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drunk, he recognized it was a pretty bad situation. However, at the same time, he couldn’t summon the energy to care what would happen to him. None of it mattered to him if she was gone.
     

 
    Chapter Ten
     
    Married life suited Sierra more than she thought it would. James was gone most of the day , leaving her free to pursue whatever options she wanted to. She could explore any interest or avenue she wished, and there was nothing anyone could say about it. She was Mrs. James Northorp now, one of the richest and most influential women in the country. People looked to her as a style icon, a model they wanted their daughters to aspire to.
     
    Her charities were starting to really take off, too. She started a school in sub-Sahara Africa for orphaned children. Another of her charities helped with hunger in America. A third helped abused animals in the local area. She was the do-gooder of the year. She also had unlimited access to books from anywhere in the country to feed her reading habit. As soon as the press got ahold of that information, she was contacted to read and speak at schools and libraries. As a result, she ended up sponsoring a high school reading fund.
     
    Life was good.
     
    Often, she could even completely forget she was married and go about her life as normal, just with a different name. Also, since her wedding, she had gotten no calls or texts from Chad, and she was thankful for that.
     
    James, as far as she knew, didn’t know about her relationship with Chad, and she sincerely hoped it would stay that way.
     
    ***
     
    As time passed, she found herself lacking any ability to feel any emotion deeply. Eventually, she found herself not able to read much at all anymore, either. Books just became words on a page. There was nothing in them for her anymore. Consequently, she gave it up all together, focusing on her other interests. They were more valuable, more worthwhile, anyway.
     
    They were lying in bed one night—Sierra on her iPad and James looking over something on his laptop—when she turned to him and said, “You’ve never asked about my past.”
     
    “I didn’t think it was important for what we were trying to accomplish. We both got what we wanted. What more do you need?”
     
    “I mean. Just because this is fundamentally a business transaction, an arranged marriage, doesn’t mean we can’t be at least friendly.” She gestured around her. “We do live together and sleep together.”
     
    “Well, what do you want me to know?”
     
    She sighed. “Nothing, never mind.”
     
    He closed his laptop lid and turned to her. “Don’t you have friends for this sort sharing activity?”
     
    “Yes. I do. Forget it.”
     
    “Is this some ploy to know about my activities? Because if it makes you feel better I have and continue to sleep with other women. I’m careful. I’m not bringing back diseases, but this isn’t some loving marriage here. I don’t want or need your emotional support nor do I want you to come with me with all your pains. And I do know about your past. I know about Chad and about your days as a stripper—something I have seen no evidence of—and about Scott and running away. I know everything.” He paused. “If this is about Chad, get over it. I have planned a lot of this from the start. I was expecting you to be a bit more vibrant and involved. But whatever. I have what I want.”
     
    She froze, staring ahead of her. “You killed Scott?”
     
    James didn’t respond right away, and she saw a glimpse of fear in his eyes.
     
    “You did. You bastard!” She threw the iPad at his head, which left a bloody gash on his forehead. “You evil, vile, conniving bastard. How could you? How dare you?” She got up and stormed toward the door. Her mind was racing and everything that had happened in the past three months came flooding in on her, and it felt like she was waking up.
     
    He leapt across the room and grabbed her by the wrist and throat, pinning her to the