The Price of His Apology

My baby is gone.

A few hours ago, my husband's ex-wife's daughter pushed me down the stairs. And yet, my husband, Nathaniel, just sat by my hospital bed, his fingers flying across his laptop keyboard. He didn't even look up.

I'll have Chloe come apologize to you herself. His tone was dismissive.

I clenched my pale fingers, my knuckles turning white from the force. "Nathaniel, your daughter killed my baby. Do you really think a hollow apology is going to fix this?"

His fingers finally stilled on the keys. His cold gaze swept over my flat stomach.

"What else do you want?" A chilling frost settled over his sharp features. "Send her to juvie? Or do you want to press charges against a five-year-old and make her pay with her life for an embryo that hadn't even fully formed?"

An embryo. With that single word, he erased the existence of our unborn child.

I remembered the day I found out I was pregnant. He'd locked himself in his study, chain-smoking through the entire night. He'd promised his ex-wife that Chloe would be his only child.

I stared at his face, devoid of a single ounce of guilt. "The baby's gone. You're relieved now, aren't you?"

Chapter 1

Nathaniel looked at me as if the words hadn't even registered. "What."

I stared at the stark white hospital blanket, the harsh scent of antiseptic stinging my nostrils. "Am I wrong?" I pushed on. "The day I told you I was pregnant, you wanted me to just get rid of it, didn't you?"

That was the day Carolinehis ex-wifecame over to visit Chloe. At the dining table, the moment she heard the news, the blood drained from Caroline's face. Her porcelain bowl shattered against the hardwood floor.

After dinner, their voices bled through the heavy oak doors of his study.

"Did you forget what you promised me? You swore Chloe would be your only child. Then why is she pregnant, Nathaniel?"

Nathaniel's voice was as cold and detached as ever. "I thought I made it clear. I divorced you so I wouldn't have to deal with these arguments anymore."

Caroline went dead silent. Soon, muffled sobs slipped through the crack beneath the door.

I leaned my back against the hallway wall, the chill seeping straight into my spine. All the joy from the morning's positive test turned to ash in my mouth.

Caroline choked out between sobs, "Chloe is already sensitive. She's withdrawn enough since the divorce. If she has to share your affection, have you even considered how much that will destroy her?"

A long silence stretched out before Nathaniel finally replied. "Let me think about it."

That night, Nathaniel never left the study. He chain-smoked until dawn.

I was sitting at the kitchen island, forcing down breakfast. When he finally walked out, my grip tightened around my spoon until my knuckles ached.

"Are you heading to the office without eating? Mary finished making breakfast and is busy out in the backyard. Let me brew you an espresso and toast a turkey bagel to go."

I scrambled to my feet, my movements clumsy. My knee clipped the heavy barstool, and I stumbled forward.

Nathaniel's hand clamped around my arm, steadying me. In one fluid motion, he scooped me up and set me down on the plush living room sofa. "I have a morning board meeting. I'm running late."

I offered a quiet nod.

A few seconds later, his hand rested on the back of my head. "Don't overthink it. Just focus on the pregnancy."

He adjusted the cufflinks of his bespoke suit. The expensive scent of cold cedar briefly enveloped me, only to instantly vanish the moment he turned away. He was supposed to be comforting me. But his sharp features were weighed down, as if he were dealing with some insurmountable crisis.

The memory faded, bringing me back to the sterile hospital room.

"The day I told you I was pregnant, you wanted me to just get rid of it, didn't you?"

The words had barely left my mouth when a faint, mocking smirk touched the corner of Nathaniel's lips. "Is that really what you think of me?"

A sharp burn pricked the back of my eyes, but I refused to blink, holding his piercing gaze with sheer stubbornness.

Nathaniel stood up, his tall frame casting a long shadow over the hospital bed.

"I think you need some time to cool off. The company is swamped right now. I'll have the housekeeper come look after you. Don't expect me here."

The heavy hospital door clicked open, then clicked shut. Blinding white sunlight sliced through the windowpane, pooling on the sterile linoleum floor. The room fell into a suffocating silence. I could almost hear the dust motes dancing in the harsh shaft of light.

My palm rested against my flat stomach again. I lay there, staring blindly at the ceiling, my hands resting loosely on my stomach.

Chapter 2

The nurse informed me it was time to head upstairs for a checkup. I pushed the door open, only to freeze at the corner of the hallway when I caught the sound of Nathaniel and his sister's voices.

"I know you originally married her because she was good to Chloe," his sister said. "But she isn't the only one who treats Chloe well. Delaney must be special to you."

"Since that's the case, Nathaniel, could you stop treating her like one of your subordinates? Give her some emotional validation for once, please?"

