Chapter 3: The First and Last Slap

The second month after our wedding, Ethan slapped me for the first time.

All because I didn’t button the top button of my blouse. Unbelievable.

He glared at me. "Who are you trying to seduce, dressing like that?"

After he hit me, he started apologizing right away. "Sorry, babe, I just… I don’t want anyone else looking at you—you’re too beautiful."

I knew exactly what he was doing—testing my limits, seeing how much I’d put up with, inch by inch.

That’s how he started with every wife before me. Always the same game.

It’s a predator’s test. See how far he can push before you break.

But what he didn’t know was that I let him. This would be the first and last time he ever hit me. I had a plan. He just didn’t know it yet.

If not for the plan I had in motion, I wouldn’t have even let him get that first slap in. Not a chance.

My in-laws saw me holding my face and looked satisfied. For the first time, their attitude toward me actually softened. Like I’d finally passed some twisted test.

They’re clever—moving in with us to keep an eye on me, especially Mr. Langston, who had me investigated behind my back. As if I didn’t know.

I spent over six years getting ready to worm my way into this family. Every move was calculated.

The parents they met? Actors I hired. Nothing for them to dig up, nothing for them to use against me.

Even my face—I spent two years in LA, making sure I looked exactly like the kind of woman Ethan would fall for. A brand-new face, totally unfamiliar to him. He had no idea.

Because of that slap, I pretended to be furious and moved back to my own apartment. Let him stew.

Ethan chased after me, just like I knew he would. We’d agreed to live here after the wedding.

This place was bigger than his, filled with my own designs—traps within traps. Every piece of furniture, every lock, every hidden camera had a purpose. Nothing was accidental.

Are you ready to start this little game of domestic violence, Ethan Langston? Because I am. And this time, the ending’s going to be different.