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After work, I leave and go to his house where I’ve been forced to stay since he moved my shit there. Robert shows up late as I’m warming up a frozen entree. While I’d rather pretend he’s not home, he forces my attention to him.
“You look like utter shit,” he hisses as soon as he sees me. He doesn’t sit but rather crosses his arms. “When you quit your job, I expect you to look put together and at least try. I won’t have you staying home, lounging in filth like this.”
I have no energy to argue with him. “What do you want?”
The quicker he says what he needs to say, the sooner he’ll leave me alone, and right now, I want my distance from him more than anything.
“There’s one more thing we need to add to our agreement,” he says with a pushy edge to his tone as if I’m one of his clients and still need to sign on the dotted line. Though he may have gotten the upper end of the deal—considering he wants me to have his children, quit my job, and play the role of the perfect housewife and mother for the rest of my life—I plan to get the last laugh. Happy wife, happy life, right? I can guarantee I’ll be miserable, and so will he.
“What is it?” When the microwave dings, I grab my shitty enchiladas and a fork, then plop on the couch. He looks so damn offended that I’m not eating at the kitchen table and will probably explode at any second now. Crossing his arms, he moves where he’s in my view and blocks the TV.
“The night of our wedding, I want us to have sex. I think it’s important we consummate our marriage properly.”
This has me nearly choking on my food, and I glare at him. Has he lost his damn mind?
I’ve never been so damn thankful to be on birth control. There’s no way in hell I’m going off it, either. But he’s so ate up in his own damn self that he doesn’t even realize I’m still on the pill. Hell, I might take double doses to ensure I don’t get pregnant. While I do want kids someday, I don’t wanthis.
“That wasn’t a part of the original agreement. You can’t just change things two days beforehand because you didn’t think about it.”
“Gemma. I want to have children as soon as possible to please my family and continue my legacy. That’s always been a part of our plan. And the sooner we try, the quicker it’ll happen. You know it’s tradition for a husband and wife to sleep together on their wedding night.”
“Will the deed be signed on Monday then?” I ask.
“I will sign when we return from our honeymoon,” he states matter-of-factly. “It should be obvious how much trust I have for you, and I need to make sure you’ll keep your end of the deal before I give you anything. You’re too conniving.”
I bite my tongue at his audacity. “This is purely transactional, Robert. All of it. The wedding. Having children. All you’re doing is checking boxes on your life list, and I’m disgusted that I’m being forced to be a part of it. So you give me what I want, and I’ll bow down and do what you say.”
He chuckles. “Force you? You agreed to it, Gemma. Don’t you fucking forget that. Every night on our honeymoon, we will be having sex. I want you pregnant as soon as possible.”
“I’m compromising a lot for you. I have to know you’re gonna follow through and give me what I want because Idon’ttrust you. I can’tunhavesex with you if you decide not to fulfill your end of the bargain. If you can’t agree, I’ll walk away right now and deal with the consequences. It’ll be much worse to call everyone and let them know the wedding is off forty-eight hours beforehand,” I threaten, and he seems to finally understand how serious I am.
“You’re not gonna play me for a goddamn fool, Gemma. You’re nothing but a selfish bitch, something that you’ve proven to me time and again over the past year. You’re only worried about yourself. I honestly don’t understand why my parents love you so goddamn much.”
I scoff. “You’re a hypocrite. If anyone has been selfish, it’s you. You pushed me away. You made me feel like I was second class next to your work and your clients. The only time youeverfucking wanted me around was to show off. Maybe if you weren’t a damn sociopath and had an ounce of empathy in your body, you’d be able to see why we didn’t work out. Just so you know, it wasn’t because of me. I’m convinced you’re incapable of loving anyone or anything other than money,” I throw back at him.
My words don’t faze him, but it seems he’s considering what I’ve said. Canceling the wedding this soon would be too devastating for him to handle and would take a lot of cleanup. He huffs, and for once, I think I have him by the balls. “Fine. I’ll sign the deed on Monday, but only if you agree to my additional terms.”
I suck in a deep breath. “Okay. If that’s what it’ll take.”
“Saturday after the wedding, we’ll make love and have a proper night as husband and wife. Monday morning, I’ll sign over the deed. Friday, we leave for our honeymoon, and you know what is to take place there.”
That gives me another idea. “One more thing. If you screw me over and don’t sign, I won’t be going on the honeymoon. The whole town will hear about it because you know how fast gossip spreads here.”
He glares as if he’s annoyed by my audacity to assume he’d find a loophole out of giving me what I want after I give him what he wants. But I wasn’t born yesterday. I’ve heard a lot of his negotiations, and the key is to think of every opportunity that can screw you over.
“Then I expect you to quit your job immediately. If you agree to all that, it’s a deal.” He holds out his hand. I contemplate not taking it, but I know I have no choice. I reach out and shake it, and he grins. I want to throw up in my mouth as he walks away with a bounce to his step. Instead of eating my gross food, all I can do is cry. All of this is almost too emotionally taxing for me to handle.
I put on my wedding dress and hate the way it looks on me. I would’ve never chosen this for myself, but I’m sure he’ll love it. Before I go out and exchange I do’s with the man I hate, I drink myself stupid. There’s no way I can do it sober. Everleigh and Katie try to convince me to leave, but I continue to take shots of Fireball and act as happy as I can around Robert’s family. I have no plans to be a runaway bride today because too much is at stake. Anyone who doesn’t know me probably thinks I’m ecstatic. The persona he’s created makes him seem like the whole package. People think I’m the luckiest girl on earth for finding such a catch, and I want to scream that this is hell. Money doesn’t buy happiness or orgasms.
When it comes time to walk down the aisle, I reek of cinnamon and booze. Dad gives me a once-over, and I see a flash of concern on his face when I nearly trip over my heels, but he doesn’t say anything. He didn’t want me to go through with this, but I put my foot down. Losing the house and cottage wasn’t an option, and I explained that several times. As soon as the wedding song plays, I wish I would’ve brought the Fireball with me because I could use another shot. I wear a fake smile and continue forward, one foot at a time, knowing what I have to lose and gain.
The ceremony passes by in a flash, which I’m thankful for. I don’t remember anything that happens during. I don’t recall his mouth pressing against mine or the photographer snapping a hundred photos. Afterward, I go straight to the bar and order more shots. Though Everleigh and Katie are concerned for me, they encourage and join in. Robert’s friends and family stare, but I don’t give two shits what they think. Instead, I’m determined to be the life of the party, even if it’s in my head, and I’m happy to give his boring, stuck-up rich friends something to talk about. Robert scolds me like a child when we dance, but I don’t care.
You only get married once, right?The thought has me laughing because all of this is a damn disaster.
If he wants to have sex with me, I’ll be so drunk I won’t remember his hands on me. When the world tilts, and I feel as though I’m going to throw up, I realize I’ve accomplished my goal. A mischievous grin spreads across my face as he’s forced to keep me from falling on my ass. He cusses at me for ruining our wedding night, but for me, it’s mission accomplished. Tonight, I win—not Robert—regardless of what he thinks.
Monday morning comes quickly, and I’m determined to make Robert keep his word despite not being able to consummate our marriage. He suggested we could Sunday night, but I told him I still felt hungover and nauseous. That was enough to make him walk away.
