The Wife Breaker by Isabella Starling

Chapter 1

RAIN

Eight years ago, I was forced to marry a monster.

Xavier Gunn is the leader of the Scorpion cartel, one of the most influential people here, and unfortunately, my husband.

For years, Xavier has tried to bring me to my knees.

I’ve watched him kill innocent men to get a reaction out of me.

He’s fucked other women in my presence.

And worst of all, he’s forced me to kneel for men I wanted to spit at. And yet I’ve never broken down for him, and I never will.

My husband may be the most twisted, cruel man in the country, but nothing will make me bow to him.

Ever since he captured me, the man has done everything in his power to make me his prisoner. And not just my body, my mind, too. He’s determined to break me and bring me to my knees. But I will not let him humiliate me any longer.

Not tonight, when there’s a real chance of me getting the hell out of this house.

I smile at the guests entering our home. I’ve been primped and trained to be a gracious hostess, and I’m determined to play the role to perfection. It might be the only way to escape.

“Stand up straight,” Xavier hisses at me.

I know better than to disobey him by now, so I straighten up to where it’s painful.

“You look lazy when you slouch like that.”

A flush threatens to color my cheeks, but I force it not to betray me. Being Xavier’s wife, I’ve learned plenty of tricks to keep myself obedient and to his liking. If I hadn’t, I’d still be paying for my insolence with blood.

We continue to greet the guests for another hour. My strappy black satin dress is showing off more of my body than I’d like, but every time I try to adjust the neckline, Xavier slaps my hand away, forcing me to remain exposed. It’s shameful, and I know he wants to show off his younger trophy wife, but it’s still humiliating for me.

I can feel all these men’s leering looks devouring me. If only the satisfaction of looking good was enough to keep me happy. And Xavier’s made damn sure I look good.

My strict diet means my body is trim and thin, and he spends thousands on stylists, hairdressers and manicurists who keep me looking perfect. But I don’t want to look perfect.

I long for the days where I could keep my golden hair wild, when I wore no makeup as I raced through the wheat fields. I miss Nana and I miss Heath. But now, eight years after coming to live at the Casa, I’m no closer to the answers I crave.

“Escort Signora Gunn to the table, please.”

Xavier hands me over to a guard whose hand wraps around my wrist. I wince at the pain, but my husband does nothing to stop the brute from dragging me into the house.

Inside, nobody bats an eye to the way I’m being treated. I’m used to it by now. After all, the men who are here today all treat their women the same way - Xavier is only one of many, though he might be the most cruel one of them all.

“Sit down,” the guard barks at me, pointing to a chair next to the head of the table.

I know better than to disobey, and I slide onto the chair. A moment later, Xavier joins me at the head of the table, smirking when he sees me rubbing my wrist from the pain the guard caused. I bet he’s enjoying this. I bet he loves seeing them hurt me. My resolve to get away only strengthens.

“Welcome.”

Xavier speaks from his seat.

“And an especially warm welcome to our guest of honor, Signore Jimenez.”

I follow my husband’s smile to a man sitting at the other end of the table. He’s much older, likely in his sixties, with a body bloated from enjoying the finer things life offers. And he’s staring right at me, his graying, balding head cocked to the side as he devours me in the skimpy dress Xavier forced me into before the evening began.

“Signore Jimenez has been an integral part of our cartel for many years,” Xavier goes on with a dark smile. “And this weekend is all about honoring the important role he’s played in getting us up in rank. To Jimenez!”,

Looking away, I force myself to hide my disgust while everyone toasts. I can’t show anyone how I feel - it’ll only make Xavier happier to hurt me. I already know the pain is coming. It always does at dinner parties like this.

“What do you think of my pretty wife, Jimenez?”

Xavier grabs my hand with painful force, dragging me to him so hard I fall off my chair. But this seems to please him, and once I’m on my knees next to his chair, he forces my head into his lap.

“Pretty one, isn’t she?”

“A bit too old for my liking,” Jimenez speaks, in a thick accent, making my blood run cold in fear.

The man disgusts me more and more with every word, and I fight the reflex to shudder in his proximity. But the one I feel most sorry for is the girl at Jimenez’s feet, a pretty brunette who seems barely old enough and drugged out of her mind.

“Ah yes, I remember your taste for the young ones.”

My husband smirks.

“Maybe it’s time I upgraded.”

I’m only twenty-six, but Xavier’s words sting, sending my thoughts into a spiral. If he’s no longer interested in me, I’m as good as dead. My only purpose is being his faithful wife - and giving him the heir he craves so badly. But so far, nothing. It’s been eight years, and I know Xavier’s getting suspicious. But my best kept secret is safe - for now.

My maid, Adelina, has been helping me, getting me birth control since I first got here.

She saw me crying one night, quickly realizing how deathly afraid I was of getting pregnant with the man I hate most in the world. And she came through for me. Now, she slips a pill into my palm every morning. I’m so very grateful to her, and I’ve already promised to myself I’ll repay her once I finally get the hell out of the prison I’ve been thrust into.

