Total pages in book: 44
Estimated words: 40554 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 203(@200wpm)___ 162(@250wpm)___ 135(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 40554 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 203(@200wpm)___ 162(@250wpm)___ 135(@300wpm)
“Wouldn’t that kill your annulment?"
"We'll be getting a divorce in—" Her nose scrunches. I have her pulled into my side with my back against the headboard. "Eight months?" Right, the months I'd audited off.
It doesn't matter. It can be eight months or twelve; either way, I'm not letting her go. I lied, and honestly, I don't give a fuck. I'm a desperate man, and you know what they say about those.
"We're not getting a divorce. You need to get that out of your head." She’s mine. Always has been and always will be. Nothing and no one will ever change that.
"What?!" Her hand that was on my chest tries to push off, but I tighten my hold on her. "Blake." She growls my name out. I have to say that while this new Truly is trying to get away from me, I'm adoring this feisty side of her.
Truly has always been sweet, but there is nothing wrong with adding a little spice to it when needed. I want my girl to stand up for herself. I'll do what I can so that she doesn't have to, but her sweetness gets taken advantage of.
"I can do a lot of things, Truly," I tell her. "I can save your family's name, I can work a job I loathe, and I can let you finish college, but what I will not allow is to let you go."
Truly stiffens in my hold. "What about my family?"
"It doesn't matter. I fixed it before your father lost everything." She starts to wiggle again.
"Blake, I want to see you while we talk." She tilts her head back, trying to meet my gaze. I relax my hold so she can shift, but it's only pressing her soft tits into my side. Truly is going to make me come again while my dick is still in my pants. “My family.”
“Your father and mine are shit at playing the market. I pulled them from the brink of bankruptcy." I let out a deep breath. “I’d been looking forward to watching their lives being ruined.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. It was my understanding that your father and mine merged their investment company and, in turn, made you CEO. To make sure that deal or whatever the hell it is, stayed solid, they arranged our marriage.” That's not all it was. It's way more intricate than that, but that works well enough.
"Did you not want to get married?" I ask her. She glances around from me. "Were you forced or threatened to do so?"
"No."
I close my eyes and let that settle, grateful that her answer wasn’t yes. That would have been the worst of what she could have told me.
"You knew I had a crush on you." I open my eyes to meet hers. "And everyone used it against me." Her mouth turns down at the corners. I hate seeing her unhappy. That was never my intention in any of this.
"Yes, I did know. I thought you wanted this."
"I did!" she hisses, but her eyes fill with tears.
"Please don't cry."
"Oh, that would bother you?" I don't care for where this is going because I have an idea already. "What about the nights I lay in bed all alone across the world? You think I didn't cry then?"
I deserve that. It kills me inside even thinking about her being upset. Imagining her lonely and thinking I didn’t give a shit enough to go and see her is a regret I will have to live with for the rest of my life.
“How fucked up was it that I was lying here, in this bed, lonely for you too?” Her lips part, and a small gasp leaves her. Out of everything that has happened, these remarks appear to have the most effect.
"I don't understand."
"I thought I did until I didn't." I grit my teeth. "Until I start again. I think."
"I still don't understand."
"I was only ever cordial to your father because he was a friend of my father. Then I was nice to him because of you."
"You don't like my father?" Her head cocks to the side, making a few pieces of hair spill from the pile of it she has on top of her head. I can't stop myself from reaching out and wrapping one of the strands around my finger.
“Nor your mother.” Might as well get that out there too.
“She’s hard to love.” A humorless laugh leaves her.
“I had no idea this was how it was between you and them.” How did I miss that? As we’d both gotten older, I did put more space between her and me. I stopped going where I knew she’d be. It was better that way. I started to not trust myself around her. My control was slipping fast, and I didn’t want to spook her. I find I’m rather irrational when it comes to my wife.