Taken by Lies
Ella Miles
(Truth or Lies, #1)
Publication date: March 26th 2019
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense
At 16 I was taken.
Kidnapped by a boy I thought I could love.
Then he sold me as if I were property.
For three years I endured.
Beatings.
Torture.
Pain.
I never broke.
I was strong, determined, resilient.
But then one day it happened…I broke.
Setting me free.
I should have run away, found a new life, and started over.
Instead, I returned.
To find the man who sold me.
—
EXCERPT:
Broken.
For one thousand and ninety-five days I’ve done everything to keep myself from breaking.
Shut off my mind off during the beatings.
Escaped the depths of the darkness in the night.
Locked down my body during the rapes.
Imagined a new life when I was tortured.
Gritted my teeth through the violations.
Tried every tactic I needed to survive.
Closing myself away.
Envisioning a better life.
Plotting my revenge.
None of the strategies worked long term.
I hate Enzo for what he did to me, but my need to extract revenge was never enough to keep me alive.
I would try blocking my reality out by pretending my stomach didn’t constantly ache, and my body wasn’t bruised, my bones shattered.
That would keep me alive for a few weeks.
But then came the loneliness.
Being alone was worse than the pain. Not having a friend, a family, or anyone who loved me, that was what made me give up hope more than anything.
It’s been over three years since I was taken.
When those strong arms grabbed me, and the hood went over my head, I didn’t know what my future held.
Nothing.
I am nothing.
I am nobody.
I am a ghost.
A commodity to be bought and traded.
I was sold for one million—that was my worth.
I look down at my naked, bruised body. There isn’t a patch of skin that hasn’t been colored. I doubt I’m worth as much now as I was when I was originally sold.
Who would want a pile of bones like me?
The boat rocks, and I heave. There is nothing in my stomach to come up, though. Sometimes I think it would be easier if I would just starve to death, but no matter how much I’ve tried, my body won’t give into the sweet release. My body has adapted and learned to survive on far less food and water than what it should be capable of.
I’ve tried finding weapons to end my life, but there are none to be found on this yacht.
I’ve searched, no man carries a gun—not even a knife.
I don’t understand the men who keep me.
Nothing about it makes sense. I don’t even know who is in charge. Who is my master? They all share in the torture. They all revel in the pleasure of watching me slowly disintegrate.
No.
I won’t break.
That’s the only thing keeping me sane for the last one thousand and ninety-five days.
The thrill at watching the men in frustration as I continue to hold on to who I am and what I’m capable of.
Their primary goal is breaking me.
I overheard them placing bets on how long it would take and who would deliver the final blow.
Three months…
Six months…
One year…
When I made it one year, they stopped betting. I think most of them thought I would never break at that point.
I won’t.
I can’t.
Author Bio:
Ella Miles is a USA Today Bestselling author, top 100 Amazon Bestselling author, and Kindle Press author. She writes steamy romance with a twist. She's currently living her own happily ever after near the Rocky Mountains with her high school sweetheart husband. Her heart is also taken by her goofy four year old black lab that is scared of everything, including her own shadow.
Ella is the author of the Amazon bestselling book TOO MUCH. She is also the author of the UNFORGIVABLE series, ALIGNED series, MAYBE series, and DEFINITELY series. Get NOT SORRY & ALIGNED: EVER AFTER for FREE by visiting her website: www.EllaMiles.com/freebooks.
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