Total pages in book: 145
Estimated words: 136731 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 684(@200wpm)___ 547(@250wpm)___ 456(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 136731 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 684(@200wpm)___ 547(@250wpm)___ 456(@300wpm)
“What are you doing, baby?”
Slipping inside the bedroom, I close the bathroom door behind me with a gentle click then stand back against the cool surface for fear of getting too close. My lips part, and I manage, “This is what you wanted, right?”
With a slight shrug, the silky robe slides off my shoulders and down my back, pooling at my feet, leaving me exposed.
Julius sits up off the headboard. “Ana.”
My nickname comes out unsure, strangled.
But this is what I came here for. This is what he asked for. And he deserves answers.
Stepping forward, out of the dark and into bright strips of moonlight illuminating through the open blinds. He moves to stand, but stills as he sees. I know the exact moment he does, because his eyes widen then shutter, and dipping his chin, he curses through a hiss.
I am mortified.
This is hauntingly embarrassing.
My temple throbs as my eyes begin to burn, but I push on. I point a shaking finger to the raised scar above my hipbone. “The time Dino caught me smiling at our waiter.”
Julius raises his head to look at me, but I don’t dare meet his eye. Instead, I train my gaze on his heaving chest.
My eyes closed tightly, and I point to the scar on my left breast. “The time I received flowers anonymously.” Breathing in, I add on a shaky exhale, “Turns out, they were from my sister.”
Turning, I lift the right side of my panties to reveal the scar on my ass. Lowering my head, I dip my chin and utter a hoarse, “One of the many times Dino had Gio raped me and I made the mistake of moaning.” The first tear falls when I mutter a hushed, “Dino thought it was out of pleasure.” More tears fall. I whisper a miserable, “I was being torn apart.”
Still with my back to him, I reach over across my chest to place a hand gently on the scar at my left shoulder. “The time I didn’t say I love you fast enough.”
I turn again, and with my face lowered, I touch the scar at my ribs. “The time Dino found a text message on my phone from my brother, Miguel.” I blink down at the ground. “It was a photo of my husband at a bar, laughing in the company of another woman.”
My left thigh. “The time Luc made a joke about Dino and I laughed.”
Between my breast and underarm. “The time Dino forgot my birthday, and I didn’t remind him.”
Near my bellybutton. “The time I went to the mall and didn’t tell anyone.”
My hip. “The time I burned dinner.”
Not knowing how to be graceful about it, I simply touch the space between my thighs, gently cupping my most intimate place. “The time I stupidly asked Dino for a divorce.” He wouldn’t know it from my position, but this scar is relatively bigger than the others.
A sudden feeling of self-consciousness washes over me. I lift my shaking hands to cover my small breasts. I stand there a while before I find the words I am looking for.
“These are the scars he left me. And though these hurt, the most painful ones are those you can’t see.” I force open my eyes and meet his. “My husband convinced himself that he loved me. I was forced to love him back. I’m not sorry he’s dead.” My body shaking with pent up rage, I rasp, “I hated him.”
I am so miserable that I can barely get out the words. “My marriage consisted of three emotions. Happiness, anger, and sadness. Happiness when we first married, anger when I realized Dino wasn’t the prince I thought he was, and sadness when I finally understood that nobody was coming to save me.” I pause a short while, before adding coolly, “So I planned to save myself.”
As I stare into those blue eyes, I’m slightly shocked to find them devoid of pity.
Feeling empowered, I stand tall. Julius slides out of bed, naked as the day he was born, and walks over to me, his long, thick cock swinging. I hold his eyes. He gets closer and closer until we’re almost toe to toe. My heart beats faster and faster, and the mixture of feelings flowing inside me becomes too much. So much so it’s frightening.
Taking a shuddering breath, I close my eyes, feeling the heat of his bare body so close to mine.
He leans down and his chest brushes mine, causing a delicious friction on the way down. I swallow hard as my core pulses. When he straightens and my face gravitates upward, my lips silently seek his. I lean closer, and at the very moment I move to stand on my tiptoes, something cool covers me.
My eyes flutter open to find Julius standing a foot away from me, Ling’s robe draped over my shoulders.