Of course she does. I’m going to build my wife her dream home. It’s the least I can do for the woman who showed me what living is all about.
The phone beeps in her hands and her smile grows, scanning the incoming text. “What is it?” I ask.
“Well…” She nibbles on her bottom lip. “Janice just messaged the girls in our group chat. She wants to throw a party—a big reception for all of us who eloped.” Her hopeful eyes meet mine. “That’s stupid, right? The other Ladies should have one. But we don’t need?—”
“Nothing about being married to you is stupid,” I interrupt her. “I think it’s a great idea.” Seeing my wife dressed up, getting to show her off, celebrating a night with her friends and family. It’s exactly what she deserves.
Her eyes drop to her cell, and she types back her response with the biggest smile on her pretty face.
I open the door to see Devin waiting to talk to her, and I allow him to step in, knowing her smile is about to go away.
EVERETT
“May I speak to you?” Devin asks.
My smile falters when Kashton shuts the door, closing the three of us inside the office.
I look between them. “What is it?” I ask, sitting down on the couch.
When Devin doesn’t answer, I look at my husband, who walks behind his desk and opens a drawer, pulling something out. “Kash, seriously. What’s going on?”
He comes to stand in front of me. “I had Devin do some digging.”
“On what?” I lick my lips nervously.
“Your pregnancy.”
I search his eyes, and a panic settles in my chest as it tightens. “Kash…what did you do?”
Sitting next to me, he takes my shaking hands. His pretty blue eyes search mine when he starts to speak softly. “You were never pregnant, Eve.”
I rip my hands out of his. “What? Of course I was.” I look up at Devin, and he just stares at me. “Tell him.”
“Untie her,” my father orders Laura, nodding to me.
Laura comes to the head of the table and undoes my wrists. I can’t feel them. She tied them tight, and then I was pulling on them. They might as well have been cut off.
He yanks me off the table, and I fall to the floor, unable to stand on my shaking legs. A burning sensation takes over my chest, and saliva pools in my mouth. I get to my tingling hands and knees and open my mouth. The sour taste makes me gag before I vomit on the floor, unable to swallow it down.
They got me pregnant. One of the Spade brothers is the father. I can’t let them do this to another child.
“Clean your piss up off the floor,” my father barks at me, throwing the test and hitting me in the hair with it. “And the vomit as well.” He huffs, tossing me a towel. “Pathetic.” With that, they all three leave me in the room, kneeling in my own pee and vomit.
I sit up and fall back into the cabinets. My shaking hands go to my flat stomach. I won’t let them do this to me. Or the baby. No one will stop them.
They are Lords. Spade brothers. They are untouchable. They keep me trapped here in this hell that no one even knows exists.
It’s up to me. Picking up the test with two pink lines, I feel that burning sensation in my throat again. “I’ll fix it,” I promise and whisper, “I’ll make sure they never hurt you.”
I’ll end both of our lives. It’s the best outcome either one of us has at this point.
“It was a false positive,” Kashton says, pulling me out of that memory.
“No.” I give a rough laugh. “You’re mistaken. I was pregnant.” I stand, needing the movement.
“There’s no record of blood work,” Devin informs me.
“That’s because they took a urine sample,” I snap, glaring at him.
