After I came home early and found my husband in ou…

But then Caroline opened her eyes and saw me standing in the doorway. Her face shifted in a split second from lust to pure horror. Jackson followed her gaze, and when he saw me, he froze.

“Josephine…” he muttered, as if saying my name could magically undo what had just been revealed. In that moment, something broke inside me, but it was not what I expected. It was not my heart that broke.

It was the chains of the submissive and trusting woman I had been until then. I did not scream. I did not cry.

I did not collapse like they probably expected. A strange, almost supernatural calm took possession of me. It was as if I had stepped out of my own body and was watching the scene from above, completely detached from the emotions I was supposed to feel.

“Stay exactly where you are,” I said, with a voice I did not recognize as my own. It was cold, controlled, and powerful. Jackson tried to climb out of the tub.