Chapter 1
NATALIA
Pulling the hood of my hoodie closer over my face as I try to cover my bruised eye and lip, I stare at the hotel before me.
How the hell was I going to get in there?
All around, there were people with cameras waiting for a glimpse of them all. Surely, they had left by now.
My eyes scanned around, but there was no sign of her.
I was looking for Hannah, my sister-in-law. She’s married to one of my twin brothers, Noel. They have been together since they were in high school. They are the perfect high school sweethearts. You could tell they were made for each other with how they looked at each other.
A breeze rippled over me and grazed over part of my swollen face. Pulling the hood and scarf, I grimaced through the pain, but the scarf couldn’t move anymore. It needed to stay in place due to the bruises on my neck.
Closing my eyes as the pain took over, I leaned on the wall momentarily, but memories of what happened for the last two years came crashing around me. It was like a slow-motion picture film running in my head of how the hell I got into this situation.
Two and half years ago, I met my boyfriend, Tommy. We went to the same college and met in the nearby coffee shop. Tommy introduced himself to me, and we hit it off right away. It was nice to find someone who didn’t know who my family was.
My family is well known around here, with one of the most famous names—The Harpers. My father started his own business, and it went from there. He became famous and more powerful as time went on with being the best lawyer in town. He took any case that was hard and would do anything to win. Due to his reputation in the business, all rich clients would come and have him represent them.
TV shows wanted to do segments on him, but he refused. He didn’t want anyone to know anything about us except that he was good at what he did.
My twin brothers are the same as my father. Noel and Nate also made a name for themselves when they opened their security partnership a few years before I left them. My father used them to help promote them, which seemed to work well for them over the last two years. I have seen their lives mapped out all over the papers, from the drunken states of Nate to Noel and Hannah at a new club opening.
I’m the family’s baby, and no one knows who I am. When my mother died when I was eight from breast cancer, she made one request before she died that I would never be in the spotlight, and my father took it to heart. He changed my name from Harper to Matthews, my mother’s maiden name. My father made sure he never came to pick me up from school or anything, which was a bummer, but I knew why. He always clarified that it was always up to me if I wanted their lifestyle, but I never dreamt of fame. I liked my own space.
I heard some noises, like cheering, from in front of the hotel as my eyes flew open, and I looked at the entrance. Cameras flashed on whoever came out, but it was hard to see who it was with the amount of people there. I needed to move before someone spotted me. I moved back and leaned on the wall again as pain crippled me. I wasn’t moving from here for a little while.
Tommy’s image entered my mind with force, making me scrunch up my pained nose.
Damn, I think he broke it.
Like any normal story, Tommy was a good guy at the start, but everything changed as soon as we moved in together. Well, more like when he learned who my father was.
My father was hellbent on keeping me safe, so he bought us a house, which was the first big mistake to be made. Who knew money would make someone change someone so much? I sure as hell didn’t.
Tommy started bombarding me with questions about my father and his company. When I didn’t give him all the information, he went to the source. My father was happy to take Tommy under his wing and let him learn from him. You would think that would make any difference, but it didn’t. There was one person Tommy didn’t know about at the time and later learned about him.
Garrett Nash, my twin brother’s best friend.
Garrett and I had a thing when I was eighteen for two years, and I thought we were in love, but I was wrong. He broke my heart, and I had to deal with it. Garrett left without saying a word about where he was going. So, when I was done with all the crying and heartbreak, I moved on and met Tommy six months later. He was different from Garrett, a lot sweeter and charming. Whereas Garrett was dominant and overbearing, something I liked at the time.
Tommy learned about Garrett when my father let it slip that Garrett was part of the family but that we had a thing. I never mentioned it to Tommy as it was over with, and Garrett was never around. I always kept myself scarce from him. Never being at the house when he was or telling my father anything.
Tommy didn’t like knowing that Garrett and I had a thing. At first, it was okay until my father asked Tommy to go to a gala, which Tommy wanted me to attend. I did, and that’s when he noticed Garrett. I didn’t know what happened, but I heard they had words, and Tommy and I left.
After that night, Tommy went to the galas alone until my father decided to give him an opportunity to work in another part of his firm. Tommy was thrilled and asked me to move in with him, which I did. Dad bought the house when I mentioned moving away with Tommy, and I kept everything under wraps until Tommy found out who my dad was a few days after moving into the house. I changed everything beforehand, college, and looked for a job closer to home.
As soon as we moved in, everything was perfect until two months in, and that’s when Tommy changed completely. His job entailed long hours, which meant we saw less of each other, so one night, he asked me to stop working, and as a fool, I did. He thought my being home would be easier.
I didn’t realize he was slowly taking everything I loved away. My job was first to go to college. My father paid for the intuition, so there was nothing to worry about with paying it. But as a fool, I did what Tommy wanted and left.
Everything slowly drifted away from friends to hobbies. Ultimately, I was left with nothing but an empty house and Tommy.
My family even stopped contacting me, which hurt the most. I lost everyone. I felt alone for months.
