Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 64751 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 259(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64751 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 259(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
Well, there is one.
“Because I refuse to be as bad as him.”
The words leave my lips without thought, and I know I shouldn’t have said them. Fury might already suspect the kind of situation I am in, but I never wanted to give him more reason to hang on. He can’t save me, and while I admire that he wants to, I can’t allow this to go any further than it has already gone. I shouldn’t be here, in his arms, feeling the things I’m feeling.
“There is a way out.”
No.
No, there isn’t.
Meeting Fury’s eyes, I swallow, and I know he can see the sadness there. “I wish you were right.”
Reaching up, his finger strokes down my cheek, and it takes everything inside me not to react. It already feels as though the room around us has stopped and we’re the only people in the world as I look into his deep gaze. It’s as though he can see inside my soul, and I can’t allow that to happen. There are a million women in this world better than me, so why is he looking at me like he wants to consume me?
Why is he so obsessed with knowing my secrets.
Heart racing, fear latches on when he moves forward, so close that our lips are just about grazing. My breathing comes out ragged, and my bottom lip trembles just slightly as everything in my world comes to a screaming halt. The only thing I can see is him. The only thing I can feel is him. He’s going to kiss me, and everything in my body wants him to, but I know that if I allow myself to fall down this hole, I won’t be able to climb back out.
Panic grips my chest, and I pull away, heart racing, voice stammering as I say, “I can’t ... I can’t.”
With that, I turn on my heel and rush out before he can see the warm flow of tears that burst forth and roll down my cheeks.
What is happening?
More importantly, why is it happening to me?
Why?
6
“Are you taking something?” Ethan demands, his arms crossed over his chest as he looks down at me, his expression furious.
“No,” I say softly, shaking my head. “Of course not.”
“Then why are you not pregnant yet? I’ve been inside you every single day. There is no way you wouldn’t be pregnant.”
Bile rises in my throat, but I force it down. The fact of the matter is, I did go and see a doctor and have them give me some contraception that won’t be found around the house. A small device they inserted into my body that stops me from getting pregnant, and Ethan will never know. There is just no way I can have a child with this man, no way in the world. I might have to live with him, but I will never expose a child to that.
That’s one thing I am firm on.
“Sometimes it takes a while,” I offer. “It has only been a month.”
“Well, if there is something wrong, I know it isn’t me,” he grunts. “My body is in perfect working order. If we don’t have a child soon, I’m going to assume you’re useless and I’ll have to find another way.”
I grit my teeth together, but I don’t answer back.
There is no point.
He is always right, and if I try to argue, he will only make it hurt.
“I’m sure we just need more time,” I say, carefully.
“It better be all there is, because if it isn’t and I find out—”
“I haven’t done anything, Ethan,” I cut him off. “I swear.”
His eyes flash, and he glares at me for a long moment before the monster puts its head away and his tone goes back to normal. It’s like he flips a switch, going from evil to normal in a matter of seconds. “Your mother will be here soon; have you prepared lunch?”
I nod. “Everything is ready.”
“Good,” he mutters, turning and leaving the room.
My mother arrives shortly after. It’s not often I get to see her, mostly because she lives in another state, but she is in the town over for work and thought she would drive over and see us while she had the chance. We’re close, to a degree, but she always did expect such high things from me. I know what a bitter disappointment I would be to her if she knew just how weak and broken I really was.
After my dad passed, she stopped giving me the kind of love I know I needed. It’s not that she didn’t care, because she does, it’s just that she has a strange way of showing it. I know she loved my father, and I guess when you lose someone you love that dearly, it can destroy something inside you. She tries, and that’s the best I can ask for, even if her way of trying seems...strange to some.