Nathaniel didn't even break his stride. "Marrying anyone would have been the same. I was just too lazy to pick someone else. If I had known she was so obsessed with having a kid, I would have married someone else."

My fingernails bit into my palms until the skin nearly tore.

A hand clapped my shoulder. "Why are you still standing here?" the nurse asked, giving me a confused look. "It's time for your checkup."

The siblings' heads snapped toward me at the sound.

Nathaniel's jaw was clenched tight, a muscle ticking along his jawline. He didn't even bother to acknowledge my existence. His gaze raked over me without a flicker of recognition before he turned on his heel and strode away.

His sister rushed over, awkwardly gripping my arm. "Uh Delaney, let me go with you to the checkup."

"Thanks." My voice was a hollow rasp.

"What he what Nathaniel just said, he was just speaking out of anger." She stammered out the lie. "You know how he is, he never says what he really means."

"But he definitely cares about you. Last time, he worked three days straight on a merger at the London branch, just so he could take his private jet back overnight to spend your birthday with you."

She desperately tried to cover for him. "My brother's just his mood has been terrible lately. Losing the baby, it's hard on him too."

"Plus, Caroline has been fighting with him non-stop about making Chloe come apologize to you. Caroline thinks Chloe didn't do it on purpose, so there's no need for an apology."

"Sigh. Delaney, please don't hold it against him."

We stopped at the door of the examination room. "I'm going in." I pulled my arm from her grasp.

"Okay, I'll wait for you right here, Delaney."

I lay back on the sterile examination chair, staring blankly at the harsh fluorescent lights. The birthday she mentioned was just two months ago. I had thought Nathaniel was stuck in London on a business trip. But he had shown up at our door, completely unannounced.

Even now, I could clearly recall the overwhelming rush of adrenaline and the flutter in my chest from that surprise.

Yet, looking back, it felt like watching a movie about someone else. That girl had died on the operating table.

I stayed in the hospital for a week. During that entire time, Nathaniel never showed his face once.

A heavy, suffocating lethargy settled deep into my bones. I no longer had the energy to obsess over whether Caroline was using Chloe as an excuse to cozy up to Nathaniel while I was gone.

When I was finally discharged and returned home, Nathaniel was still at the office.

I pushed open the front door and immediately locked eyes with Chloe, who was sitting on the living room sofa watching TV. A five-year-old girl didn't know how to mask her emotions. Her tiny frame went rigid against the cushions.

I lowered my gaze, turning my back on her, and dragged my feet to my bedroom. The bitter truth was clear: I could never look at her without a trace of resentment again.

That afternoon, Caroline stormed in. She slammed an empty suitcase down on the hardwood floor of the living room and started aggressively packing things.

Housekeeper Mary hurriedly rushed forward to stop her. "Miss Caroline, what are you doing?"

"I'm taking Chloe to live with me for a while," she sneered. "Someone was careless enough to lose their own baby, and now they want to pin the blame on my kid."

"Nobody is going to make my daughter suffer. If Nathaniel has a problem with it, tell him to come find me."

Chloe stood frozen in place, her tiny hands in a death grip around an unrecognizable chunk of broken clay. She didn't utter a single word.

Mary turned to me, wringing her hands anxiously against her apron. "Ma'am, please say something. Tell her you'll treat Chloe just as well as before! Mr. Nathaniel explicitly ordered that she cannot take Chloe away."

Chloe lifted her head, her dark, glossy eyes locking onto mine. Maybe it was just my shattered mind playing tricks on me, but a tiny flicker of expectation seemed to leak from her gaze.

Chapter 3

"Let her take Chloe," I said. "I really don't want to see her right now anyway."

The object slipped from Chloe's fingers, shattering against the hardwood. Whatever it was, it was now smashed beyond recognition. She dropped into a crouch to pick it up.

Caroline yanked her up by the arm.

"What is that? A toy? If it's broken, it's broken. Mommy will buy you a new one."

Caroline looked at me, a fake, plastic smile plastered on her face. "Chloe is Nathaniel's daughter. She belongs by his side. It's too bad if you don't want to see her, unless, of course, you divorce Nathaniel."

I met her gaze head-on. "You're always pushing me to divorce him. Is it because you want him back?"

A harsh red flush crept up Caroline's neck. "What the hell are you talking about!"

She had the same explosive temper as Nathaniel. It was the reason their marriage had been a series of endless screaming matches, eventually ending in divorce. Now, I had hit a nerve. Knowing her personality, she should have blown up at me right then and there.

But Chloe tugged at her hand, her eyes fixed on the floor.

"Mommy, just take me away."

Caroline and Chloe left.

Mary, the housekeeper, swept up the shards on the floor. "I can't even tell what this was supposed to be. Chloe had been gripping it tight these past two days. She even held onto it while she slept."

