The Price of Affection

My name is Clara, and I was the stepdaughter in the Sterling family.

After my stepfather and birth mother died, I was taken in by my step-uncle, Daniel.

He raised me for six years, and for six years, I loved him.

I guarded my secret carefully, convinced it was well hidden.

But then I was kidnapped, and Daniel, instead of just paying the ransom, doubled it.

His female assistant had discovered my diary, which laid bare my secret feelings, and suggested the extra money would get the kidnappers to "cure" me of my "unhealthy obsession."

The kidnappers tortured me, pushed me to the brink of collapse, and completely shattered any chance of ever loving again.

But Daniel, his eyes red with desperation, begged me, "Clara, please don't go!"

1

The night of Sterling Corp's annual gala, I was dumped on the sidewalk in front of the office building by my kidnappers.

A swarm of reporters descended like vultures, the live broadcast going viral almost immediately.

"Stepdaughter of the Sterling Family: Pale, vacant, and disheveled, Possible Mental Break," the headlines screamed.

I lay there, sprawled on the concrete, staring blankly at the sky as if it all had nothing to do with me.

Reporters thrust microphones in my face, and others tossed out cruel speculations.

"Word is this Sterling stepdaughter was a total spoiled brat, crossed the wrong people, and got her comeuppance."

"Yeah, well, getting held captive for a month, she's probably a broken shell of a woman. I wouldn't have the guts to show my face."

"Karma's a b*tch, I guess. Serves her right for all the people she probably pushed around."

I listened to them, numb, offering no defense.

Then a gasp went through the crowd, and there was Daniel, his handsome face stark against the night.

Seeing me like this, his jaw tightened, and his whole demeanor turned cold.

He took off his suit jacket and draped it around me, his voice low.

"Clara, I'm taking you home."

I nodded, rising to my feet, and limped toward the black Mercedes.

My wounds had reopened, tiny blossoms of red staining the polished stone as I moved.

Daniel's brow furrowed, a clear sign of his distress.

Was it pity?

This was exactly what he wanted, wasn't it?

After going through hell, I'd finally accepted my place and the boundaries, letting go of any ridiculous fantasies.

He got what he paid for.

2

Daniel scooped me up, carrying me to the car.

I looked at him, up close, but felt no stirrings of joy, only a quiet weariness.

I sat obediently in the passenger seat.

He loosened his tie, the movement agitated. "Clara, what happened to you?"

I glanced down at myself: the dress that was no longer its original color, the matted hair, the cuts and scrapes.

Anyone would be taken aback.

But why had I ended up like this?

Initially, the kidnappers only wanted money. They'd intended to release me afterward.

Then, when they called Daniel for the ransom, his secretary, this snake in the grass, she’d presented my diary to him.

All of...