Page 4 of Promises in the Dark

I turn the card over, finding a phone number and email address embossed in the same elegant gold lettering.

A bitter laugh escapes me.

I haven’t owned a phone in years. Not since I made the mistake of using one to call the police for help against Garrett. If only I had known they were as corrupt as my darling husband.

Turning the card back over, my thumb traces slowly over the name when a dangerous thought sparks to life inside me.

For years, I’ve believed no one could ever bring down my husband.

That I was trapped in this cruel fate until my dying breath.

But the Alaries are the one exception to that rule.

And maybe… Maybe Alessandro Alarie really can keep his promise by giving me my freedom.

Chapter one

Charlotte

SIX MONTHS LATER

“And the money?”

I press my ear against the door, barely daring to breathe as I listen to the conversation on the other side. My palms rest alongside the smooth wood, a tremble racing through my fingers.

“We’ll transfer it once she’s in our possession,” my husband's guest responds in his Russian accent, his deep voice sending a shiver crawling down my spine.

Unease settles in the pit of my stomach. This isn’t good.

“Understood. Once we dock, she’s all yours.”

The world stops spinning as Garrett's words settle around me. A violent tremor rushes through my body from head to toe.

They’re talking about me.

My hand covers my lips, muffling the sob that wants to escape. I thought I had more time.

“What will you tell everyone?”

Garrett responds so casually as if he were discussing the weather. “The usual. I’ll explain that she’d been struggling with her mental health for some time and eventually succumbed to her own demons. Then I’ll make a sizeable donation to a mental health charity in her name. The press will eat it up.”

My brain can’t seem to process what he’s saying.

My lungs forget how to breathe.

He’s going to tell the world I killed myself.

Meaning no one will ever look for me.

They won’t know he sold me to monsters.

Panic seizes me with a punishing grip.

“I see,” the man responds. “Well, we’ll be sure to take…good care of her. Politicians’ wives, especially one in her prime at the ripe age of twenty-one, are always in high demand.” The amusement in his voice sends bile rising in my throat.

“Like I give a shit what happens to her. I bought her for one purpose and one purpose only.” He scoffs. “Worst investment I’ve ever made.”

Bought.