AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Beck throws a dirty look over his shoulder as he’s walking out. “Not helpin’, Clayton.”
Clayton finds this especially amusing if his laughter is any indication.
Colby whistles softly. “Shit, he finally did it.”
“Looks like it,” Clay agrees. “About damn time.”
“Finally did what?”
“Cut Nicky loose,” Colby explains. “He’s tried multiple times, but she always managed to sink her claws in and convince him to give her another shot. I don’t know what the hell he was thinkin’, doing it in public, though. He had to have known she’d make a scene.”
“She wouldn’t be Nicky if she didn’t,” Clay adds.
Beck tried breaking up with her before? What about all the supposed marriage talk? And why do I care?
“I need to hit the ladies’ room. Be back in a bit.”
I take off like my butt is on fire, heading down the long hallway to the bathrooms. I duck inside the ladies’ and take a few deep breaths once I’m safely behind the closed door. My eyes widen when I see my reflection in the mirror above the sinks. My face is flushed, and my eyes are wild. My chest is heaving like those women in the historical romances I used to enjoy reading before Sebastian sucked all the joy out of them.
I turn on the tap and run my wrists under cold water, trying to calm my racing pulse. Why am I having such a strong physical reaction to what just went down with Beck and his girlfriend? Ex-girlfriend, I mean. Was she right? Did Beck just break up with her because I’m back in town? Based on my first encounter with him, I’d dismiss the possibility entirely. But after what happened earlier, I don’t know. I think it just might be entirely... possible. But why? I’m not single. Not technically. And it’s not like either one of us can just forget the last twelve years happened and go back to the way things were. There are so many obstacles in the way, it’s almost comical.
The question is, why am I actually considering facing them one by one until nothing is standing in our way?
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Presley
I’m woken by the buzzing under my pillow. I have no clue what time it is, but it’s still dark outside. I reach for the phone blindly until my hand finds purchase and hit the accept button.
“Hello,” I mumble.
“Hello, Presley. Did I wake you?”
I’m instantly alert as Sebastian’s voice registers. Damn it, if I wasn’t half-asleep when it rang, I would’ve thought about the fact that no one that has this number would be calling me before sunrise.
I switch the bedside lamp on and sit up. “How did you get this number?”
“Now, is that any way to speak to your husband? Especially one as forgiving as I am?”
“Forgiving?” I scoff. “You’re one of the least forgiving people I know, Sebastian. Now, how did you get my number?”
He releases a dark chuckle. “Did you really think I wouldn’t find you? That I wouldn’t have people watching you? I knew where you were heading the moment I realized you had left the hospital. Getting a new phone number was a cute attempt to evade me, I must admit, but I’ve grown tired of this game, Presley. People are starting to question your absence. Visiting your parents for three weeks is a bit excessive, don’t you think?”
My blood runs cold. It’s one thing if he knows where I’m at. It’s an entirely different ballgame if he genuinely has eyes on me. I’ve been expecting him to possibly show up, but not once did I consider he’d have me followed. If Sebastian came to Hope, he’d stick out like a sore thumb. My family knows him; half this town knows what he looks like. I’d have a warning, and I could ensure I had a barrier in place. An unknown threat seems almost worse. If I don’t know what to look for, how can I protect myself? I think back to the two times I’ve been in town. Was someone following me? Was there anyone suspicious in the bar last night? I take a deep breath to gather the strength I need.
“First of all, it’s not a game, Sebastian. Secondly, I’m not comin’ back. In fact, I’ve hired an attorney to file for divorce.” Okay, so I will be hiring an attorney on Monday. Close enough. “You should expect to hear from her soon. If you have anything else to say to me, you can do it through her.”
I’m just about to hang up when he says, “I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Presley. You’re not going to like the consequences.”
“I’m quite familiar with the consequences you’re capable of deliverin’, Sebastian. I have several broken bones that never healed properly to prove it. Nothing you say will make me change my mind. I’m done livin’ with your abuse.”
“Trust me when I say you have no idea what I’m capable of if you push this, Presley. I didn’t spend the last twelve years of my life trying to smother your inner country bumpkin to have it all thrown away over nothing. Do you even hear yourself? After only a few weeks back in the Deep South, your hick is showing.”
“Nothing?!” I shout, completely ignoring his remark about my accent. Fact is, I’ve never been able to conceal it when I get fired up, but since I so rarely fought back, he wouldn’t know that. “Did you forget about the part where you continuously beat me? Or when you cheated on me? How about the part right before I left where you raped me?”
“I did no such thing. We both know you wanted it. That you get off when I’m rough with you because you’re my dirty whore. Now, I won’t repeat myself, watch how you’re speaking to me, or you’re going to force me to punish you twice as hard.”
I throw the covers off my body and leap out of bed, enraged. “Fuck you, Sebastian! I am your nothing! You don’t get to tell me what to do ever again! I should’ve left years ago! There’s not a snowball’s chance in hell I will ever come back, so you’d better prepare yourself now. I will be filin’ for divorce, and I will no longer be your wife. If you want to push me, trust me when I say you won’t like the consequences. Don’t forget about that little video I have on my phone.”