“Well, she’s not bad to look at,” Jimenez mutters, reaching out to stroke my thigh.

I force myself to fight the look of repulsion off my face, but I know Xavier has noticed. His eyes glitter with dark intent, making me curse inwardly. I shouldn’t have shown my weakness. All that’s going to do is make him turn it against me.

But Jimenez isn’t done yet, and he smirks, saying, “What, are you afraid of me?”

“No,” Xavier interrupts in his booming, loud voice. “The only man she’s truly afraid of is me. Isn’t that right, little girl?”

His nickname for me has always disgusted me, but now, with Jimenez here, it really makes me sick to my stomach.

But I fight off my feelings and manage a beatific smile, pretending nothing is wrong as I obediently say, “Of course.”

“Why don’t you show my friend your pretty cuffs?” Xavier asks. “See, they’re top of the line. You should get some for your own girls, Jimenez.”

He pulls forcibly on my arm and I wince as he shows off the golden bracelets decorating my wrist. Just for fun, he sends a shock through the bracelet, making me cry out in pain. The whole table laughs. My cheeks burn with the shame of it all, being put through this for everyone to see.

“The cuffs certainly made her more obedient,” Xavier smirks. “If you want a pair for your own wife… just let me know.”

“Ah, I won’t be settling down soon.” Jimenez chuckles, kicking the girl at his feet. “Though your little girl certainly is tempting.”

I glance at Xavier, hoping for my sake he’ll get jealous. He’s shared me with other men before, and took great pleasure in picking the ones I was most repulsed by. On the rare occasion he gets jealous, though, he won’t let anybody so much as look at me.

But today isn’t my lucky day.

Xavier is wearing an amused expression as he stares me down, enjoying my repulsed reaction to his friend.

“What, you don’t like him?” he asks, making a mocking face. “Remember, little girl, you don’t have a choice.”

Those words again, the ones he loves to taunt me with. At every step, Xavier just loves to remind me I’m nothing but a pawn in his game. I fucking hate him for making me feel so utterly helpless.

“Please,” I mutter, despite knowing better than to beg.

It will only make him more determined to hurt me. The bastard takes pleasure in forcing me to do shit I hate.

“Don’t do this. Have some mercy. I’ll be better.”

“Oh, you will, will you?” He laughs as if I’ve just told him a joke. “Of course you will, Rain. You have to. You. Don’t. Have. A. Choice.”

He waves a guard over and I already know what’s going to happen before I see the needle in his hand.

“No.” I push my chair back, shaking my head. “Not again, please.”

“Don’t worry, little girl, it will only hurt for a second.” Xavier smirks as he turns to face me with the needle in his strong, muscular hands. My blood runs cold, the fear and adrenaline mixing in my veins.

I feel my consciousness leaking out of my pores. I already know what’s coming, the darkness threatening to descend as my vision goes blurry and my head spins.

“No,” I get out.

It was supposed to be a scream, but it comes out in a whisper. I’m helpless yet again, forced back into the black abyss I’m so terrified of.

I cling to the light as best as I can, but I know it’s futile. I force myself to count, but before I even reach ten, I’m out like a light, forever lost in the immense darkness that threatens to swallow me up whole.

There are a lot of terrible things Xavier Gunn has done to me, but this has got to be the worst one.

But maybe, just maybe, this is only a nightmare. It has to be. There’s no way it’s happening. I can will it to go away.

When I open my eyes again, nothing has changed. The same two men stand before me, and I’m still handcuffed to a chair, helpless against their thirsty looks.

“Remember, little girl, you don’t have a choice,” Xavier delivers with a brutal look full of promises of pain if I don’t do as I’m told. “So just be a good girl and take it.”

Another shock runs through my handcuffs, making me cry out from the pain.

I want to spit in their fucking faces. Instead, I etch everything that’s happening to my memory while I dissociate from reality. I’ve learned this trick since becoming Xavier’s wife. I’ve trained my mind to separate from my body so I can merely watch what happens to the girl in the room with Jimenez and my husband without truly feeling what’s happening.

By the look on Xavier’s face, I can tell this pisses him off. He hates when he doesn’t have full control over me. The man is obsessed with making me his plaything, forcing me into all these situations to sate his sick desires. But I will not let him win, not this time.

“What do you think, Jimenez?”

Xavier smirks at my twisted body, cuffed to the chair.

“Should we free her?”

My heart speeds up at the promise of a way out. Though I should know better by now - if he wants to let me go, it’s surely just to taunt me further. But as Jimenez nods and undoes the handcuffs binding me to the chair, I can’t help but let myself hope I may get out of here before it’s too late.

My mind returns to my beaten body, and I make a run for it. Stumbling over my own feet, I barely manage a step away from the cruel pair. My head is hazy, my body won’t obey, and I drag my feet.

