to hide the marks on my wrists. When I walked out of the closet, I noticed a figure sitting on my bed, playing with a phone in his hand. That annoying smirk of his already glued to his lips. He stood up as I walked into the room and handed me the device — a new iPhone.

  “Here. Take this one. Your old phone had been disposed of,” he informed.

  “Why would you do that?” I asked, slightly irritated. How dare he just take my things without my permission?

  “Remember what I told you yesterday. Have you forgotten the rules already?”

  With a defeated scowl, I snatched the phone from Henry’s hands. I didn’t want his new one. I w
anted my old phone back. Although it was outdated and I’d receive second glances when using it, it was reliable. That in itself was enough for me.

  With a satisfied grin, Henry turned around to leave, but before he reached the door, he effortlessly turned around on his heel. “There’s a gala tonight at seven. I booked an appointment for you with Cynthia. Do you remember her?”

  I unwillingly nodded.

  “I’ll have Larry drive you there at half past three.” And with that, he left.

  I navigated through my new phone to make sure all of my contacts were still in there. They were, surprisingly. Probably because Henry knew I wouldn’t call them to confess anything that happened in the last few days.

  I went downstairs, hoping to find Nana in the kitchen and luckily, she was. At least one good thing existed under this roof. I quietly approached and wrapped my arms around her waist from behind.

  “Oh, hello, dear!” she exclaimed. “I didn’t hear you two come in yesterday.”

  “I missed you,” I told her. It hadn’t even been a week since I last saw her, and I already missed many people.

  “Aww, I missed you too.”

  I released her and watched as she turned around. A smile naturally formed on my lips as she gently rested her overworked palm on my cheek.

  “I didn’t expect you two to be back so soon.”

  “Henry had some emergency meetings,” I lied. “You know him, always working.”

  “Yes, yes. But he should put his wife before work.”

  “It was fun, Nana. I promise. Being by the ocean, it was beautiful and relaxing.”

  “I’m happy you had a good time,” she said with a smile, but her expression slowly turned into a frown. Nana turned my head from side to side with her hand, studying my face. Confusion etched on her features. “You were by the beach, so why did you get paler?”

  “What are you ladies talking about?” Henry interrupted. He came just in time. He always had exquisite timing.

  “I was just asking Ally how your honeymoon went,” Nana answered.

  “Ah, yes, it was a swell time,” Henry said, his eyes on me. “We shall return sometime in the near future.”

  “Good. But doesn’t it look like our Ally got paler? Don’t you agree?” Nana asked Henry.

  They both shifted their attention to me, and I suddenly grew uncomfortable.

  “Ally’s skin is probably not the type to turn a darker color. She’s probably the burning type,” Henry commented. I knew something was implied in his words.

  Nana nodded. “Maybe, but you two should’ve stayed longer if you were having so much fun.”

  “I know, but I couldn’t get out of this one. It cannot be helped. I’m a busy man.”

  “A busy man should always make time for the people he loves,” Nana advised him.

  “Yes, he should,” Henry answered. His eyes locked on mine, making sure that I knew I wasn’t one of those people.

  “I better get started on breakfast,” Nana said. She mistook our stare as a sign of intimacy.

  “Don’t get too close to her,” Henry whispered in my ear as soon as Nana was out of hearing distance.

  “Why can’t I?”

  “The closer you get, the more you will get hurt in the end.”

  After breakfast, Henry took off to work, but not before planting a subtle kiss on my head. I knew fully well he did that because Nana was present, and I detested myself for letting the gesture make my heart flutter. I attempted to persuade myself that my reaction resulted from being disgusted. Yes, the flutter was out of fear.

  To make matters worse, Nana informed me she was leaving tonight for Wisconsin to visit her sister and her family. I wished her a good trip even though I wished she would have stayed home for a few more days.

  Before heading out of the house at noon, I told Larry to pick me up at the salon in the afternoon since I wanted to go somewhere alone.

  I drove to my beloved workplace where I could be myself and not have to worry about anything, but flowers. I still had off for a few days due to a honeymoon that never took place. If I walked into the store today and told Nancy I could work, she would just kick me out. But it wouldn’t hurt to see her.

  While at the shop, I found myself lying again about the honeymoon and learned quickly I was going to have to repeat this a few more times. Needless to say, I felt guilty and horrible about lying to Nancy. She was one of Papa’s oldest friends and it was like betraying my father.

  Nancy told me business wasn’t going well, and it was about time she retires. She was going to sell the shop, which meant I’d be left without a job. But it wasn’t me who I should worry about — it was Nancy. The shop meant a great deal to her. She remained one of the few people I knew who actually loved her job.

