Elizabeth Bennet woke from her nightmare with a start, her heart pounding in her chest. The alarm on her phone, a haunting melody of a love long lost, pierced the silence of the room. For five years, she had been living in the shadow of fear, a constant reminder of the man who despised her with every fiber of his being.
She rose from her bed, her movements mechanical, and went through the motions of her morning routine. Dressed in a simple T-shirt and denim shorts, she made her way to Darcy Enterprises, the towering building that housed the man who held her fate in his hands.
With a deep breath, she knocked on the door to the executive office. "Come in," a cold voice responded. Elizabeth turned the knob and stepped inside, her heart heavy with dread.
"Mr. Darcy, what would you like for breakfast this morning?" she asked, forcing a smile onto her lips as she approached his desk. His eyes, dark and piercing, raked over her, leaving her feeling exposed and vulnerable.
"Are you so desperate, trying to seduce me so early in the day?" Darcys voice was laced with disdain, his gaze traveling down to her legs, bare and on display. Elizabeths heart clenched in pain. In his eyes, she was nothing more than a schemer, unworthy of any respect.
Before she could respond, Darcys anger flared, and he stood from his chair, closing the distance between them with long, swift strides. Elizabeth backed away, her heart pounding in her chest, until she was cornered, with nowhere to run.
"Youre the one who wanted this, arent you?" he sneered, his hands gripping her arms with bruising force. "You think pain is what you deserve, Elizabeth? This is what you owe Jane!"
His words cut through her like a knife, the mention of her sisters name reopening old wounds. If only she hadnt asked Jane to meet her that day, perhaps none of this would have happened. But fate had other plans, and now she was left to pay the price for a tragedy she didnt cause.
Darcys grip tightened, and Elizabeth winced in pain, but she refused to cry out. She had grown accustomed to his cruelty, each day a battle for survival in a marriage that was nothing more than a prison. And as the sun rose higher in the sky, she knew that another day of suffering awaited her at the hands of the man who wished her dead.