Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 124451 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 622(@200wpm)___ 498(@250wpm)___ 415(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 124451 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 622(@200wpm)___ 498(@250wpm)___ 415(@300wpm)
If Mom senses me watching, she doesn’t let it show, and turns her back to make her way around the Aston Martin. I follow her every step, the resentment eating me alive when I catch sight of her bare arms and back covered in finger-shaped bruises. My eyes widen and anger like I’ve never felt bursts through my chest. “Seems I’m not the one wearing red marks,” I spit, shoving the door open hard and throwing myself out of the Mustang.
“Oh, fuck,” I hear Tanner grunt, knowing damn well if he doesn’t move his ass, he’s about to miss the excitement.
I fly over the small hedge between the two properties, and by the time Mom and Orlando notice me coming, I’m already right in front of them, a bull ready to charge. I grip Mom’s arm and shove her away, forcing her behind me as I slam my hands against Orlando’s chest with such force that he fumbles back, quickly trying to catch himself to avoid falling into the grass. “You absolute piece of shit. How dare you put your hands on my mom!” I roar, not giving a shit if every last bastard on the street can hear.
“BRIELLE!” my mother shrieks.
Orlando comes back at me, anger and humiliation taking over. His hand whips out toward my arm but Tanner is right there, pulling me out of the way. “Put one fucking hand on her and I’ll fuck you up so fast not even you could get yourself out of that shit,” he says, his tone so calm and controlled, it’s eerie and sends a shiver sailing down my spine.
Orlando stops, knowing he’s no match for Tanner. Hell, he’s already experienced his wrath once before, and that was barely scratching the surface. So instead, he gets right in Tanner’s face, his whole body shaking with rage. “You watch yourself, boy,” he mutters. “You’re in no position to be making demands. It would be a shame if certain photographs found themselves in someone else’s hands.”
“Fuck off with your bullshit threats,” I spit, pushing my way back in front of Tanner, not ready to let him be the star of this particular showdown. “My mother might be a fucking pushover and willing to accept your shit, but I’m not.”
“Brielle,” my mother warns again, her tone suggesting I should shut the fuck up before I take things too far. “You need to stop.”
I scoff, barely glancing over my shoulder at her. “Look at yourself,” I seethe. “I’m not fucking blind. I can see the bruises all over your back and arms. Are you so fucking desperate for a social standing that you’ll put up with that? Pack your bags and leave. Why do you stay here? He’s treated you like shit since the day we moved in.” Turning my attention back to Orlando, I step forward, getting stupidly close. “Does it make you feel like a man? Hitting her? Grabbing her arm and knocking her around like a fucking ragdoll? Or do you just get off seeing the marks you leave on her skin?”
Orlando clenches his jaw, barely holding himself back from beating me to a fucking pulp. “You stupid girl,” he spits. “You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”
“I know you’re a piece of shit who likes to exercise his power over other people, and soon enough, the whole fucking world will know it too. You’re a dirty lawyer and an even dirtier husband. You’re nothing but a cancer, infecting everyone with your bullshit,” I tell him, letting him hear the repulsion and venom in my tone. “You put your hands on her ever again, and Tanner won’t be the one you’ll need to watch out for. It’ll be me.”
“Bri,” Mom snaps, gripping my arm and spinning me to face her. “That’s enough.”
“Excuse me?”
“Where do you get off thinking you can speak to my husband in this way?” she demands, her face turning red. “You don’t know anything about the inner workings of our relationship.”
“I know you decided to humiliate yourself and push me away to protect this new, fucked-up lifestyle of yours.”
“Is that what you truly think of me?” she questions, hurt in her eyes.
I stare at her in horror, unable to understand how she can’t see the effect of her own actions. “Are you kidding me?” I question. “Can you honestly not see how far you’ve pushed me away? How things have changed since you allowed yourself to be manipulated and controlled by this asshole? Come on, Mom. You used to be so strong. Where’s the mother I had in Hope Falls? She was incredible and my best friend, but you … You’re nothing but a stranger to me now.”
Mom gives me a hard stare before stepping toward me, venom in her eyes. “You can’t be here. You need to leave,” she warns, her words lingering in the air between us. Her voice trembles and before she continues, the venom in her eyes morphs into fear, her hands shaking at her side, and it puts me on edge. There’s something more going on here, I just wish I knew what. “Get your things and never come back here.”