AUDREY POV

It was finally the day I was going to see Caroline.

Xavier had invited Caroline and her husband for dinner.
 
They would be here very soon.

I got ready since it was a happy occasion. I had been looking forward to this day all week since Xavier had announced his sister was coming.

Maybe today's dinner would feel like I was truly living. I knew Xavier would act normal so as to not cause any suspicion.

But what I was most excited about was that I was a lot closer to escaping this house and being as far as possible from Xavier.

I wore a dress and styled my hair. 

The doorbell rang and I knew Caroline and her husband were here.

As I headed out of my room I saw Xavier waiting outside the bedroom door.

He looked me up and down.

"You look absolutely beautiful." He looked truly in awe.

I could tell he wanted to kiss me, hug me, or at least touch me.

"Thank you" I said in response.

"You look very handsome." There was no need for me to compliment him.

I was very angry with him and I planned on leaving him soon.

But the love and attraction I felt for him was still there.

I also needed him to think I had just accepted his decision.

Before he could touch me I decided to start heading downstairs.

"Let's go, Caroline and her husband must be waiting for us." 

Xavier followed me and we headed to the dining room.

As soon as I saw Caroline I gave her a big hug, Xavier did the same.

I then greeted Caroline's husband.

We all sat at the dinner table and began to eat.

"So how long will you be staying in New York?" I asked.

"We'll be here for a week." Caroline answered.

I planned on telling Caroline about what's been going on as soon as possible.

The sooner she knew the more time we had to plan my escape.

I hoped maybe Caroline would let me leave to the UK with her.

If she agreed then I would need to pack a suitcase or maybe just a small bag with my essentials and my passport.

"But the reason why I came so unexpectedly is because it's going to be your birthday in three days!" 

Caroline seemed very excited.

"I couldn't miss my best friend's birthday."

I couldn't believe I had forgotten my birthday.

This whole mess with Xavier and being locked away had made me completely forget it.

"Thank you so much. Having you here is honestly the best present I could have." 

I hope she hadn't noticed I completely forgot my birthday was coming up.

I wondered why Xavier hadn’t told me anything.

"Thank you Audrey, but since you're my best friend I'm going to make this year your best birthday ever. We're going to start celebrating your birthday starting today since this is your birthday week." 

Caroline seemed very enthusiastic about my birthday.

"Thank you so much Caroline." I wondered if Xavier would let me go out.

"This year has been tough for you. After your accident you forgot everything. And even now you haven't gained back all of your memories. So as the good friend and sister in law that I am, I'm going to make this year's birthday one you will never forget."

I smiled. I always felt happy hanging out with Caroline. She always had such a positive energy. 

Caroline and I talked most of the time. Xavier and Caroline’s husband had their own conversation.

We all finally finished our meal.

I was surprised when I saw Dorothy holding a cake with candles.

Almost immediately everyone began to sing happy birthday to me.

I hadn’t expected to receive a cake today. But I was pleasantly surprised.

"Thank you so much to whoever sent me this cake." 

"The person you should be thanking is Xavier. He ordered the cake for you and I picked it up today before I got here." 

I was shocked.

I didn’t know how to feel. I was happy about the kind gesture but I couldn’t understand why I felt more angry than happy.

"Thank you Xavier. I really wasn't expecting this." I gave him a weak smile.

I felt upset. Xavier was acting as if he wasn't practically keeping me a prisoner in my room and not letting me go out at all.

He just appeared like a sweet and kind husband.

I suddenly didn't feel so well. 

Through the rest of the dinner I remained quiet.

Luckily Caroline, her husband, and Xavier kept the conversation going. 

Sadly it was time for the guests to leave. 

That meant I would be alone with Xavier again. The thought of it made my skin crawl. 

I gave Caroline a hug.

"I'll see you tomorrow! We're going out to the city and having a girls night out." Caroline seemed very excited.

The thought of it sounded amazing. I desperately wanted to leave this house. 

But I wasn't sure if Xavier would let me go.

"Yes, I would love to." I answered.

"Great! I'll meet you here at 10 and we'll head out from there." 

I really hoped Xavier would agree.

"Xavier, I'll be taking your wife for an entire day, don't worry she's in good hands." 

I didn't dare look at Xavier. I was sure he was upset that I had agreed to go out.

I hugged Caroline's husband goodbye and they left.

Before Xavier talked to me, I headed upstairs.

Sadly, I wasn't fast enough because Xavier grabbed my hand and pulled me back.

"So you're going out tomorrow?" 

Xavier seemed furious. 

I didn’t know how to respond.

"Like hell am I letting you go out tomorrow. Find an excuse and cancel on Caroline. And don't even try to trick me and leave in secret. I've made sure the guards are watching the house at all hours." 

I was hurt by Xavier's cruel and cold tone. 

As much as I felt angry, I felt more sad and a bit frightened by him.

However, I realized that at this rate it wasn't going to be easy for me to escape this home and go to the UK with Caroline.

He was being even more cautious.

I would have to step up my game. I was going to truly act as if everything was fine.

Making him believe I would fully obey him was the only way to save myself. It would only be a few days that I would act like a loving wife.

This way, he would fully let his guard down and I would have a way out.

Now, was a very good start.

"I'm sorry for agreeing so quickly. I just saw that she was so excited. But I'll cancel it tomorrow." 

I hoped he would believe that I had finally submitted to him.

This was going to be tough, but it was my only way out of here.

He was quiet. I'm sure he wasn't expecting me to react that way. 

But he still didn't seem too convinced.

"I'm really tired, we should go to bed." I decided to say something since it got quiet for a bit.

"Alright, let's go to our room." He grabbed my hand and we headed upstairs.

I changed in the bathroom as always and I brushed my teeth. I quickly took off my makeup and I laid in bed.

The soft mattress below me felt great.

I felt a sense of hope that I would find a way out of this misery.

Xavier had gone downstairs to his office for a work related issue. But he told me he would be back very soon.

While I laid in bed, I thought of a plan.

I decided I would pretend I fell asleep and then I'd roll over to his side and hug him.

I would often rest my head on his chest when we slept. That is, before the fight.

As planned, I closed my eyes and waited for Xavier to get to bed.

Meanwhile I decided to actually try and fall asleep. It always took me a while to actually sleep so this would work in my favor.

I was able to relax and felt myself start to fall asleep. However, I finally heard Xavier arrive. He headed to the bathroom to wash his teeth and change into some sleepwear.

Finally he was out and he got on the bed.

I didn’t know when would be a good time to hug him.

Luckily I was already laying down in a way that I would be facing him. This way I wouldn't have to turn and it would appear more natural when I hug him.

I also made sure I was laying closer to his side of the bed.

A couple of minutes had passed and I finally decided to make my move.

I moved toward Xavier as I stretched my arm and rest my hand and head on his chest.

I tried to make it seem as natural as possible. Hopefully he believed it.

He didn't hesitate to wrap his arm around me and kiss my head. 

"I'm sorry my love. I'm doing this for you." He whispered.

He kissed my head once again.

It appeared he believed I was asleep. He hadn't apologized for what he was doing nor did he speak in such a gentle tone when I was awake.

I guess he only had the confidence to speak in this gentle way when I was asleep.

My heart hurt from what was happening.

Even now I still loved being in Xavier’s arms and I loved his scent. I just wished things would go back to the way they were.

But I knew things would never be the same.

END OF CHAPTER 16

(I hope you enjoyed this chapter. ☺ Thank you so much for reading. Don't forget to VOTE if you enjoyed it. I'll update as soon as possible. Thank you all so much for your support and encouragement in this story. 🥺💖 I truly appreciate all of you.☺💟)