No Escape
Jane drove to the beach and spent an hour walking the beach holding her shoes in her hand and letting the waves suck at her feet. She found a little café and ate her salad watching the wash of the waves towards the shore.
What was she going to do? She wondered. Just over a month married, and her husband did not want her and openly kept a mistress who believed that it was just a matter of time until he divorced Jane and married her instead.
She turned her phone over in her hands. She finished her meal and returned to her car, sitting in the driver’s seat, and dialling her father’s number.
“Hello Jane,” he answered promptly.
“Daddy,” she fought back her tears. “I want to come home.”
He sighed heavily. “Jane,” he said with patience. “What is this ridiculousness about?”
“Baron doesn’t love me,” the tears fell free and tracked down her face. “He only married me because of the connection to you. He keeps Angelique openly as his mistress, and she says that he will only keep me as his wife for as long as the connection matters, and then he will divorce me and marry her instead, and, oh,” her voice broke on a sob. “Daddy, please.”
He was silent for a long moment. “Why would Angelique think the connection would cease to matter?” He wondered.
That was he took from her babbled distress, she thought bitterly. “I don’t know.”
curt with it. “Call
with her
family home was not without problems for Jane. Her older sister Alice had been born alpha, next in line to inherit from Matthew both the family wealth and the leadership of the pack. Her two brothers,
mother, innocently telling her that their cruelty was just due to the game they were playing, and that Jane was over-reacting. As they’d gotten older, their meanness had evolved, and any opportunity was exploited to humiliate Jane, from spreading mean gossip about her, to stepping on the hem of her dress as
was nothing compared to what Jane had
that finally someone saw her for herself, despite her rank in the pack, and that she would escape the daily torment, and finally be able
escape for her, because she was still her, still
started the car and returned to Baron’s estate, finding the driveway blocked by a bright array of expensive sports cars, leaving her no choice but to park under a tree, and walk the rest of the way. Angelique had
so as to avoid any that might be inside the house. Her bedroom door was open, and she pressed herself against a wall as
at these hideous dresses,” a woman declared. “This one isn’t bad, actually. Could be cute if done up right.”
are cute,” another commented. “Do you
anywhere,” Angelique declared. “Probably wouldn’t be interesting to read anyway, her whole pathetic
“Who is this?”
she looks just like her. That would be her mother.
heard. Oops.” They burst into laughter, and Jane felt a sharp strike of fear run through her at the
she hurried into the room,
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