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)
“You signed that marriage certificate."
“Yes, because I was manipulated, and you used the one thing against me that you knew could control me.”
"It was for your own good." Still so defensive. How about an "I'm sorry" and "I was wrong," or "I could have handled it differently"? That's not what I'm getting.
"No, it wasn’t. Blake and I wanted to be together, and you made sure that didn't happen."
"Blake wants to use you, sweetheart. The same way your father uses me." This time her tone is serious with no theatrics. "He would have had you pregnant within months. I was guessing that was his plan. If he got you pregnant…" She doesn't have to finish because we both know what she's getting at.
"Maybe that's what I wanted."
"I'd thought that too." She speaks from experience.
"Ouch," I laugh. So I too was a tool to be used from the very start.
"We're adults here, Truly. I don't regret having you." Not sure I'm buying that. I might believe that she feels some sense of guilt about her choices regarding me, but I'm not certain. I'm sure that's my own delusion of wanting to think she could be a better person.
"Well, it doesn't matter." If I wasn't sure about wanting to leave the city, I am now. "If I am pregnant, my baby won't be a tool."
"You can't control that. Blake is filthy rich and more like your father than you know."
"Really," I say sarcastically. “Did Blake bleed his family's money dry too?" Her lips purse.
"I can divorce Blake if he uses me."
"Keeps using you, you mean. He had no choice but to marry. It was the only way for him to take over. He did what he thought was best, and with these men, I promise you power and money will always come first." I shake my head no. "I was naïve, too, once upon a time.” My mother did nothing to try and stop it from happening. She encouraged it. I did the same. It's what I thought I was supposed to do, but now, I can't bring myself to let the situation go on.
"Blake didn't need to marry me. He had his whole business that he had to absorb into his family's and our shared investments."
"Exactly." She glances toward the door, and I'm sure we are running out of time. Blake will come searching for me soon. "They always want more. Bigger and better." Mother rolls her eyes as if she's not the same. "More than anything, it was what his grandfather requested. That's what he was most concerned about."
The only other person I know for a fact Blake cares about is his grandfather. He never wants to disappoint him.
"He loves me, and you might not know this yet, but he's retiring very soon." At least he is from all this bullshit. Mother throws back her head and laughs, making my stomach cramp.
"Oh, sweetheart," she says when noticing my distress. "That's not true. He's been making all kinds of new investments. Did he tell you he was retiring?" Her brows furrow together like she can’t fathom him uttering those words.
I never thought I could fathom them either.
“I’m not feeling so great.” I press my hand to the wall, feeling faint.
“Oh.” She touches my forehead with the back of her hand. “You’re warm. Let's get you out of here. You need to lie down. God, what if he poisoned you?"
“What?” Is she talking about Blake?
“What? These things happen. Then he’d be entitled to everything of yours.” I shake my head, my mouth suddenly dry.
“Blake,” I manage to croak out, my knees feeling weak.
“I’ll make sure he doesn’t come near you.” Mom grabs me as my knees buckle and the whole world turns on its head.
Chapter Twenty
BLAKE
"Iknew you were more than smitten with your wife, but seeing it with my own eyes lets me know you're beyond smitten and obsessed." Lauren laughs. "I love this for you."
"For you too," I tell her, peering over her head in the direction my wife went. How long has she been gone?
"It's been five minutes."
"Shouldn't take long."
"She's a woman. It can take us longer."
"I hate being away from her."
"You waited a long time to be with her."
I nod. I had. I'd wait forever if necessary if there was a chance she would be mine. Everything would be worth it. I thought once I had her with me I would calm down, but I haven’t.
I have only fallen more in love with my wife and the woman she has become. I'm no longer imagining what life would be like together. I'm living it. It's gone beyond what I dreamed it to be.
Seeing my parents' relationship over the years didn't give me a great viewpoint of how a marriage should work. If anything, it should have scared me away from the idea. Really, it's been an example of what I don't want. I never got to see my grandfather with my grandmother. I was too young to remember her clearly, but I remember the way he spoke of her and the stories he told. So I knew things could be different.