O•N•E

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MARINETTE used a cotton with alcohol to dab the brand new cut on her cheek only to wince when it touched her face.

She had done this so much times she wasn't sure why she wasn't already immune to the sting of the alcohol. Once again, she had pissed off her ever so lovely husband causing him to hit her.

Nathaniel always had a temper and when he got angry, he'd hit the first thing in sight. Unluckily for her, she was always the first thing in sight. She had been married to Nathaniel for four years. Those four years were the worst in her entire life.

When she married him at first she got pampered by him. Flowers, chocolate, dates and trips all over the world. She was poor growing up and so she wasn't familiar with the stuff he had been doing for her, but it made her happy.

That was the first six months of their marriage.

After that, Nathaniel started to get really aggressive. Shouting at her when she made simple mistakes like not putting enough sugar in his coffee or dropping things. Then he'd start hitting her.

For the first two years, it was just slaps across the face and a few punches here and there. Then it started to get worst. It soon was full blown beatings. Kicking her, throwing stuff at her, punching her until her ribs broke and more. She remembered the several times he broke his empty beer bottles on her head.

No matter how much he hurt her, he always ended up declaring that he loved her.

Marinette stared at her reflection in the mirror and wiped away the salty tears that were running down her cheeks, burning the open cut. Earlier they had went to an restaurant and the waiter was a bit too friendly. Marinette didn't give him any of her attention, but Nathaniel saw otherwise. When they got home, he accused her of flirting with the waiter right in front of him and he had said that she embarrassed him. He was upset and so she got a beating.

Usually Nathaniel didn't hit her in her face nor did he hit her anywhere that he knew it would show, but he got carried away this time and left a cut in her face. He wanted them to look like the picture perfect couple because he loved her so much and wanted everyone to know.

A heavy knock sounded on the bathroom door causing Marinette to jump slightly and her heartbeat to speed up.

"Come out of the bathroom now, Marinette," She heard Nathaniel's voice boom. "Come to bed."

"I-I'll be out in a m-minute," She stuttered, packing up the first aid kit.

She quickly wiped her tears from her face and took one more look into the mirror before exiting the room.

Closing the bathroom door, she turned around only to see her husband already in bed, his blank, blue eyes watching her every move.

"Come," He ordered. Marinette stayed glued to her spot, not wanting to go close to him. His eyes clouded with anger. "Don't let me say it again, Marinette."

Reluctantly, she moved towards the bed. She climbed onto the bed and scooted far away from him only for the redhead to pull her close to him.

Marinette stiffened when she felt his breath on her neck. "Don't play with me, girl."

Marinette swallowed her tears and remained immobile in his embrace.

Nathaniel wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled his face into her neck. "You know I love you, right?"

She didn't answer so he continued to speak.

"I don't want to hit you, love, I really don't, but sometimes you just do some things that get me so upset," He told her, placing small kisses on the back of her neck causing her to shiver in disgust. "I got invited to a party this weekend and I'm taking you with me. I'll get you a dress tomorrow. There will be a lot of people there who I want to invest in the company so I want you to be social, but don't get too comfortable."

Not wanting him to get angry at her, she nodded.

Soon after, Nathaniel fell asleep holding a strong grip on Marinette. She was still wide awake.

She wanted out of this. She didn't think she could handle this anymore. The last time she told him she wanted to leave him, she ended up in the hospital and she didn't want that to happen again. He also threatened to have her parents killed and she just couldn't do it.

Silent tears rushed down her cheeks. And for the entire night, she laid there. Crying, hoping that she would get out of this.

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"Meeting adjourned," Adrien announced, standing and shaking hands with the men before leaving the room, his assistant, Alya, following closely behind him.

"Sir, do you think that buying out their company is a good idea?" She asked, looking up from the notes she took during the meeting.

"I wouldn't have done it if it wasn't a good idea, Alya," Adrien replied with a chuckle. "Their company is in a good place, all it needs is a little fixing up."

The tablet Alya held pinged, signalling an email. "Oh, there is a business party this weekend and you are invited."

"How's my schedule?" The blond asked after greeting some of his passing workers with a smile.

"You are free from this Friday to Monday, sir," Alya replied, pushing her glasses up her nose.

"I'll attend then," He said, taking a look at his watch. "Wow, it's late, like really really late. You should head home, Alya. I'm staying here to finish up some paperwork."

Alya nodded before walking to her desk. Adrien entered his office, closing the door behind him them plopping down behind his desk.

He let out a sigh.

Adrien Agreste, a name that should be known all over the world. He was the son of the Gabriel Agreste and had been famous since the day his mother pushed him out. Adrien had been a model since he was 3 months old, so what shocked everyone was when he started his own business at the age of 16, refusing to follow in his father's footsteps.

Now that business was the largest in all of Europe and was well on its way to being the largest in the world. Noir Inc. A company that everyone knew about and wanted to partner with.

Adrien was now a businessman during the day and a model by night. He was one of the youngest men to be incredibly successful. Though his father was upset that Adrien had not went down the passage he made for him, he was still proud of his son for making it so far in such a short period of time.

Adrien scratched the back of his head before pulling out the paperwork he had to complete.

It was hard for him back in the day, juggling his studies along with a business at sixteen, but it worked out. It was still hard for him now, too.

Though he was insanely rich, Adrien felt as if something was missing from his life, or someone.

There was this one person in high school that had caught his eye, but after high school, she just vanished.

He was still hoping that someday he would see her again, even if it was just a glance. Those sad, empty blue eyes were something that had painted his mind for years.

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Here is the very first chapter of my new book.

How is the book so far?

Is it any different from the other ones that I wrote?

What are your thoughts?

I am eager to know what you all think. I think I will enjoy writing this book very much, because it is in my element.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter😊. Until next time,