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"Only every second. I knew you didn’t want to marry a perfect stranger—"
"You were a perfect stranger."
"I was your boss; you’d gotten to know me. You knew there was chemistry between us."
"Oh, so that makes it all justifiable. That you gave me a job under false pretext, a job I was woefully unqualified for—"
"And which you performed well."
"—and just because we were attracted to each other doesn’t mean I wanted to marry you."
"Marriages have been built on less. And you have to admit, the physical connection between us is mind-blowing."
"But I want more." I turn on him. "I understand, you express yourself through your actions. I think it’s why you wanted to tie me up. It’s how you showed me you care for me, in your own way. It’s how you wanted to share with me what you feel for me. But if you can’t give words to your sentiments… If you can’t open your mouth and elaborate what it is you feel for me… Then, I’m not sure we have a future, especially after—" I tug the sheet tighter. "After everything you just told me."
"I’m sorry, I hurt you. I’m sorry, I couldn’t play by the rules. I’m sorry, I wasn’t open about my intentions. But if I had been, would you have given me a chance?"
I stay silent.
His throat moves as he swallows. “I know what kind of a person I am. I know I’m not good enough for you."
"What are you talking about?" I frown.
“I spied on you, yet I couldn’t tell your stepmother and half-sisters were not treating you well. I’ll never forgive myself for that.”
I rub at my temple. “They were subtle about how they hurt me. Oftentimes, their remarks almost seemed like compliments, but I knew they were meant to be hurtful.”
"I should have paid more attention.”
“It’s not like you could have intervened,” I point out.
“I’d have found a way. If I had been a better man, not so focused only on my own needs, I’d have stepped in. It’s why you should have married someone better, someone who could be more open with his emotions and give you the emotional security you deserve. Someone 'more normal.' Someone who’d give you a white picket fence and a house in the suburbs and—"
"And you’re wrong. Those are external trappings. I just want someone who loves me."
His chest rises and falls. A fleet of expressions crosses his face. He opens his mouth, and I’m sure this is it. This is when he'll say those three words that will change everything. Instead, when he speaks, it’s to growl, "Nothing can change the fact that we’re married." He continues in a hard voice, "The ceremony was real. The paperwork around it was real."
There’s a tinge of desperation in his voice.Edward and desperate? Nope, that must be my imagination. He's a lying, conniving, bastard. That’s who he is.
"Are you hearing yourself? I’m talking about the fact you violated my personal boundaries." That’s not all he violated, but the physical aspect of it… I can’t bring that into the equation, because I enjoyed it. Damn him, but he took me to heights I didn’t think I'd ever reach. He showed me the kind of pleasure that's imprinted on every pore in my body—his touch is stamped into my skin and his name is painted into the most secret parts of my body, thanks to the intensity with which he fucked me. And it wasfucking. Itwasn’tlovemaking. I might have fooled myself into thinking otherwise, but it wasn't love. It can’t be love. The fact he overstepped the limits of my personal space, breached my faith… It’s not something I can look past.
"And you’re still my wife."
That’s when his phone buzzes.
58
Edward
"You shouldn’t have rushed back," G-Pa says from his bed. Tiny is on his haunches near him, and G-Pa keeps reaching out to pet him. The Great Dane welcomed me and my wife when we arrived, then went back to being by my G-Pa’s side. The friendship between the two of them has deepened since I last saw them.
"Of course, we should have." My wife slides into the chair next to G-Pa’s bed and takes his hand in hers. "I’m glad you’re okay."
"There’s nothing wrong with me," he insists.
"Of course, not," she says in a soothing voice.
"Don’t patronize me, young lady," he says in a half-stern voice.
