He holds my jaw, fixing his evil gaze on me once more. “Doesn’t matter.”
“He’ll kill me! Don’t you get it?”
“You’re as good as dead anyway. Might as well have a little thrill before you go.”
I pull my chin free. “I won’t betray my husband. He trusts me.”
“He doesn’t trust you. He’s abandoned you, left you to rot. He couldn’t care less what happens to you. Even if someone finds you tomorrow with your throat slit in bed, he won’t bother looking for your killer, let alone punishing them. All you’d be is another headstone in the graveyard of his dead wives. Face it, girl—you mean nothing to anyone.”
Damn it. Damn it. Even though I already know this, hearing it from him is a dagger to the heart.
“You’ll never have me. Not willingly,” I say it straight to his arrogant face, unafraid of the consequences.
He nuzzles my cheek, his voice a soft murmur. “The hard way or the easy way, you’ll be mine in the end.”
Heat pours off his body, burning me. Lust has completely taken over his eyes. He’s like a starving lion, focused only on his prey.
His grip on my wrists loosens, and his hand glides down the length of my forearm. Lowering his head, he buries his face in the curve of my neck, pressing a soft kiss against my skin. When his touch trails past my collarbone and down to my chest, a broken whimper escapes me.
“How can you do this to me again?” My voice breaks. “Do you even realize how much pain you caused me last time?”
In an instant, everything he was doing stops. His head snaps up from my neck like he’s been shocked, and he looks at me.
“Did I hurt you that badly?” There is honest concern in his voice.
I nod. “It wasn’t just the physical pain. You took me as if I were some worthless woman.”
He squeezes his eyes shut. “I didn’t know what the fuck I was doing. I didn’t even realize it was you.”
“Exactly. You thought I was just one of the women who throw themselves at you. That’s how you took me. You made me feel disgusting.”
I can’t read anything from his expression, but I hope he’ll back down. Turns out it’s a foolish hope.
His hand brushes through my hair in a soothing gesture, as if to comfort me. “This time, everything will be different.”
He rises from my body and steps off the bed, crossing the room. The lights go out, plunging us into near darkness, but then he switches on a small bedside lamp, casting the room in an eerie red glow. Of course. He even planned the lighting beforehand.
Tears spill down my cheeks again. There’s no escape.
He stands at the side of the bed, slipping a hand into his pocket. He pulls something out, clutching it in his fist, then removes his pants, leaving him in just his boxers.
As he climbs back onto the bed and looms over me, I yank the blanket up higher. “Don’t do this, Tony. Please…”
My eyes are shut when I hear his low whisper beside my ear. “Shh, shh. Don’t be scared. We’ll do this my way, and if you don’t want me, I’ll leave. I’ll go back to where I came from. Okay?”
My lungs loosen, and the air flows in and out more easily. I see a glimmer of light in this darkness. Does he mean it? If I don’t want him, will this torment finally end? Will he leave my life forever?
I look into his eyes, gleaming under the soft red glow of the lamp.
“Do you promise?” I ask.
“I promise.”
“If I don’t want you, you’ll leave?” I check again.
He nods, his voice steady and assured. “I’ll leave immediately.”
I watch him for a moment, then slowly nod my head. He takes my left hand, slides the diamond wedding ring off my finger, and tosses it carelessly onto the floor. His arm snakes around my waist, and in a blink, he lifts me off the bed as if I weigh nothing, then sets me down gently on my feet. After that, he walks toward the wardrobe and returns with a silk robe in a striking shade of fuchsia, holding it out to me like an offering.
