Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 101662 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 508(@200wpm)___ 407(@250wpm)___ 339(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101662 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 508(@200wpm)___ 407(@250wpm)___ 339(@300wpm)
“Henry,” I whispered.
His body shook as he choked on his inhalations. I’d seen him cry before during drinking bouts. That wasn’t uncommon. But this was a new level of panic shooting throughout his whole system.
“I don’t want to be like him,” he sobbed between his violent trembling. “I don’t want to fucking be like him,” he repeated over and over again.
For a second, I felt my own chest tighten. For a second, I saw the little boy with daddy issues sitting before me. I saw the broken child whose father messed up his brain so much that he made it damn near impossible for Henry to grow up without suitcases of trauma. For a second, my motherly instinct kicked in and I wanted to comfort him. I wanted to be there for him. I wanted to wrap him in my arms and tell him that he could get help. That he could heal from this. And that we could learn to coparent in a healthy, safe environment.
I moved over toward him to comfort him. Not to be his wife, but to be a fellow human who saw another hurting. I knelt beside him and placed a hand against his shoulder. “Henry. We can get you help. We can—”
Before the words could finish falling from my tongue, he placed his two tear-soaked hands against my shoulders and shoved me hard, sending me flying against the wall where his broken glass had shattered. I fell to the floor, a piece of glass slicing through my hand. I yipped and picked up my hand, trying to shake off the dizziness from the impact of the crash. I pulled the piece of glass from my hand and looked up to find Henry staring my way. He still had tears rolling down his cheeks, but he looked wild. As if he was no longer there, and all I could see was his father staring back at me. A switch had been flipped, and Henry was gone.
He stood from his chair and moved over to me. He knelt and placed his hands above me on the wall, boxing me in, and lowered his face to mine. “You’re not leaving me, just like she didn’t leave him. Do you understand, Kierra?” he said as he crouched over me. He gripped my chin in his hand and pulled my face toward him. “You said the words. ‘’Til death do us part.’ So, either you die or you stay. You’re mine.” He then forced his lips against mine, kissing me with his whiskey-drenched tongue, infecting me with his threats that felt like terrifying promises. I sat still as his mouth engulfed mine. Once he finished kissing me, he shoved my face away, making my head hit the wall behind me. “Stay away from Gabriel Sinclair, or I swear to God, you’ll regret it and I’ll make his life as miserable as yours.”
He walked over to the roses on the table, pulled out a handful of them, and threw them at me. “And to think I bought you all these roses.”
28
Gabriel
Gabriel: Hey, Kierra. Missed you this morning at the coffee shop. I hope you’re doing okay.
Kierra: Hi, sorry. Crazy morning. Henry’s in a mood. All is well. I’ll reach out later on.
Gabriel: Are you okay? Do you need me?
Kierra: I’m okay. Can we talk later?
Gabriel: Always. How are you?
She didn’t answer.
I knew I shouldn’t have read into her messages too deeply, but frankly I was worried. She seemed nervous. At least to me she did. That shit worried me more than anything, based on the man she was married to and the way I knew he fucked with her mind. I could hardly imagine the mind games Henry was playing with Kierra. Her text was seemingly simple, but I could almost feel her anxiety coming through every letter she’d typed.
It wasn’t until her husband showed up to my office in a huff later that day that I grew extremely worried for her safety and well-being.
“Stay away from my family,” Henry said as he marched into my office. He was dressed in a designer suit and messing with his cuffs. “Do you understand me?”
“You have a lot of nerve showing up here,” I said, rising from my chair. “It might be best if you leave.”
“Trust me, I’m not planning on staying long. I just wanted to make one thing clear, and it’s that I want nothing to do with you. I want you nowhere near my property. Your staff can handle all the details from now on, but you will not set foot on my property.”
“Is that it?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.
“No, that’s not it.” He marched toward me, puffing out his chest as if trying to be the alpha. “If I find out you touch my wife again, I will destroy your life.”