But before I even make it to the door, another electric shock runs through my body, rendering me unable to walk. I collapse to the floor, and from there, Jimenez drags me back by my hair, grinning to himself like the sick bastard he is.

“I love it when they run,” he mutters to himself. “Makes me so much harder.”

My insides twist at his words. He’s a monster, just like Xavier. But my husband is a more sophisticated beast - one that will stop at nothing to break me, body, mind and soul.

I’m barely holding on these days. After years of Xavier’s abuse, it would be so easy to just let go, and let myself become the broken doll he’s turning me into. And yet there’s still a spark deep within, a fire that refuses to be put out. Perhaps it’s the spirit of Nana, encouraging me to keep going and to avenge her untimely death.

I don’t cry out as Jimenez slams me back down on the chair. He parts my legs, his gaze hungry as he stares at my exposed pussy. I’m waxed weekly, my pussy is bare before him and I’ve never felt more exposed. The bastard must enjoy it, because he’s already palming his repulsive cock through the fabric of his slacks.

“Please, Xavier.” I shock myself by speaking up, my eyes pleading with my husband to stop this before it’s too late. “Don’t do this. You’ll regret it.”

“Are you threatening me, little girl?”

His tone is menacing as he advances on me.

“Don’t use that tone with me or I’ll cut out your fucking tongue. Remind me what your role is. Tell me what you are.”

I swallow; the words refusing to come out of my mouth. But I force them to, knowing the punishment if I don’t obey will be much worse than what my husband is putting me through now.

“I’m your wife.”

“That’s right,” he smirks. “ And you need to obey me. And you’ll do just that. Get on your knees.”

I shake my head. Xavier doesn’t hesitate before sending another pulsing shock through my shackles and I cry out, collapsing to the floor.

Jimenez has got his cock out now. It’s small and repulsive, and yet I know it’s going to end up in my mouth. As my husband loves to remind me, I never had a choice.

“Suck him off,” Xavier orders. “Make him come as fast as you can. For every minute he isn’t spilling over, I’ll send another shock through those pretty bracelets of yours.”

I go back to that safe place, floating above my body and watching myself as I suck off the other man. Xavier taunts me, counting, jumping from ten to thirty, because he knows he can torture me and there’s no way for me to stop it.

Jimenez’s cock in my mouth tastes vile, but I force myself to watch from afar and I can almost block out what’s happening. I picture Heath then, imagining what he would be like now if Xavier hadn’t killed him.

Our love was innocent, torn away from us before we could experience more of it. And in this world where I have no one left to look out for me, I like to imagine Xavier’s nephew bursting into the room and saving me from the cruel torture Heath’s uncle is making me go through.

While I suck, Xavier puts clamps on my nipples. I don’t make a sound, which only pisses him off more. I watch, dissociating from the scene as he adds weights to the clamps and makes my tits hurt. But the pain is faraway, and I can almost pretend none of this is happening to me.

As the minutes pass and Jimenez’s useless cock doesn’t spill its vile load, Xavier sends shock after shock through my bracelets. Enough to hurt, but not enough to make me stop. Tears of humiliation and pain slide down my cheeks, reminding me I’m nothing but a pawn in my husband’s sick games.

But I force myself to think of the one thing that calms me down. A pair of eyes, charcoal, gray and black and every shade of dark between them. Heath.

I haven’t seen him in so long and yet he’s always the one I come back to, even though it’s futile.

If Heath were still here, he would’ve helped me by now. But I remain Xavier’s broken captive wife, and that tells me Heath is gone. He would never let this happen to me. He would save me. So the only answer is he’s long gone by now. A body, just like my Nana, just like my parents, just like anybody I ever loved.

Because this happens to people when they get close to me.

And now that there’s no one left to bear the pain, I’m the one who has to pay.

Jimenez spills his meager load all over my lips, and it’s like a slap to the face when Xavier forces my head into his lap to lick up the cum spilling over the other man’s belly. I do my best to hide my repulsion, hating that he’s figured out how to bring me back to myself when all I want is to be anywhere else.

My mind slams back into my body, filling me with distaste and hatred.

Xavier forces me to clean up and the two men laugh, leaving me broken and battered on the ground as they leave the room. I don’t have enough energy to run, and my bracelets remind me I’ll always be a prisoner.

This is my life now.

This is what I’ve been reduced to.

And yet the fire within me sparks and burns. Quietly so. But no amount of pain is going to make me forget what the Gunn family did to mine. And no amount of jewelry, expensive dresses and beautiful things will make me anything but a well-kept captive.

One day, I’ll have my revenge for everything Xavier did to me.

It’s hard to imagine it as I pick my battered body off the ground, but I force myself to think of all the people I lost because of my husband.

My parents.

Nana.

Heath.

One day, the bastard will pay.

Until then, I’ll be his pretty little girl, caged behind golden bars.

But once I break free, I’ll make sure Xavier’s debt to me is paid in blood.