I spent the next few days recovering at home. Nathaniel never came back.

When I returned to the office, he was nowhere to be seen either. I was just a low-level employee at his company. No one knew about our marriage.

During the lunch break chatter, his name came up.

"Do you think Mr. Nathaniel is getting back together with Director Caroline?"

"What makes you say that?"

"They took the kid on a trip together and haven't been back for days. Things must be going pretty well between them."

I stared blankly at my computer monitor. So Nathaniel had gone out of town with Caroline and Chloe again.

The coworker who spoke had Caroline added on social media. She pulled up Caroline's feed and shoved her phone toward us. The location tag was a premier ski resort in Aspen, accompanied by a few candid snaps.

A couple of them were group selfies of the three of them, looking exactly like a perfect, harmonious family. The last post was a Live Photo. A passerby bumped into Caroline's shoulder. Nathaniel instinctively wrapped an arm around her waist to steady her.

The group of women clicked their tongues in awe.

"My ultimate power couple, right there in the flesh."

"With all the gorgeous women in this company, I still think Director Caroline is the only one who matches Mr. Nathaniel."

"That dynamic of two equals going toe-to-toe, they just ooze it."

A coworker nudged my arm. "Delaney, stop staring at your phone. Tell me I'm wrong. They're a perfect match, aren't they?"

My message thread with Nathaniel was still frozen on the text I sent before the miscarriage. For over half a month, we hadn't exchanged a single word. I didn't know if other people's marriages were like this. But I was suddenly exhausted by this dead, one-sided union.

I hit the lock button on my phone. Raising my head, my eyes locked onto the family of three on her screen. I echoed softly.

"Yeah They're a great match."

I decided to divorce Nathaniel.

Another week dragged by. Nathaniel's party flew back. Nathaniel's executive assistant pointed at me.

"You'll do, Delaney. Go grab the car keys and come with me to pick up Mr. Nathaniel and the others from the airport."

We arrived at the arrivals terminal. When Nathaniel saw me, his gaze faltered for a fraction of a second. Chloe blinked at me, her eyes wide. The assistant shoved the slightly lighter luggage cart toward me.

It was still heavily loaded. Halfway to the parking garage, a few small suitcases toppled off the top. I dropped to a crouch, hastily gathering them while apologizing.

"Sorry about that, my mistake."

Chapter 4

A pair of bespoke, handcrafted leather oxfords stopped right in my line of sight. It was Nathaniel. Caroline stepped up beside him, her gaze raking over me from her higher vantage point.

"So clumsy. Watch what you're doing." She turned to Nathaniel.

"Alright, stop staring. Let her sort it out herself. Chloe must be tired from walking. Pick her up."

The leather oxfords and the stiletto heels walked out of my peripheral vision, one after the other.

The luggage was loaded into the SUV. The executive assistant took the wheel while I sat in the passenger seat. He struck up a casual conversation.

"Director Caroline's aura is just on another level. I've been with Mr. Nathaniel for over half a year, and I haven't seen anyone who looks like such a perfect match just by standing next to him. Looks like we're heading for a romantic reunion."

He must have caught wind of the rumors about Nathaniel and Caroline getting back together and was laying it on thick to kiss up. He glanced my way. "Delaney, wouldn't you agree?"

Called out, I flicked my eyes to the rearview mirror. My gaze collided instantly with Nathaniel's dead, emotionless stare.

Before I could even open my mouth, Caroline cut in with a light laugh. "Don't talk nonsense. Mr. Nathaniel lost interest in someone like me a long time ago. Once a man establishes his footing in this circle, all he looks for is an obedient Trophy Wife."

The assistant waved it off. "Those are just brainless eye candy. They can't compare to you"

"Mister." Chloe's voice sliced through his flattery. "I want to sleep."

He stumbled over his words to accommodate her. "Oh, do you want me to recline your seat a little bit so you can rest your head?"

"No. You're just too loud."

For the rest of the drive, the assistant kept his mouth firmly shut, his face flushed with embarrassment.

Chloe tagged along to the corporate office. She would occasionally wander around our floor. Everyone, men and women alike, loved to tease and play with her. It wasn't just because she was Nathaniel's daughter; she was genuinely adorable.

But she barely spoke a word to any of them.

Whenever I happened to glance over, I would catch her staring dead at me. Then, she would hastily rip her gaze away.

After finishing a report, I stood up to grab some water. The moment I pushed into the breakroom, a splash of scalding coffee slammed into my blouse.

It was Robert, the manager of our department. He let out an exaggerated gasp. "My bad, Delaney. I wasn't looking."

He snatched a couple of paper towels and lunged his hands toward my chest. "Let me wipe that for you. Let me help."

I stumbled backward, putting distance between us. "No need, Robert. I've got it."

