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Brielle swallowed hard, clasping her hands tightly together. Tad still hadn’t spoken, and yet the air got harder to breathe. Her lungs wheezed with the effort it took to drag the oxygen into them.
If this was the right decision, why was she still feeling so sick to her stomach?
When a few minutes passed and Tad still hadn’t uttered a word, she finally looked up at him. That darkness she’d seen earlier was more prominent. His jaw hardened, the planes making him appear more dangerous than she’d ever witnessed before.
Tad edged closer to her, and it took all of her power not to withdraw from him and show just how intimidated she felt. His voice lowered, and he shook his head. “I don’t think you realize the position you’ve put me in.”
She lifted her chin and her whole body stiffened. “I told you I was sorry. I didn’t ask you to come.”
“No, you didn’t. But I did, and then you let me stay.”
“You forced yourself into my life. You wouldn’t give me the divorce.”
He let out a bark of laughter. “Seriously? What kind of person would let a stranger call the shots? How much trouble would you have really dealt with if you had just told me to leave? I don’t believe for one second that you were worried about what your father thought of you—or your family.” He laughed again, but this one was more sinister. “And the town of gossips? Your reputation isn’t worth all that.”
As much as she wanted to scream at him that he would never understand what she had to go through, being raised by her father, she kept her mouth shut. It was partly because she didn’t want to make him angrier and partly because he was right.
She’d made several bad decisions. It was like she’d been walking through a fog, unable to see where she was going and blindly making choices so she could feel somethingdifferent.
Well, now she had some clarity, and she wasn’t about to let him bully her into staying anymore. Brielle crossed her arms, laying her hardest glare on him. “You might as well leave. I’m not going to play this game anymore. I’m not afraid of what anyone thinks, and I’m getting those divorce papers signed whether you like it or not.”
He threw back his head and let out a sharp laugh. “Do you honestly think that you can just kick me to the curb without suffering any consequences? Man, you’re dumber than you look. You… Wade… even his family have given me all the ammunition to do whatever I want.” His voice dropped to a growl. “You’re going to stay married to me. Better yet, you’re going to renew your vows in front of everyone and we’re going to make a big show of it.”
“Over my dead body,” she said.
“Yeah? Well, I suppose you have a hard decision to make.”
“What are you talking about? This has got to be the easiest decision of my life.” She rose taller, straightening her back. “You’re leaving, and I’m going to sleep like a baby with you gone.”
“And the man you love will be locked away for five to sixteen years.” Tad tilted his head and his eyes flashed with glee. “From what I know about Wade, it’s gonna be on the longer end. What do you think? Second-degree assault? Second offense?”
Confusion and terror wove together, forming a noose that seemed to cut off any attempt to breathe. Brielle stared at Tad, unable to form a single word.
His mouth curled into a sinister smile. “See? I didn’t know if I had a leg to stand on—especially when I got here and didn’t know much about this place. I figured my best chance was to make you fall for me. But boy, you just served yourself up on a silver platter. Then Wade had to go and lose his temper. It all worked out rather perfectly.”
Her legs had turned into jelly, and there was no feeling left in her fingers. The blood had all drained from her body and she felt like a shell of the woman she once was. “You’re going to leave Wade alone if I remarry you,” she whispered, still trying to wrap her head around what he’d said. She could go to her godfather, the sheriff, and report Tad. What he was doing had to be illegal, right?
But he had Wade dead to rights. Wade had committed a crime. Tad was allowed to press charges.
“That’s right. You tell everyone you still love me, and you want to spend the rest of your life with me—then I’ll leave Wade out of all of this. Of course, you can’t tell a soul because that would ruin everything.”
Her eyes flitted up to meet his. “Why?” she demanded.
Tad lifted a shoulder. “I’m a poor kid from Nevada. For all intents and purposes, you’re an heiress.”
“You did this for the money?”
He snorted. “Why else would someone travel all the way from Vegas to Colorado for someone they met ten years ago? Forlove?” His derisive tone was the final thing to shatter her resolve.
Brielle squeezed her eyes shut. She deserved this. What was it people called it?
Right.
Karma.
She’d been skirting the rules since she was a teenager and now justice was finally being served. Brielle was a fool for thinking she’d ever be able to find and keep love—the kind of love her sisters had.
She almost found it a couple times, but she’d allowed herself to get in her own way time and time again. Tad’s threats had only served one purpose.