As time went by, Tommy’s anger got worse every time he came home. His moods made knowing what kind of day I would get even easier, and when he was pissed, I had to be careful. He never hits where people will see, even though I rarely saw anyone until two days ago.
The beatings started about three months after we moved in. I was getting ready to attend lunch with my father, who I hadn’t seen for ages, and I forgot to tell Tommy.
Tommy found out from my father while he was at work, and when he came home, he found me getting ready. He watched me from the door, straightening my hair, and approached me. I smiled as he touched my shoulders, pretending to massage them until he gripped them hard, causing me to place the straighteners onto the mat on my vanity as I tried to get out of his grip.
He asked where I was going, and I told him, but as soon as the words slipped out of my mouth, he sprung into action, grabbing the straightener and pressing it to my shoulder. I screamed for him to let go, but he didn’t move until the smell of burning flesh hit, and he pealed the straighteners off my burnt skin.
The pain was the worst thing I had ever been in; I ran to the shower room and jumped into the coldest shower to cool the wound down. I had no clue where Tommy was as I was in the shower for an hour. When I got out, I placed a makeshift cover over the wound and looked around the house, but there was no sign of Tommy anywhere. He never came home until the next day.
I remember sitting at the kitchen table, scared out of my mind when he sat next to me, but Tommy acted like he didn’t do anything to me. He told me he went out with my brothers and enjoyed it. He left for work, leaving me alone until my father rang and told me that Tommy had said I had the stomach flu and couldn’t make it. After that incident, Tommy always made some excuse when it came to my family until they stopped asking me to come with them.
A lone tear escaped as cheering came from the front of the hotel again.
When will they be gone?
My eyes darted to the side, just in time to see a couple make a clean escape from the alleyway from the crowds. I watched them and was about to look away when the man stood under the street light and I knew who it was instantly—Tommy.
My heart spiked, and I moved into the darkness so he couldn’t tell I escaped my hellhole of a house, but I still could see them.
I knew he would be attending this event. I overheard his friends broadcast it when he threw his party the other night.
I watch as he holds the car door open as the woman he is with slides in; I watch as he grins and gets in next to her. I watch as he kisses her as the car drives away.
How ironic, he’s cheating, but I knew this all.
My two day of hell was me finding out why he would not let me leave, and the woman in the car was at the party that night with his friends.
None of his friends knew who I was; he had introduced me as the help if they came around or ensured I was locked in my room away from everyone. That night was no expectation, and I minded my business until his drunken slut came into my room, bragging about the money she would get, which confused me.
I was going to ask what she meant, but Tommy came in and attacked me. I don’t know how long he was in there with me, but when I came around again, it was round two, or it could have been four. I passed out until I heard the door slam three hours ago. I moved up and placed my only comfy clothes—grey sweatpants and a baggy t-shirt. I grabbed a scarf, carefully wrapping it around my neck, and placed a hoodie, which must have been left by one of Tommy’s friends the other night, as it is massive on me. I didn’t grab anything else, only my wallet and passport, which I found the other day and hid in a loose floorboard. I tried to escape a few times, but always ended with a beating when he caught me.
I watched the car drive away, making me duck further into the darkness.
Once the car went, I stepped out and looked toward the entrance. Only a few people were out now, and they all looked like hotel employees—cameras. I glanced toward the way Tommy and his piece came from and noticed the door open. Maybe I could get in through there.
I moved away from the darkness and kept the hood in place, keeping my face covered. I ran straight into the alleyway and to the door. I glanced around, making sure no one was around. I stepped around and headed up the stairs. I didn’t know what floor she was on, but I had to find her fast before she left.
Knowing my brother, Noel, he would have booked the whole floor, especially if they were all here. It was determining which one and knowing what Noel was like, it would be the fifth floor.
I stumbled up the stairs, holding on to the banister for support as pain crippled me until I reached the fifth floor and stepped out. I could hear mumblings as I approached the corner and stopped. I heard a familiar voice, someone I missed so much. I pressed my back against the wall and waited.
“You sure you don’t want to come,” Noel asked.
“No,” Hannah said. “I got a headache. You go; I will pack us up and ready to leave for the morning.”
I felt my heart spike again.
Thank god I’m doing this now. I would have had to come up with another plan, which would have taken more time.
Shaking my thoughts away, I heard Noel and Hannah say their goodbyes and heard Noel walk toward the elevator. I waited till I heard the ping go the second time on it and stumbled around the corner.
The adrenaline I had to leave was fading fast. I didn’t feel this much pain before, but now it was getting worse. My wrist and face were throbbing, but I needed to do this. I walked toward the only door and stopped.
My heart was racing in my chest as I knocked. I listened as I heard footsteps come closer. “Did you forget something—” Hannah said as she opened the door and stopped. I watched as her eyes met mine and widened.
“Natalia,” she whispered.
“Help,” I whispered as my legs gave out, and I collapsed, moving toward her as Hannah caught me.
Pain rippled through me as she helped me into the room.
