Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 23929 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 120(@200wpm)___ 96(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23929 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 120(@200wpm)___ 96(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
"I—"
He pulled her head down, his mouth cutting her off with a hard kiss. And when he released her, he made sure not to let her say the words—
"I love you, Liana."
Because he wanted to be the first one to say them.
Her eyes teared.
"Sylvain."
It was just his name she uttered.
But ah, the way she said it.
Sylvain heard a thousand promises embedded in his name, and something inside him broke and healed simultaneously...even as his fingers gripped her hair, and his body throbbed with a savage need to possess the most precious thing this world could ever offer him.
"Je t'aime."
He needed to say the words one more time before taking her mouth in another kiss, this one deeper and hungrier, and one that had her whimpering even as she kissed him back and pressed her body more closely to his.
His hands roamed her body even though he knew it was sheer insanity to touch her with both their lives on the line.
"Sylvain."
His name, this time, was a breathy little gasp, both a plea to stop and not stop as he found the heat between her legs.
"S-Sylvain..."
She started rubbing herself against him, and just as he felt himself swell beneath his pants—
They heard someone curse from a distance, the sound yanking both of them back to reality, their passion cooling in an instant—
À quoi je pensais? What was I thinking?
"You make me act like a boy," Sylvain whispered into her ear, and her body rocked against his in silent, shaken laughter.
He allowed another moment to pass, just one more moment to savor the feeling of having his wife safe in his arms—and then they moved.
He didn't even have to tell her what to do. It was as if they had always been designed to work in tandem, with his wife knowing instinctively when to help...or when to step back and get out of his way.
They retreated deeper into the cave, away from the entrance and the voices. The passage narrowed, then widened again, revealing what he'd suspected—this was no natural formation. The smooth walls, the even floor...all carved by human hands, and eventually, they found a light at the end of the tunnel, figuratively speaking.
Liana had already pulled a pin out and made short work of the lock. In moments, the metal door swung open, and she stepped back, letting him inspect the bunker for traps.
He nodded. Clear.
They moved from room to room, finding supplies that had been untouched for decades, but still usable. Only one other area in the bunker was inaccessible, its lock more complex than anything he had ever seen.
Something about it made his gut twist, but when his wife asked if he wanted her to open it...
"Only if you want to."
He could not find it in himself to stop her from doing so. It was as if a part of him somehow knew this was meant to happen. That the monsters inside of him had to be exposed, one by one—
'Gotcha,' Sylvain heard his wife whisper as the lock gave way under her skilled fingers.
—if he wanted to deserve a girl like her.
He watched her take a step forward and her face lose color.
And when she turned to him, her eyes once again haunted...
Sylvain's heart was already pounding as he stepped past her.
S'il te plaît, mon Dieu.
And then he saw what she saw.
A wall of photographs. Women's faces staring back at them. Dozens of them. All different ages, backgrounds, circumstances.
All the women he had been with throughout the years.
Chapter Eleven
I'M NOT SURE HOW MUCH time has passed by the time I'm able to speak...and I'm no longer tempted to throw up every few seconds.
"W-Who are they?"
"People I swore to protect." Sylvain's voice is grim. There isn't a trace of guilt or shame. But should that be reason enough to trust him?
I glance back at the wall. Every face, a story of tragedy and suffering. But even so. I can't stop thinking about it.
Did he marry me...because I looked like one of them?
A girl...who simply needed saving.
"Did you marry all of them, too?"
It's only when Sylvain's gaze snaps at my direction in sharp incredulity that I even realize what I'm asking.
"D-Did you have sex—"
"Non!" His voice is low. Pained. For me. And yet somehow, that only makes feel unable to breathe. I never knew it was possible to hurt like this. "It is not like that!"
The sight of him is suddenly unbearable. But the moment I turn away, he's already next to me, spinning me right back, and I...
I slap him.
Hard enough to make his lip bleed.
But my husband doesn't even flinch.
"I want to say I'm sorry," I whisper, "but I'm not."
Because all I can think about now...are the clothes I've been wearing. Clothes that I thought he bought for me. But now I know...
When I see his face whiten, I know it's because I've started to cry.