Chapter 5

Three days.

For three full days, I was confined to his bedroom.

With nothing.

Cameron had even taken my phone—arguably the cruelest punishment the twenty-first century has to offer.

The servants attended to me impeccably.

But that wasn't what I needed.

By the second night, I came down with a fever.

I started shivering, teeth chattering, my forehead burning.

Servants filed in and out, whispering among themselves. Finally, someone called for a doctor.

"Sir has been informed," I heard someone say.

I lay in a haze until a scent of cedarwood wrapped around me.

Cameron was here.

"Bring the medicine," he told a servant.

My throat was so dry it ached. I could barely manage a rasp: "What are you doing here? Checking to see if confinement's made me obedient?"

Cameron ignored that. He took the bowl of medicine, sat on the edge of the bed, spooned some up, and brought it to my lips.

I turned my head away. "I'm not drinking that."

"You have a fever." He frowned.

"Then let me have a fever!" I laughed coldly. "Either way, I'm not drinking it."

Cameron didn't lose his temper.

He set the spoon back in the bowl. With his other hand, he gripped my chin. "Drink."

In that instant, I hated him with a ferocity that surprised me.

I hated that even the act of giving medicine felt like an order. That even care came laced with control.

The moment he pressed the spoon past my lips, I bit down. Hard.

Cameron's brow contracted sharply. A hiss escaped through his teeth.

I expected him to lash out.

He didn't.

He simply let me bite, then said, perfectly calm: "Got that out of your system?"

Pointless.

I released my jaw and stared at him. "Did that hurt?"

Cameron glanced at his hand. A clear ring of teeth marks. "Yes."

A strange, absurd satisfaction flickered through me.

Then he set the bowl down, and his fingers lightly grazed the corner of my mouth.

"After the wedding," he said, "I'll train you myself."

Every hair on my body stood on end.

"You will never tame me."

A shadow crossed Cameron's eyes. "I will."

He left without another word and didn't appear again.

The day before the wedding, he had the driver take me home.

Buildings scrolled past the car window. I caught my reflection—face pale, eyes cold and sharp.

Cecilia was waiting for me at home.

"Eleanor, you've finally been allowed back." She smiled gently and led me to see the custom wedding gown Cameron had sent over days earlier.

Allowed?

I needed permission to come home?

I stared at the gown hanging on its rack. Traditional, elaborate—layer upon layer of lace and beading, the train so vast it nearly swallowed the room.

It was flawless in its beauty. And suffocating in its perfection.

The tightness in my chest returned.

Cecilia took my hand and said quietly: "Dad wired the money to your account this morning. I've already booked your flight to Paris."

I turned to look at her mechanically, then managed a bitter smile.

My dear sister—that was the best news I'd heard in a very long time.

Her expression was taut with nerves. "Eleanor, are you really sure about this?"

"Don't be nervous," I said. "You were always the better choice."

Cecilia flushed. Her mouth opened, but nothing came out.

All she could do was lower her head, fingers twisting the fabric of her skirt.

A shy bride-to-be.

I tore my gaze from the wedding gown and patted the back of her hand. "Congratulations, darling."

Cecilia went still.

She looked up at me, lips moving, and forced out something barely audible: "Thank you..."

I didn't linger.

I went upstairs, back to my room, and opened the suitcase I'd packed days ago. By that night, everything was ready.

No hesitation. No second glance at the gown.

I put my gleaming studs back in and curled my hair to its wildest.

The girl in the mirror was starting to look familiar again.

Late that night, I climbed into the cab I'd booked in advance and headed for the airport.

The tires crunched over the damp road as the car pulled away.

The house shrank in the rearview. The elaborate white gown grew farther and farther away.

I leaned back in my seat and closed my eyes.

Goodbye, Cameron.