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)
The baby?
Oh, God.
My stomach works itself into a knot, and it hurts so badly that I don’t bother fighting the contorting of my face that time.
“The baby,” I mumble, gripping the material at my front with one hand while clutching the orange tube of pills with the other. I stare at the wall over Ling’s head.
My short list of options weighs on me.
Julius eyes me solicitously, but Ling… she sees me. She sees what Julius doesn’t.
That I’m a fraud. Dishonest.
If I have any chance of repairing the damage I’ve already done and making Julius see me as a person, not a lying sack of shit, I have to start being honest. I need him to trust me enough to let his guard down. I need him to let his guard down so I can get hold of his gun and end this on my terms.
Before fear immobilizes me, I throw the orange tube back to Julius. He shakes his head and begins, “No shame in needin—”
My voice finds me, but it’s weak. “There is no baby.” Even quieter, “I lied.”
He blinks at me, disbelief heavily set in his watchful gaze.
The moment his body turns rigid and stills, my heart pounds. When Julius stands, reaching down to grip the edge of the coffee table, my chest aches, and my body turns cold as ice. I scramble back, knees up, reaching up quickly to cover my ears with my balled up fists.
I know what’s coming. I’ve seen this expression before in the face of my husband.
It’s the calm before the storm.
The coffee table flips, crashing into the wall with an echoing boom, the force of which leaving a gaping hole at the point of collision.
Julius booms, “Goddamn it, Alejandra!” The veins in his neck strain with every coarse word. He begins to pace in the space where the coffee table used to reside. He opens his mouth and lets out a stream of curses. “Motherfucker. Fuckin’ hell! I don’t believe this shit.” He resumes pacing, shouting some more, but something pulls me from reality. “Was everything a lie?”
He turns to face me, hands on hips, his sky blue eyes flaming. “Answer me.” My mind tugs at my subconscious, cocking a finger, whispering, “Come with me,” and the lines between reality and hallucination blur. I can’t hear his voice anymore, but I see his lips moving. “Answer me.”
A hidden memory resurfaces from the dark, shadowed place I’d long past buried it.
A trip to New York for your twenty-second birthday would sound like a dream. Sure, it sounds like a fun way to celebrate. In theory.
When Dino approached me the week prior, telling me he had business in New York and would likely miss my birthday, I must’ve forgotten my game face, having been all too happy with the arrangement.
With Dino away, I’d be able to spend time with my family, my brother and sisters, and I didn’t get a lot of time with them anymore. Dino didn’t like me spending too much time at my father’s house.
I was his wife. My place was with my husband, as were my loyalties.
My husband’s paranoia had reached a point where not even his closest friends and family were allowed to be left alone with me. Of course, he never came out and said the words, but his trust in others had diminished greatly.
The next night, Dino returned from a family meeting at his family’s restaurant and, spotting me in the kitchen, came up from behind to curl himself around me.
Being lost in my own world, I jumped when his arms banded around me.
Dino laughed softly at my cheek, nipping my ear playfully. “Scaredy cat.”
He was in a good mood. My relief, palpable, I let out a thankful laugh. “I didn’t hear you come in.”
Smiling, he turned me to face him and bent low to take my lips in a firm kiss. “Guess what?”
He was so handsome when he smiled from his heart. My hands came up in a familiar motion to rest on his chest. “What?”
“You know I’m going to be in New York for your birthday—” he started.
I cut him off, smoothing the front of his jacket with soft hands, “Honey, it’s okay. I get it. It’s just business.”
“That’s just it.” His smile intensified. “You’re coming with me.” His smile turned into a grin. “We’ll go out for dinner, maybe see a show, go clubbing. We’re gonna party in New York for your birthday, baby.”
Well, shit.
My hands stilled on the front of his jacket, and my face fell.
I wasn’t getting much-needed time with my family after all. My heart sank, and I felt the cold sting of tears behind my eyes. I blinked them back.
Dino’s expression grew icy, and I knew the exact moment his anger started to stir at my reaction. So I did the only thing I could do, and I did it well. After all, I had years of practice.