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I nod, stepping forward and sliding the golden ring from my ring. I can’t believe I kept it on for this long. I should’ve tossed the thing away a long fucking time ago.
I drop the ring into Xavier’s outstretched palm, and my eyes shoot up to meet his.
I couldn’t be more thrilled to finally be free of the shackles that bound me to him, but I’m painfully aware of what I’ll have to give the man for my freedom.
“Thank you,” Xavier tells me with a smirk. “That’ll be all.”
And just like that, our marriage is over. Those vows we said to one another meant nothing at all.
I’m unable to read Xavier. I’m unsure how he feels about this relationship ending, but in the end, I decide I don’t really give a damn.
Crestfallen, Liberato declines Xavier’s suggestion for drinks. We depart toward the car, and on the way, I feel Xavier’s eyes boring into the back of my head. He’s watching me for a reaction, but I refuse to give him one. Let the prick fucking think I don’t give a damn.
Once we’re back in the car, Liberato behind the wheel and Heath and I in the back, I slide up the partition that will give us some privacy. Liberato’s eyes find mine in the rearview mirror just before it closes. I can tell he’s worried, too. I’m sure he’ll want to help Heath find a way out of this... But something tells me this time it won’t be possible.
Heath and I are alone now, and he reaches for my hand, pulling it into his lap.
“I have something to tell you,” I blurt.
“Oh?” His pained eyes find mine. “What is it?”
For the first time since Xavier offered us the deal, I inspect Heath.
He doesn’t look just tired and worn. He looks broken. Just like I used to be before he found me.
“Heath, I... I know this isn’t a good time and it probably won’t seem like good news, but...”
His eyes bore into mine expectantly.
“I’m pregnant,” I whisper. “I realized it today. I’m late and I’m never late, and... I just know.”
He stares at me, and I watch the reactions change on his face. First, there’s pure elation and delight, but it fades into anxiousness and then a look of defeat.
“Oh, Rain, that’s wonderful,” he mutters. “I’m going to be a father?”
“Yes,” I manage a weak smile. “Our first baby.”
“One of many,” he reminds me, squeezing my hands in his. “But the first one is always so special, right?”
“Right,” I whisper, feeling utterly broken.
As if he’s only just realized what he’s said and what it all means, Heath curses under his breath. Neither of us says another word for the rest of the drive home. Heath is just as deep in thought as I am.
I know this deal shouldn’t change things. After all, Xavier agreed to let our child live with us until his or her eighteenth birthday. That’s eighteen years of happiness ahead of us. But my mind is only fixating on the negative. Painful reminders that it won’t last make tears well up in my eyes.
I turn my head to the side and stare at the changing landscape out of my window.
I will love this baby no matter what.
I will not let the deal I made today affect my family.
And by God, I will get my child back.
My hatred for Xavier has never burned brighter, and I know it’ll be the same with Heath. I look back at him and our eyes meet. I give him a smile with which I convey it all. My despair, but also the fire I feel has been lit under me. The eagerness to protect our growing family and take what’s ours.
“We’re going to fight him,” I tell Heath. “And this time, we’ll win.”
Heath nods, and his smile grows.
“That’s my fucking girl,” he says with a wide grin that makes me hopeful for our future.
Chapter sixteen
2 months later
Rain’s belly is starting to show.
It’s the most barely noticeable bump, but because I’m with her every day, I notice the smallest change in her body. I marvel as it thickens bit by bit, telling Rain I see a change every day. Some days, I get laughing and a warm embrace in return. Other days, she barely manages a weak smile.
I know the deal we made with Xavier is weighing heavily on her, because the weight is just as hard to take for me. But I’m determined to get us both through it. There’s nothing but positivity and happiness in our future. Xavier is no longer after us, and Xander hasn’t been seen in months.
“Heath, some mail for you.” Liberato walks up to where Rain and I are cuddling on a couch. “And get a room.”
“And deprave you of watching?” I smirk, taking the envelope from his hands. “I don’t hate you, L, I want you to have some pleasure in your life.”
