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“Eat up, sweetheart.”
“Thank you. This looks delicious.”
Robert’s a great cook. In fact, he’s good at everything he does, or at least, it seems that way. I don’t think he’s bad at anything. He always gets what he wants and works hard to make sure it stays that way. It can be intimidating because compared to him, I always feel as though I’m lacking.
We make small talk while we eat but don’t chat about anything in particular. His responses are quick and to the point, which is odd, considering he loves to talk in depth about work. I can tell something is off, but I’m not sure if I should bring it up.
After our plates are empty, I thank him again for cooking, then I clear the table. I rinse the dishes and soak the pans, then Robert mentions we should watch a movie as I suggested last Thursday.
As I snuggle against him while a war movie plays, he wraps his arm around me and squeezes me closer to his body. “So, I was thinking it’s time for you to quit your job.”
When I look at him, a lump forms in my throat. He’s dead serious.
“What did you say?”
“There’s no reason for you to work, Gemma. I’ll be taking care of you.”
My mouth falls open, and I’m almost at a loss for words. “Robert, I can’t just quit my job. I work for my family’s business.”
His eyes harden. “Then your dad needs to fire Tyler. He’s the one who hired him after all.”
I tilt my head at him and realize this isn’t about him wanting to provide for his future wife. It’s something different.
Furrowing my brows, I look at the man in front of me and wonder when the hell he changed. Or maybe I’m the one who has? Perhaps he’s been this way all along, and I’ve been blind to it.
“What does Tyler have to do with anything?” I ask. And why did he wait two days to bring this up? He apologized for his behavior yesterday, and now tonight it’s like our conversation never happened.
Robert stands, then turns on the lights. His face is red as he begins pacing the living room. Adrenaline rushes through me as I watch him getting worked up, more than I’ve ever seen.
“Tyler is dangerous!” he shouts. “I don’t want my future wife around a criminal. I don’t give two fucks if he claims he was ‘set up.’ How can you or anyone trust a convict like him?”
I glare at him as he continues raising his voice. He’s yelling at me like I’m a child, and I’m two seconds away from grabbing my keys and bolting.
“On top of his shady drug dealing past, I don’t like the way he fucking looks at you—like you’re a piece of meat and drooling over you. You are mine, Gemma. You. Are. Mine!” He picks up a picture frame and whips it across the room. The glass shatters against the wall, making me jump.
“Robert, stop! You’re scaring me,” I tell him. I see the crazed look in his eyes, and it makes me want to crawl out of my skin. “Tyler is just trying to get his life back on track. He’s not a threat to anyone.”
“Bullshit! I have lost all respect for your father. He’s useless.”
Hearing him talk about my dad makes me snap. No one gets to talk shit about my family, especially not him.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I stand and speak louder, meeting his level of rage. “You’re not going to talk about my dad like that. He did Tyler a favor because that’s the kind of man my father is. I didn’t even know Tyler was applying for the job, so you’re making it out to be something it’s not, which is seriously pathetic. You need to grow up, Robert. Not everything is about you!” Weeks of pent-up stress and frustration blow through me as he works my last nerve.
Robert snarls at me, stepping closer with darkness in his eyes. “Why are you defending Tyler again?” He studies me with a harsh expression. “Are you sleeping with him?”
My jaw nearly falls to the floor, and I’m in such shock that I slightly lose my words, and then the anger begins to boil over. His accusation is a slap in the face, and I shake my head, seeing red. “How dare you! How fucking dare you!”
“Well?” He waits with his arms crossed over this chest as if my reaction wasn’t enough of an answer.
I walk out of the living room to the kitchen island, then grab my purse. I’m not wasting another minute on this ridiculous conversation. As soon as I turn to walk out, Robert grabs my wrist and pulls me back.
“You’re not leaving,” he demands.
“I don’t know how you have the audacity to look me in the eyes and ask if I’ve slept with another man. How can you even think that? I’ve been one-hundred percent loyal to you and our relationship the entire time. I agreed to marry you, for god’s sake!”
