My Marriage: A Million Lies

Carissa Vang POV:

"You monster! You absolute monster! You will regret this! I swear, you will regret every single moment!" My voice cracked, raw with a pain that felt too deep for tears. The handcuffs dug into my wrists, cold and unyielding, mirroring the ice that had begun to form around my heart.

Eli merely watched, his face as unreadable as ever. "I'm merely ensuring order, Carissa. Your erratic behavior has become a liability. This is for the best, for everyone involved." His words were a placating balm, a justification for his heinous actions, but they only served to fuel the inferno of my rage.

"Liabilities? You're talking about liabilities?!" I lunged forward, but the officers held me firm. "You're the liability, Eli! Your lies! Your manipulations! You're a disease, infecting everything you touch!"

He simply nodded to the officers. "Take her."

I struggled, a wild animal caught in a trap, but their grips were too strong. I was shoved into the back of a black and white patrol car, the heavy door slamming shut with a finality that echoed the closure of my past life.

"Eli! What are you doing?!" I screamed, my voice muffled by the thick glass. I saw him get into his sleek, black car, not even sparing a glance my way.

My phone, which the officers had confiscated, rang from the front seat. One of them answered, handed it to me. It was Eli. His voice, calm and even, came through the speaker. "Carissa, do not fight this. Do not speak. Your lawyer will be in touch. Any further resistance will only worsen your situation."

"My situation?!" I retorted, my voice trembling with fury. "You put me in this situation! You framed me! You lied to me! You took a piece of me, Eli, a piece of my very flesh!"

"It was for the family," he replied, his voice still infuriatingly calm. "Some sacrifices are necessary. It's a small price to pay."

"A small price?!" I shrieked, the tears finally bursting forth, hot and stinging. "You think my pain is a small price? You think my life is a small price?!"

Suddenly, the patrol car lurched forward, accelerating rapidly. We were speeding through the city streets, the sirens wailing, the world outside a blur. I looked out the window, trying to comprehend what was happening.

Then, through the phone, Eli's voice, cold and detached, spoke again. "I'm sorry, Carissa. But you leave me no choice."

Before I could react, before I could even process his words, there was a deafening screech of tires, a blinding flash of light, and a violent impact that slammed me forward against the seatbelt. The world spun, glass shattered, and then, a crushing darkness.

I woke up to the smell of burnt rubber and the agonizing pain that shot through my body. My head lolled, and I saw a twisted mess of metal all around me. The police car was a wreck, crumpled like a tin can. I tried to move, but a sharp, excruciating pain in my leg made me cry out. My vision was blurry, but I could make out figures approaching the wreckage.

Eli. He stood there, his face unreadable, surveying the scene. He didn't rush to my side, didn't show any sign of concern. He merely watched as paramedics carefully extracted me from the mangled car.

"Mr. Drake," one of the paramedics said, his voice grim. "She has multiple fractures, internal bleeding, and a severe head injury. It's touch and go."

Eli simply nodded, his gaze distant. "Ensure she receives the best care. And then, she goes to holding. The charges still stand." His words were cold, clinical, as if he were discussing a faulty investment, not a human being he had just tried to silence.

I stared at him, my vision blurring, my heart a raw, bleeding wound. He had done this. He had orchestrated my accident. He wanted me gone, silenced, erased. The betrayal was so complete, so utter, that it transcended mere pain. It was a cosmic agony, a spiritual death.

I was transferred to a hospital, my body screaming with every jostle. The pain was unbearable, but it was eclipsed by the crushing weight of his treachery. He hated me. He truly hated me. And I had loved him.

After a grueling surgery, I was deemed stable enough to be moved. Not to recovery, but to a high-security private detention center. My injuries were still raw, my body weak, but the iron bars of my cell were a stark reminder of my new reality.

Days bled into weeks. The cold, damp cell was my world. My leg, encased in a heavy cast, a constant throb. My head, still bandaged, a dull ache. My spirit, however, was no longer broken. It was hardened, tempered by fire, honed by betrayal.

One day, the heavy door groaned open, and a figure emerged from the shadows. Kala. She stood there, her arm still in a sling, but her face was alight with a triumphant smirk.

"Well, well, Carissa," she purred, her voice dripping with cruel satisfaction. "Look at you. Reduced to this. I told Eli you were trouble. And now, you're exactly where you belong."

My gaze met hers, unwavering. "You did this," I accused, my voice raspy. "You twisted his mind. You orchestrated all of it."

Kala laughed, a high-pitched, brittle sound. "Oh, Carissa, you always were so dramatic. Eli cares about me. He always has. You were just... a distraction. A temporary inconvenience." She leaned closer, her eyes gleaming with malice. "And you know what? He's so relieved you're out of the picture. He said he finally feels free."

A fresh wave of pain, sharper than any physical wound, pierced my heart. He felt free. My suffering was his freedom.

"And you know what else?" she whispered, her voice dropping to a menacing tone. "Eli asked me to tell you something. He said... he hopes you enjoy your new home. Because you're never getting out." She then nodded to the guard. "Give her a reminder of who she's dealing with. She's getting a little too feisty."

The guard, a burly man with cold eyes, stepped forward. The next few minutes were a blur of fists, kicks, and agonizing pain. I refused to cry out, refused to give Kala the satisfaction. My body was a battleground, but my spirit remained unbroken. I glared at Kala, my eyes burning with a silent promise. This wasn't the end. This was just the beginning.

Days turned into weeks, weeks into months. My body healed, slowly, agonizingly. But the scars, both visible and invisible, remained. My spirit, however, hardened with each passing day. My hatred for Eli, for Kala, for the entire Drake family, became a burning fuel, a constant companion.

Then, one morning, the door to my cell opened again. Eli stood there, his face as inscrutable as ever. He looked at me, his gaze sweeping over my bruised face, my bandaged leg, but there was no pity, no regret in his eyes. Only cold, detached assessment.

"The charges have been dropped," he stated, his voice flat. "Your family intervened. They've secured your release, under strict conditions. You are to leave the country immediately. And never return."

He offered me his hand, a gesture of hollow magnanimity. "Come, Carissa. Let me help you."

I stared at his outstretched hand, then at his impassive face. The memory of his cold words, his calculated betrayals, his willingness to sacrifice me, flashed through my mind. This wasn't help; it was another act of control.

"I don't need your help," I said, my voice hoarse from disuse, but firm. I pushed past him, my injured leg dragging, each step a testament to my defiance. I would leave, yes. But I would not be broken.

As I limped through the sterile corridors, away from the prison that had almost claimed my life, I knew one thing with absolute certainty: Eli Drake had just made the biggest mistake of his life. He had underestimated the fire that still burned within me. He had unleashed a monster. And that monster would have its revenge.