  I stopped by Eve’s place after the shop but didn’t go inside. I drove past their house a few times, circling around the block. I couldn’t bring myself to go in. I couldn’t face my sister and tell her I was happy when, in fact, I wasn’t.

  I should have listened to Eve. She was older and wiser than me. Why didn’t I listen to her then?

  I almost forgot about the dinner thing tonight when a text tone rang. I checked my iPhone to find Henry’s name on the screen. Strange … I wasn’t even excited by reading that name anymore. The new features of the smartphone confused me, so I didn’t text him back. Plus, I didn’t want to.

  I arrived about ten minutes late to the salon to meet with Cynthia, the young blonde woman who helped me previously. The process was similar to the last time. First, we picked a fitted royal blue evening dress, cut slightly over my knees and with long lace sleeves to cover the bruises on my wrists. I chose a black pair of pantyhose to also hide the bruises on my ankles, along with a pair of black heels.

  But the feeling was different this time around. I was bored and dreaded going to this dinner gala.

  “You feeling okay?” Cynthia asked me as she rolled my hair around the hot rollers.

  I snapped out from my trance. “Huh?”

  “You seem a little down tonight,” she noted with a frown. “Is something bothering you?”

  I watched her from the mirror in slight horror, not knowing how to answer her.

  “Just feeling under the weather,” I replied. Cynthia was kind enough not to prod.

  When everything was done, I walked outside to see that it had started snowing. Larry waited for me in a sleek, black Audi. He even brought an umbrella over to cover me as he escorted me to the backseat.

  “You look lovely tonight, Mrs. Pearce,” he told me as we were on the road.

  “Thank you, Larry.”

  Mrs. Pearce?

  A week ago, I dreamed of being called by the name. Now it was only a reminder of the devious man who thought I was repulsive.

  I peered through the window at the shimmering Christmas lights that hung around downtown, hoping to clear my thoughts.

  Once we arrived at our destination, a doorman opened my door and offered his hand to help me. As I stepped out, a bell boy waited behind the glass entrance and I handed him my coat.

  I entered the grandiose lobby and found Henry at the top of the golden staircase that led up from both sides. He didn’t notice me as he was preoccupied looking at his phone. I walked up the stairs apprehensively, my right hand holding my left arm. He leaned against the rail with his head ducked downward slightly as he typed away on his phone screen. With only a few steps between us, you’d think he would acknowledge me, but whatever he read must have been too attention-grabbing.

  A few couples passed by us, each one with their arms intertwined together. I stood uncomfortably next to Henry, picturing the image of us like the couples.

  “Took you long enough,” he finally spoke without raising his gaze to me.

  “Let’s go inside,” I replied without a glance. I turned on my heels and headed in the direction of the crowd. Without saying a word, Henry suddenly grabbed my hand and lace
d our fingers together, the unexpected force almost enough to throw me off balance.

  “Stay still,” he stated somberly.

  I huffed quietly and urged myself not to move a finger.

  As we entered the hall, everything reminded me of our wedding reception. From the elegant dance floor, lighting, tables, and centerpieces — it was all too familiar. When I was younger, I thought I’d enjoy being around this type of formal environment, but this only reinforced the distaste I possessed for this materialistic lifestyle.

  We located our table and of course, it had to be near the dance floor. If Henry dared to force me to dance with him, I wouldn’t let his feet rest. He sat down without pulling my chair out for me, but I remained collected. Although I did feel a little irked by it, I reminded myself it was pointless. It was just a chair. As I settle down, I noticed my name card: Alexandria Olivia Pearce.

  “Congratulations,” the woman sitting next to me spoke.

  “Thank you,” I replied with a forced smile. My grin quickly faded as she turned her attention back to the gentleman on her other side.

  The banquet hall quickly filled up with new arrivals and soon, murmurs and fake laughs were heard from around the room. The people at my table spoke about things I was unfamiliar with. This was all too familiar. At the last banquet when I felt this way, Henry held my hand to comfort me. This time around, he left me to fend for myself. He didn’t even pay any attention to me after he introduced me to his crowd.

  After dinner had been served, awful looking meatloaf and red potatoes, the dance floor opened up for the guests. Henry busily chatted with another gentleman a table away. Feeling bored and hungry still, I decided to grab some sweets from the dessert table.

  As I reached out for the tongs to place the gourmet pastries onto my plate, someone beat me to it.

  “You must be the topic of interest tonight?” a charming voice said.

  I turned my head to find an elderly woman dressed in a red satin gown with an off-the-shoulder neckline. Her white hair was very short and curly.