Back at the estate, I didn’t turn on a single light. Any electricity I used beyond the “normal allowance” would be charged to me. I curled up by the window and, in the glow of the neon lights outside, shoved handfuls of bread scraps into my mouth.
A piece of dry crust caught in my throat. I fumbled for the water bottle, my hands so weak that unscrewing the cap seemed to take forever. When it finally came loose, the bottle slipped.
It hit the floor, spilling most of the water across the hardwood.
I started to cry. There were no attentive servants waiting on me like in the novels; the housekeepers and staff served Sebastian, Camilla, and the other people who mattered to the family. I wasn’t one of them, and I wasn’t even allowed into the kitchen to open the freezer and grab some ice cream.
Clutching the empty plastic bottle, I made my way to the bathroom and stared at the elegant sink. Tears streaming down my face, I turned on the faucet. Cold tap water poured into my mouth, reeking of chlorine.
I gulped down several mouthfuls, then sank to the floor, coughing until tears blurred my vision. I looked at the water spilled across the floor and the thin layer of crumbs left in the bag. Then I curled up and sobbed until I could barely breathe.
Even after the last scrap of bread was gone, my vision kept going dark. That night, I drank mouthful after mouthful of the foul-tasting tap water to fill the emptiness in my stomach, until my belly ached.
Only then did I feel anything close to full. With water sloshing in my stomach, I finally fell asleep.
Camilla called as soon as I opened my eyes the next morning.
“The household monitoring system says you’ve gained another pound since yesterday. Your weight is getting out of control. Starting today, I’m cutting your food allowance in half again.”
Then she sent my allowance for the day. One dollar.
I barely had the strength to speak. “Was this Sebastian’s decision too?”
“Yes.” She hung up.
I didn’t even have the energy to be angry. I stared at the one dollar in my Venmo account. Another day of eating like this, and my baby and I would die here.
I went back to our bedroom and took down our wedding portrait, revealing Sebastian’s safe in the wall. After a few seconds of hesitation, I entered my birthday.
Thank God. He’d set the code when we first started dating. He hadn’t gotten around to changing it to Camilla’s birthday yet.
The safe was packed with bundles of cash, property deeds, and expensive jewelry set with flawless-looking gems. I reached inside and pulled out one bill.
“Just one. I’m only taking one. Please, Sebastian. Have a little pity on your wife…”
My hands shook as I closed the safe and carefully put everything back in place.
At the little pizza shop on the corner, I took a huge bite of a fresh slice of pizza.
Before I could swallow, a Maybach pulled up outside with its lights flashing, and several Mafia soldiers in black suits stepped out. The owner screamed and lunged for the phone. One of the soldiers stopped her and showed her the Moretti family crest, silencing her.
They took up positions on either side of me. “Sorry, ma’am. Mr. Moretti wants to see you immediately.”
Panic gripped me. “Wait! I’m not finished! Please, just let me eat! I’ll come with you. Please!”
But they seized my arms and hauled me out of my chair.
I later learned that Sebastian had canceled a meeting with an important politician over this. In the study, he sat across the long table, his expression cold.
“Do you know what you stole?” His gaze was icy. “That money was meant for our child’s trust fund.”