CHAPTER 1
Grazyna Zaluski drops her purse on the mahogany entry table and closes the front door on the world. She smiles at the thought of a glass of wine while luxuriating in the jacuzzi to wash away the stress of a long day. Her smile widens as she contemplates diving back into the Lisa Gardner novel she’s reading. Unfortunately, the day is about to take a turn for the worse.
“Where the hell have you been?”
She spins around and is startled to find her husband, Mark Lewis, glaring down at her. Mark told her he would be home late this evening.
“I expect you to be here when I get home, goddammit!” he growls as he towers over her.
Grazyna backs up a half step, kicks off her Gucci loafers and hangs her Burberry coat on a hanger. “I was at school in Casper.”
“Why?”
She backs off a bit farther. “I need to keep my coursework up to date to retain my student visa.”
Mark’s lip curls in a half smile. “Screw that, Griz. The visa was just a scam to let you stay in the country.”
Initially, the student visa had been a way to stay with Mark beyond the ninety days her tourist visa allowed for, but Grazyna enjoys the classes and is committed to earning her degree—especially now that things have turned sour at home.
“I don’t think of it as a scam,” she says.
“Think you’re gonna make something out of yourself with a poetry degree, Griz?” Mark asks in a mocking tone. When she doesn’t reply, he adds, “Stay away from that school.”
“I will not.”
He steps closer and wraps a hand around her forearm to hold her in place. “You’re only in this country for as long as I want you here.”
Grazyna stares back defiantly. “I can stay as long as I’m in school.”
Mark’s fingers tighten painfully around her wrist, and his eyes narrow while the skin around his mouth tightens into a snarl. “Goddammit, Griz, you’ll do what I say!”
She feels more anger than fear as she struggles to shake his hand loose. “I hate you calling me Griz. Call me by my proper name!”
They’ve had this argument time and time again. Pronouncing her name properly—Gra-zeena—is apparently too much effort for him, so he calls her Griz.
“I’ll call you whatever I want. Speaking of your stupid name, it sounds foreign, and folks around here don’t take kindly to foreigners. It’s time you started dressing and sounding American. The Lewis family has an image to uphold in this county.”
Mark and his precious family.
“I have an image to uphold!” he adds.
Ah yes, the heir to the Lewis family throne. Mark is fond of bragging that his family owns Converse County lock, stock, and barrel.
Grazyna stiffens in anger. “You talk as if I am a stain on your precious image!”
“That’s how Mom and Dad see it,” he replies with a smirk.
As if her Polish heritage is dirt to be swept aside. Grazyna yanks her arm free and steps away, fighting to keep the tears she feels welling up from spilling out of her eyes. What does a woman say to a husband who has so little respect for who and what she is?
Mark’s insulting words wipe away any thought of tears. “Don’t speak to me that way!” she snaps back.
He steps closer, backing her up against the wall. “Time for a reality check, honey. You’re a two-bit internet curiosity that I rescued from a life of mediocrity in a backward country. The song-and-dance routine is amusing, but the act is getting stale. Time to grow up.”
“I’m your wife!” Grazyna snaps. “I deserve respect.”
“Respect? You’re a great piece of ass and you can be fun, but never forget that I can replace you with another two-bit whore in a flash.”
She has no idea what a “two-bit horror” is in this context—even her excellent English left her unprepared for the waves of Americanisms that weren’t covered in her formal language training, but she suspects it is an insult.
“You’re nothing!” he continues as he squeezes her breasts painfully. “You’re here because of these.” Then he reaches around to grab her rear in both hands so he can rub himself against her while he puts his lips to her ear. “And this.”
Grazyna recoils as he pulls her tighter, lifts her off her feet, and forces a knee between her legs as he grinds.
“I’ve had enough of your little princess bullshit, Griz. Start behaving like a proper wife. I figured people in the old country still taught their women how to do that, for Christ’s sake. Guess not, so I’ll damn well teach you what’s expected of a good Wyoming country wife.”
He suddenly releases her, letting her crash to the floor on her tailbone. The tears come in earnest as she stares up at him in horror while he grabs her Valentino Garavani purse, yanks out her wallet, and rips out her credit cards and bank card. He pauses, then takes her passport, as well. “If you’re a good girl, maybe you’ll get these back. If not, well…”
Grazyna watches helplessly as he walks away. What is she going to do? She has next to no money of her own. The realization of how utterly dependent she is on Mark hits home full force. How has she gotten herself into this position? More importantly, is there a way out?
We hope you are enjoying the book so far. To continue reading...
Please log in to recommend or discuss...
