Total pages in book: 44
Estimated words: 40554 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 203(@200wpm)___ 162(@250wpm)___ 135(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 40554 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 203(@200wpm)___ 162(@250wpm)___ 135(@300wpm)
Truly Adams won’t spend another day in a loveless marriage. She knew it was a marriage of convenience, but she hoped that maybe it would evolve into more. Blake always acted differently toward her than he did the rest of the world. He wasn’t cold and dismissive to Truly, not until after they said “I do.” That might have been the plan all along to get her to agree.
Blake Lockheart is counting down the days until he can finally have back the only woman he has and will only ever love. Except that day came a week early with her bursting into his office with divorce papers in hand. He made a deal with the devil to have her. There isn’t a chance in hell he’ll ever let Truly go. Even if it requires blackmail, he doesn’t care. Now he’ll become the devil if he has to. Because she was always meant to be Truly his.
This is dedicated to timeless love stories. It’s got all the tropes you desire, with all of my usual over-the-top alphas and sweetness
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
Chapter One
TRULY
In times of need, one must resort to extreme methods. I may have broken a handful of laws to get here, but I didn’t have much of an option. I used my best friend's passport to get where I needed to go. We bear a striking resemblance. I didn't want them to know I was coming. I'd likely be stopped, and I don’t have my own passport. It was taken years ago. That’s a story for another day.
Who knew it could be so hard to see your own husband? Then again, I didn’t even see him when we got married four years ago. It’s been even longer since I saw him last.
I was a young teen at the time, still in braces and unable to say more than a few words to the boy I’d thought was handsome. Long before I realized we would one day get married, I harbored a crush on my husband. It’s why I hadn’t fought the marriage to begin with. I was excited. I was still a silly, naïve girl with hearts in my eyes. I didn't see back then that I was being used by both his family and my own. Though they see it differently.
Honestly, there wasn’t much of a choice in it. My father basically told me we’d be married, but I was still to go off to college. I’d been accepted to Imperial Supérieure, a top all-girls college in Europe. All the schools I attended throughout my life were all-girls institutions.
My mother believed it made girls more confident when boys weren't around to muddle their minds. I don’t know if she truly believes that. She is rather Stepford, if I were to describe her. Then again, her marriage, too, was arranged.
I believed that in time Blake would come and see me. That he would call or even send simple messages. After the first year, I saw our marriage for what it was: a transaction between his father and mine. Two companies joining forces with Blake the protégé to take over. I didn’t reap any of the benefits of this merger. I’m sure they’d say otherwise. They might be right. My schooling was paid, and in a sense, I was a kept woman.
I was a mere afterthought that was forgotten about. I never had the opportunity to experience love because I had to keep up appearances. I had to remain faithful to a man that couldn’t even be bothered to acknowledge my existence. While he is out there doing God knows what.
I'm sure at some point I'll be expected to be at his side. I’ve always assumed it would be after my schooling is done. Not that I’ll ever get to use my degree for anything useful. It will only ever be used to fluff up my status. No one cares what I want. I was never even asked for my input on my own life.
I'm over it. It's why I'm now standing outside of Blake’s shiny office building, divorce papers in hand. I'd pulled a few strings and was able to take my finals a little early, and I turned in the last of my projects and papers.
I am done, even though graduation is still weeks away. I knew getting out early was the only way I could slip through the fingers of those trying to keep me where they wanted me to be. They assumed I would continue to go along with them, controlling the direction of my life.
I tried to reach out. To have a conversation with Blake to discuss the future. I hadn't wanted it to come to this. I sent emails and called. All unanswered. I knew Blake wasn't dead. There have been articles about him and his work. Images of him attending various events have been published. He did wear his wedding band, and when asked about me, he'd probably change the subject because what could he say? He hasn't taken the time to get to know me, and now I would rather not get to know him either.
I'm leaving this elite world they live in. I don't care what I'm walking away from. I don't have a penny to my name, and I am not asking for any money in the divorce. All I want is my freedom. I want to move forward with my life and hopefully find love in the future. Thankfully I have a kickass best friend that is going to let me crash with her. She was the one to help me map out this plan.
I take a deep breath before I head inside. I hate how nauseous I am. I don't believe my mother took into account that being at an all-girls school could make you awkward when it came to the opposite sex. I have no idea what to expect from Blake, but I know there is no other option at this point. This has to be done.