Total pages in book: 139
Estimated words: 127146 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 636(@200wpm)___ 509(@250wpm)___ 424(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127146 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 636(@200wpm)___ 509(@250wpm)___ 424(@300wpm)
"See, that’s going to be a problem because, as it turns out, I am my father’s son. It’s not my fault you refused to see the real me this whole time. That you romanticized something that never existed. I need you to understand something, and I know you’re smart, so lock it away in the confines of your mind. You're nothing to me, Maybel. Nothing but white trash with a nice little cunt that I enjoyed fucking for a short time. The icing on the cake was taking your virginity. Perhaps that’s what got you twisted into thinking I gave a shit. I don’t really know, and I don’t really care. Now my duties to my family and name are the most important thing to me, and while your pussy strangling my cock was nice, I need to fulfill my obligations by getting married to someone suitable. Someone worth being seen with. Though, maybe, if you're a good girl and don't make a fuss, I'll give you my dick one more time after the wedding.”
It would’ve hurt far less had he ripped my heart out of my chest and stomped on it. I don’t think all I can do is react. I pull my hand back and slap him hard across the cheek. The smack rings through the room, the burn of it enveloping my palm. Silence settles over us until all I hear is his heavy panting above me.
"Is that all you got, wallflower? If so, then you're fucked." He shoves me backward, and I lose my balance, my body tilting sideways. Horror flashes in his eyes, and I watch in slow motion as he reaches for me, his fingers missing me by a breath. It's like a car accident happening right before my eyes. One moment I’m standing, and the next, my head collides with something hard and unforgiving. Red-hot pain stabs through my skull. The world spins around me, my stomach churning and threatening to empty onto the floor as I land on my hands and knees. I fight through my blurry vision to look up and find Drew’s father staring down at me, a cruel smile on his lips.
"Well done, Son. Now send her away so we can continue this discussion."
I don’t know how I ever trusted him, how I ever thought he gave a shit about me. If this is an act, then he deserves an Oscar. When Drew stalks forward, my only thought is to escape. I no longer know this man nor do I trust him not to hurt me. My head feels heavy like it’s a fish bowl, but I don’t let that stop me. I skitter backward like a crab on my hands and feet to keep him from touching me again. When I hit the wooden door behind me, I know I'm trapped. Trapped between him, the door, and every shard of syllable he's slicing me open with. He crouches down in front of me, and the memory of when he did that same thing in the woods pops into my head, the scent of earth and damp forest all around us.
"It’s time for you to leave, Maybel. You can take the trash out yourself, or I can take you out. Either way, this ends tonight. You’re nothing to me, and you never were. Nothing more than a warm hole to sink into every once in a while. Now get up and get the fuck out and let us men do our talking.”
I don’t know why, but my heart forces me to cling to some type of false hope. I can’t possibly believe any of this is real, not when I know what I felt. “This isn’t you, Drew.” I shake my head, fighting back tears. Every single fiber in my body tells me to believe his words, but my heart, my heart tells me to look deeper. To notice the little details.
He shakes his head as if he can’t believe I’m questioning him and reaches into his pocket. Tugging his wallet out, he thumbs through it and pulls out a wad of cash. The dollar bills rain down on me. "I forgot to pay you for the last time we were together. That should be enough, right? If you need more, stop by The Mill. I'm sure one of the guys will be happy to let you suck them off for a little more. You know...for your mommy."
My heart collapses into my stomach. His words are salt in a never-healing wound. "She has nothing to do with this or any of you assholes! You don’t even deserve to speak about her.”
His lips twist up into a heart-breaking smile. "Oh, there she is. I was afraid I might have put out your fire. Nice to know you’re still in there. Now do you want to keep fighting, kitten, or do you want to go home with whatever remaining fucking pride you have left?"