No, I don’t.My heart is a block of ice.
He reaches across the table and takes my hand.His touch is a brand.
You don’t love me.A wave of fury surges through me.I fight the urge to wrench my hand away.
“Please take this back,” he pleads.
I fix my gaze on the ring, my chest tightening with dread.It’s a gilded cage designed to keep me bound to him.
But I won’t let it.My resolve hardens.
I won’t fall for his tricks again.
But I can’t refuse it now.
Not yet.
I let him slide the ring back onto my finger.The cold metal is a shackle.“It’s back where it belongs,” James declares in triumph.
“Thank you,” I whisper, dazed, my eyes staring past his shoulder.My mind is already plotting my escape.
He smirks, his smile possessive.“I knew you’d come around,” he says, squeezing my hand.“You’re mine, Mimi.”The heavy musk of his cologne invades my senses, fueling my revulsion.
Not for long.
I force a smile.My lips feel stiff, tight and unnatural.
He presses closer, closing the distance.His hand reaching for my waist.“Come to bed…” His murmur is raspy with need as his fingers snake beneath the hem of my sweater.He buries his face in my neck, his hot, stale breath a gross intrusion.His touch leaves a trail of cold dread.
Panic explodes in my chest.I shove him away with all my might.“I’m exhausted, James,” I tell him, trembling.
But he ignores me.His hand tightens on my waist like a vice, yanking me closer.
I gasp, my body colliding with his.
“Come on, let me show you how much I missed you,” he insists, his low growl vibrating against my skin.
I push against his chest with renewed force.
I won’t let him control me anymore.
My defiance grows with every beat of my heart.“No, James!”
I wriggle out of his grasp, panic threatening to drown me.I lunge out of my chair and back away, putting the table between us.
“I said I’m exhausted!”I repeat, my voice rising.“You saw what I went through today.I’m not in the mood for this!”
His nostrils flare, a muscle twitching in his jaw.“But I set up this entire dinner for you,” he snarls.
I lift my chin, meeting his gaze.“And I took your ring back even after all you’ve done.”
Fury twists his features.He shoves his chair back with such force that it falls over, clattering loudly to the floor.
I jump back, spine straightening.
He spins around and stomps toward the bedroom, the door slamming shut behind him.I flinch at the sound, my heart pounding in my throat.Before I have the chance to move, he reappears, his blazer clutched in his hand, storming towards the front door.
“Where are you going?”I ask, confusion cracking my voice.
