Total pages in book: 266
Estimated words: 250787 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1254(@200wpm)___ 1003(@250wpm)___ 836(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 250787 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1254(@200wpm)___ 1003(@250wpm)___ 836(@300wpm)
“I needed you, and you left me.” The sound of her voice breaking makes my chest tighten.
“I left for you.”
She sniffs, and her eyes look around the room, unable to meet mine. “I…I’m sorry for what she did to you.”
I’m not sure if she’s referring to four years ago or this past week. I’m afraid to even ask how much Kashton and Saint have told her, so I say, “Charlotte, it wasn’t your fault.”
“But that’s why you wanted me, right?” Her tear-filled eyes meet mine, and I realize she’s referring to back then. “When you found out who I really was. Because of her…because of what my mother did to you and your brothers? I was your revenge.”
“Yes,” I answer her honestly.
She nods her head, her bottom lip trembling.
“But then I fell in love with you,” I add. “And none of that mattered.”
She gives a rough laugh. “How can you say none of it mattered? She tortured you. She tortured your brothers…you should have let her take what she wanted.”
“She wanted you,” I growl. That was her endgame. She wanted my wife to take over her fucked-up operation. I was just a bonus. Bill was right; Charlotte would never be the Lady that Isabella wanted her to be. She knew she needed leverage, and I was it.
“Come here, doll face,” I order softly, but she stays leaning up against the door. Pushing up off the bed, I get to my feet, wanting to walk over to her, but I sway a little and sit back onto the bed.
She’s in front of me the next second, scolding me. “Be careful.”
I part my thighs and pull her to stand between them. Her blue eyes narrow on mine. “You tricked me. Again.”
I link my fingers behind her back, holding her in place. I’m weak right now, but I feel like I can still hold her. Now if she pulls out a knife to stab me or starts swinging, she’ll win. “I did what I thought was right. When put in any kind of situation where it’s either you or me, it’ll always be you.” I’ll always put her first.
Taking in a deep breath, she places her small hands on my face as her eyes search mine. Fuck, I never thought I’d see them again any other time than in my dreams. But that’ll never compare to the real thing. “Why do you always give yourself up for everyone else?”
Jesus! How much have they told her?
“I didn’t want you to save me.”
“That’s my job—”
“My life doesn’t matter if I don’t have you in it.” She interrupts me. “Don’t you get that?”
Unlinking my fingers, I reach up and brush her hair back from her face, watching her pretty eyes swim in the tears that refuse to fall. “You said you wanted to spend forever with me. Do you still mean that?” I ask even though she’s stuck with me. We took vows, and she wears my ring. My name is branded on her ass, for fuck’s sake.
“To some, forever is only a matter of seconds.” She throws my previous words back into my face.
A smile tugs at my lips, and she frowns. How can I possibly find that funny? Lifting her left hand, I look at her wedding ring. “There is no amount of time that will be enough with you,” I tell her, my eyes meet hers again to see the first tear fall over her bottom lashes. I brush it away from her cheek. “But I promise to be yours until the day that I die.” Thanks to Isabella, that might be longer than I originally had.
She holds up my ring between us. “If you put this back on, you better never take it off again.”
I smile, taking it from her, and slide it on my finger. “Never,” I promise, wrapping my arms back around her so she doesn’t pull away. “Tell me, doll face. What happened?” My eyes roam her face, looking for any other sign of trauma.
She licks her lips. “Bill punched me in the face…”
“He did what?” I shout, my body instantly shaking at her words, making her flinch. My blood pressure rises to the roof immediately.
Placing her hands gently on either side of her face, she adds, “It had to look real. I couldn’t just walk into Dollhouse…”
“You were fucking there?” I snap. This isn’t getting any better. My hands go to her yoga pants and yank them down, turning her to look at her ass. I release a sigh when I see my name branded on her ass. Hudson didn’t cut it off. It was just a hallucination.
“Haidyn.” She frowns, pulling them back up. “Yes. I was lying in bed with you. Spoke to you.”
When the fuck was she in bed with me? “Char—”
“I wasn’t going to stay behind while your brothers went to save my husband.” She places her forehead against mine and closes her eyes. “I’m glad you’re okay, Haidyn, but if you ever leave me again, I will throw another knife at you, and I will kill you myself.”