Chapter 1 

Colin's phone pinged. He had a message, who would send a message this late? 

"Could you come over to the room? It's pretty urgent" the message read. 

It was from Catherine, she was his wife, Marissa’s sister. 

He hurriedly rushed to the other part of the house where her house was located without as much second thought. 

"Catherine? Cate? Are you in there? Please open the door" Colin called out when he heard no answer. 

Colin was troubled, he wondered what could have gone wrong that was so urgent. 

And to think he had left their room in a hurry without telling Mary first. 

He had a lot of explaining to do knowing how his wife was. 

He had moved into her family's home after they had gotten wedded as the family would have it no other way. 

It was either he agreed to move in with them or risk losing Marissa. 

He had chosen the former as he is so in love with Marissa. 

Not that they had treated him any better than a servant. 

He endured it all for Mary. She was the only reason he was here. 

Despite the plots to throw him out, he had overcome every last one of them. 

"Catherine!" He called only this time his voice a little louder. 

"Shush!" Catherine warned placing her hands on her lips as she opened the door. 

"What? What is going on?" A confused Colin had asked 

"Do not shout, just come in" Catherine whispered 

Something was not right, he could feel it. 

"Cate? Did you get into some kind of trouble?" Colin inquired

Not like Catherine would seek his help when she got into any kind of trouble  

"Just come in already, would you?" She persisted 

"No. Not until you tell me why you called me out of my room at this ungodly hour. You said it was urgent" Colin countered 

"Well, if you insist. It's about your wife, my sister Marissa" Catherine blurted out 

"Yes, what about her?" Colin asked, becoming more interested in whatever it was she had to say. 

He was very sensitive to matters that concerned Marissa. 

A weakness of his he sounds difficult to put under control. 

"You don't expect me to discuss that outside, do you? My mom or anyone could see us and we would be in a lot of trouble" Catherine reasoned 

"Yeah, you're right. Can I come in?" Colin inquired

"Yes, sure" Cate answered opening the door wide

As Colin stepped in, Catherine wrapped her hands around his neck. 

"Cate? Are you alright? What is this?" Colin asked, dumbfounded  

"I need your help, we need your help. Mary's in big trouble" Cate explained 

"Tell me, what is it? I can not help if I don't know what it is" Colin says, confused 

"Of course. Promise you'd help her" Cate continued 

"I promise" Colin assured. Of course he would do anything for Marissa. Marissa meant the world to him. 

"Help! Help me!" Cate screamed this time her voice louder, confusing Colin.

"Stop screaming, Cate. You will wake the whole house. Tell me already what it is" Colin says in a whisper 

"Help!" She continued and the door was pushed open. 

Colin had turned to find her cousins had quickly rushed in and toward his direction. 

He was still trying to make sense of the situation when he was pushed to the ground, kicks, and hits coming from every direction and landing on various parts of his body. 

Colon's wincing in pain and screaming did not deter them from continuing their attacks. 

"You bastard" one said 

"Son of a bitch" another cursed 

"We take you in and this how you repay us?" Someone chipped in 

"You aren’t even worth our cousin, Marissa" 

"Wonder what she saw in you in the first place" 

And on and on, it continued. 

Colin wasn’t even concerned about that, he was more worried about the bruises they had inflicted on him. 

Colon struggled to stand to his feet. 

His mother-in-law walked in admits the chaos 

"What is going on here?" She asked, directing the question to everyone in the room

"It's Colin" Cate cried 

"Of course, I can see the bastard. What happened?" She inquired 

"I was sleeping when he came. He knocked over and over again and I was afraid to open but he said it was urgent, so I had no choice. I had let him in and he tried to force himself on me. I had to scream and thank God for the timely intervention of my cousins, or I would have been gone" Cate finished, still crying 

"You lying bitch!" Colin yelled, unable to control himself this time, wincing in pain and trying to process how Cate came up with that story in a matter of minutes. 

"How dare you call my daughter a liar? How dare you!" His mother-in-law queried, vexed that Colin would refer to Cate as a liar. 

Her cousins took offense at his words and only hit him more

"I took you in just the way you are. I raised you, fed you, and you betrayed me by going behind my back and getting to fall in love with my daughter. I let that pass and let you move in with us. And as if that wasn't enough, you try to rape another of my daughters? Is Marissa not enough for you?" She continued 

"You are an ingrate, a liar, and one who would never be satisfied. I should have known, a dog will always remain a dog" She finished 

"Ma'am, I would never do a thing like that. Check my phone, she sent me a message asking me to come. I am not tagging her a liar, but all she said isn't exactly the truth" Colin tries explaining, almost tearful. 

One of the cousins had picked up the phone and tossed it at him, saying, 

"Show us the message." He ordered 

"Can't seem to find it, eh?" He jeered after waiting a few minutes for Colin to show them the message and he didn’t. 

"I thought you had proof" another mocked. 

"I swear, the message was right there when I walked in. You guys are trying to set me up, I know you guys have never liked me..." Colin stammered before being interrupted by his mother-in-law 

"No one would believe you, now, would they? It is your word against ours. You have no proof, no witness. Catherine on the other hand has us. So, what is it going to be?" She asked and Colin was confused 

"So, this was indeed a trap," Colin said to no one in particular, analyzing the events of the evening and understanding all that had led to this. 

From Cate's message to lying to him that Marissa needed help, hugging him and now, this. Colin could only nod his head in understanding. 

"Before you say anything, photos were already taken of you holding me. I have more than enough to put you away for life" Catherine had warned, pointing a finger to his face. 

"What do you all want from me?" A frustrated but angry Colin had asked 

"We either have this all over the news media with your face in every corner of the city, labeling you a monster or we could take the easy route" She offered 

"Is there ever an easy route with you?" An enraged Colin had asked 

"You could divorce Mary" The mother-in-law finished 

"I would never leave Mary, I would never do that" Colin objected 

"Why don't you ever want my happiness? Would you rather I die?" Colin inquired turning to each and everyone one of them 

"That would be a start," Catherine said, smiling evilly

"Look at me, look at me. Look what I have been reduced to, all thanks to your family's mischievous ways and controlling scheme. I lost all my friends, and everybody around me no longer regards me as a man" Colin yells 

"How can you not see that this is true love and that I would do anything for Mary?" Colin blurted out 

"Then do this for her. Safe her from the torture of being labeled as the wife of a rapist. This would ruin her reputation and what she stands for. You should know more than anyone what that would do to her" She advised 

"You have 24 hours" the mother-in-law finished walking out and beckoned to the rest to leave him alone.