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"Where the hell have you been?" Harry snaps, getting to his feet.
My entire body slumps forward. He's in one of his moods again. "I had a coffee date with Serenity," I tell him. "I hadn't seen her in a while. It was just a coffee and lunch."
He moves toward me. "How the fuck am I supposed to believe that shit?" he snarls. "Hmm? Tell me, Esmerelda, how? Are you fucking cheating on me?"
I rear backward, shocked and appalled that he'd accuse me of something like that. "No. God, I have never cheated on you."
He reaches for me, his fingers digging into my cheeks. "You had better keep it that way. Don't think I won't find out if you were."
I whimper as his fingers dig deeper into my flesh. I cry out softly as he releases me. "I haven't," I whisper, tears slowly falling down my face.
"Good. Now where's all this money coming from? Hmm? How were you able to pay for coffee and lunch?"
I swallow hard. Shit, I fucked up. I should have never said that.
"You're hiding money from me?" he accuses. "You know that we're saving for our home and the wedding. Why are you spending my money?"
It's not his. It's mine. I earned it. I worked my ass off for it. I put the majority of my earnings into a joint bank account. I never told him that I always keep some behind.
"You stupid bitch," he hisses, spittle flying everywhere. "You really think you're slick spending my money?" He shakes his head. "Mom was right. You're nothing but a fucking gold-digging whore."
"What?" I breathe, unable to believe what I'm hearing.
His chuckle is anything but pleasant. "You heard. Now, I'm warning you, Esmerelda. You and I both know that you'll never get better than me. If I were you, I'd lose weight and start realizing that I'm the only man who would ever put up with your bullshit. You're worthless. You bring nothing to this relationship. Hell, you're not even that great at sex."
My tears fall harder. I'm barely able to breathe through the sobs that wrack through my body. He's never been this awful before.
"Clean yourself up," he sneers. "You're pathetic." He reaches for his keys on the coffee table and pushes past me. "Don't wait up," he taunts when he reaches the door. "I'm going out."
"Where? With who?" I ask, hating that I'm sounding needy.
His eyes narrow into near slits. "Not this fucking shit again. What the hell, Esmerelda? You never trust me."
"You're leaving again. Every night this week you've spent away from the house. You come home past two a.m. and act as though nothing has happened. If you're not cheating on me, what are you doing?"
His laughter reverberates around the house, and he doesn't answer the question. The door slams behind him and my sobs wrack harder. God, why does he hate me so much? I haven't done anything but be loving and supportive of him and he treats me as though I'm nothing but dirt beneath his feet. He flaunts women in my face, acting as though I'm the one who’s crazy.
I don't know if I can do this any longer. He's driving me insane. He's making me feel as though I'm not good enough anymore. I'm losing myself even more every day.
But I'm stuck. I have no savings, no home, nothing. How do I escape when I have nothing at all?
CHAPTER3
REAPER
SIX MONTHS AGO
Idrum my fingers against the table as everyone starts to file into the room. Everyone is wearing an apprehensive look as Prez called church and none of us know what the hell happened to have him gather everyone.
“What the fuck is going on? The old ladies look as though they’re about to kill someone and Prez doesn’t look much better,” Storm says as he strolls into the room.
I roll my eyes. The man is a fucking wild card and always has been. My brother is the fucking heart and soul of this place, always smiling and joking with everyone. But I know it's a show that he puts on, just as the rest of us, our pasts have shaped who we are. They have led us to this club, to this chapter. To become Vipers.
“Sit down, Storm. Once you do, you’ll find out,” Mayhem snarls, and I raise a brow. May is usually easygoing. The only way to piss him off is to go after his family. So now I have my full attention on what the fuck is going on.
“I hear that Pepper’s pregnant,” Ace starts off, and my stomach drops.
What?
