Page 1 of Remnants
Kaitlin
PROLOGUE
FIVE YEARS AGO
“Kaitlin!”My sister’s soft, sophisticated voice hisses my name while she storms over to me. “Why are you crying? You’re going to ruin your makeup.” I glance up at my older sister. She’s an absolute vision in her nude pinkOscar de la Rentastrapless gown that contrasts perfectly against her sun-kissed skin. Her long, chocolate hair cascades over her slim shoulder in large curls and I am momentarily stunned silent.
“Wow.” My voice sounds stuffy due to the crying. “Your dress is so beautiful,” I say softly as she dabs at my face to stop the running makeup. Her frustrated expression softens slightly as she gives me a long stare.
“Yours is too, Kaitlin. James really did a good job. I’ll admit, I was a bit skeptical at first when you said he wanted to be in charge of designing the entire wedding, but he pulled it off. Now, what is going on?”
I release a shaky breath while focusing on the twisted and torn tissue I have in my nervous grasp. How am I supposed toadmit this to her? And today of all days… Everyone will be so upset, but maybe she can help me get out of here. She is my big sister after all. I inhale deeply before looking back up at her.
“Jocelyn, I don’t think I’m supposed to marry James.” Her slender face falls as she stands up, rushing to shut and lock the door to our dressing room. She heads back to her original spot in front of me and begins—rougher than before—cleaning my face.
“James is a wealthy man. A wealthy man on his way to being an elite in his field, and he choseyou. You will be set for life! He likes all your stupid ideas, including that ridiculous café bakery thing.”
I chew on my lip nervously. Actually, James hates my bakery idea.
“No wife of mine will be working. Plus being around all that sugar isn’t good for a person with your eating habits.”
Jocelyn knows this. Or, at least she should. I’ve told her several times that James doesn’t believe in me working.
“It’s not what you think. Jocelyn, I just don’t feel—” Jocelyn holds up her hand to silence me.
“You owe our family this after the absolute embarrassment and shame you put us through while you were in high school. We had to move…change churches. Daddy’s name was ruined! This is a blessing, and a way to prove that whateverthatwas...” She curls her lip as if the memory fills her mouth with a rancid taste. “It was a phase that you’re over. And now, mother and daddy don’t have to figure out how to continue to support you since you refused to go to college.”
I wince at her sharp words as she finishes reapplying my makeup before jerking my face to look in the mirror. “It’s perfect. Now… stand up, suck it up, suck it in, and go out there and marry him. You owe us for not disowning you back then. Don’t think we will give you the same consideration again.”
“What if we don’t really love each other,” I say softly, trying once more as she shoves my bouquet in my hands before she scoffs. “What ifIdon’t love him?”
“Kaitlin, you’re getting married. Love has zero to do with it. This is a business transaction. You need to get tiny, stay doe-eyed and dim-witted, give him kids, and suck his cock when he says. In doing so, he supplies you with a ridiculous amount of cash. Now move.”
Kaitlin
ONE
PRESENT DAY
My body continuesto shake involuntarily as I stare at the horrific numbers blinking back at me.
How?
How is this even possible when I’ve been doingeverythingright? I feel the prickly heat and pressure building behind my eyes.No. I can’t cry, not with him standing right here. It’ll only anger him further. I stare at his clean-shaven face. His perfectly squared jaw ticks and his thin lips tighten into a line as he glares at the number on the scale. I’ve failed my weigh-in, again. I haven’t lost any weight and the disappointment is clear on his face.
“James,” I breathe softly as I step off of the scale, quickly grabbing my robe. I don’t want him to see me in my underwear, and by the look on his face I would say the feelings are mutual on his end. “I am sorry, I tried so...”
James holds up his hand, silencing me. He shakes his head in disappointment, his short brown hair styled and unmoving.
“I am at a loss for words.” He lets out a sarcastic laugh while walking away. He only gets a few steps before stopping and spinning on his heel back toward me. He takes a couple long strides, forcing himself into my personal space. I hold still—it’s easier to let him run his course rather than fight back. I’ve had to learn this the hard way over the years.
“I give you everything, Kaitlin. A new Mercedes in the driveway of your expensive dream home, a shopping allowance, hair, nails, makeup, all of it. And I ask so little of you. Clean the house, cook, and stay fit so that I can take you to events without having to feel embarrassed. Kaitlin, do you know what it’s like, being at the top of my field and having a wife who looks like…” He doesn’t have to finish his sentence. I’m not the wife that belongs on the arm of the leading cosmetic surgeon to the elite and famous.
I chew on my bottom lip and look down as my arms go to wrap around my torso. James growls in irritation as he heads toward the door again. “Five pounds by next week or I will put you back on those diet pills. Stop making me the bad guy, Kaitlin. I want to love you and you’re making it so difficult.”
My bottom lip quivers as I whisper another apology before he leaves the bathroom. I stay still for several minutes in silence. Not daring to move until I hear the garage door opening, my signal that he is definitely out of the house.
Once I am sure he’s gone, I feel my perfectly measured breaths becoming labored. My panting rattles my entire core as I stare at myself in the mirror. Poker straight blonde hair pulled tightly back into a sleek bun. My blue irises look like crystals due to the tears that are filling my red-rimmed eyes. My skin is fair, perfectly buffed, and hairless in every part that matters. The parts that aren’t “unsightly”. I can’t show my upper arms as they’re fuller, my tummy is soft and has stretch marks, my thighs rub together, and it’s caused such a problem that I’m not allowedto wear jeans around James as the noise of the fabric sets him off.