Robert stalked forward, closing the gap. "What's the big deal? You can't even see this spot to clean it properly."

Before his fingers could graze my blouse, I shoved him back against the wall. "I said, I've got it."

He let out a sneering laugh. "Why are you playing Joan of Arc with me? My buddy works at the city hospital. He saw you admitted for a miscarriage a while back."

"As far as I know, you don't even have a ring on your finger, do you? You're already letting other guys mess around with you, so why not me? Keep me happy, and I might just make your life a whole lot easier around this office. Doesn't that sound nice?"

His murky eyes crawled up and down my body like slime.

My fingers curled into a tight fist. I raised my hand and delivered a brutal slap across his face. The sharp crack echoed against the tiled walls.

He clearly hadn't expected me to actually strike back. "You fucking bitch."

He raised his hand, winding up to strike back.

A full cup of water cascaded over his head, soaking him instantly.

My eyes flicked over his shoulder. Chloe stood on a barstool, holding an empty paper cup, her small face unreadable.

Chapter 5

Robert whipped his head around, curses already bubbling in his throat. The moment he realized it was Chloe, his face morphed into a sickeningly sweet mask.

"Oh, it's you, Chloe. Why why did you splash water on me?"

Chloe jiggled the paper cup and flicked the last remaining drops right into his face. "You splashed her, so I can splash you."

Without another word, she slowly climbed down from the barstool. She broke into a trot, sprinting out the door.

"Daddy! Daddy! Come out here right now!"

The situation blew up. A massive crowd had gathered just outside our department's doors, whispering and watching.

Chloe pointed a tiny finger directly at Robert. "He just splashed Splashed coffee all over her. And he kept trying to grab her."

She shot a fleeting glance at me. When we first met, she used to call me Delaney. But after she found out I was marrying her father, she refused to address me by any title at all.

Nathaniel's gaze locked onto Robert. He didn't blink. He stalked closer, the sharp click of his oxfords echoing against the tiles. "You sexually harassed a female employee?"

Sweat beaded on Robert's forehead. "I'm sorry, Mr. Nathaniel, I It wasn't necessarily harassment."

Another voice sliced through the tension, cutting him off. Caroline strolled forward, a poised smile playing on her lips.

"There aren't any security cameras in the breakroom. How can you jump straight to harassment? Maybe Delaney just completely misunderstood the situation."

Robert instantly clung to the lifeline. "Exactly! I didn't touch her! I just accidentally spilled some coffee and was trying to hand her a few paper towels."

He puffed his chest out, glaring at me with faux self-righteousness. "Delaney, don't try to slander me. I have a wife, and HR has my flawless track record. Everyone in this company knows I'm a dedicated family man."

"You don't even have a boyfriend, but you somehow ended up in the hospital for a miscarriage recently. Just because your own private life is filthy doesn't mean you can drag me down with you."

He deliberately projected the last sentence, making sure his voice carried down the hall. The whispers intensified. A barrage of judgmental glares pierced into my back like needles.

Chloe tilted her head back and screamed at him. "I saw it! You kept trying to grab her!"

Robert maintained his sickening smile. "Kids. They make up stories all the time."

Nathaniel stared at Caroline for two long seconds before turning his icy gaze back to Robert. "Delaney is legally married."

"I personally approved her marital leave. Furthermore, what is the direct correlation between a miscarriage and a 'filthy' private life? You harassed a female subordinate, and now you're trying to frame"

"Even if she is married, that doesn't prove Robert harassed her." Caroline intercepted his words once again, dropping her voice to a harsh whisper. Only Nathaniel and I could hear her.

"Robert is spearheading a critical project right now. He's irreplaceable. Don't let your emotions compromise the bottom line. Besides, we don't even know if it was actual harassment."

"Let's just drop this for now. If you're really that worried about your little wife feeling slighted, just toss her a few high-value accounts as compensation."

In the few seconds of dead silence that followed, I already knew his answer. I wouldn't even call it disappointment. From the very beginning, I never expected him to actually stand up for me. Even though he clearly knew Robert had crossed the line, he still chose to sacrifice me for the company's profit margins.

When Nathaniel finally spoke again, his voice was absolute ice. "HR will formally investigate the harassment claim. However, because you baselessly slandered a colleague's private life, you can forget about your full performance bonus and your stock options for the year."

His piercing gaze shifted to me, his thin lips parting slightly. "I will personally oversee the harassment investigation. I'll give you a full explanation as soon as possible."

Chapter 6

Nathaniel's gaze locked onto the dark coffee stain ruining my blouse. He stripped off his bespoke suit jacket and took a step toward me.

I retreated a step, putting distance between us. "Thank you, Mr. Nathaniel, but I'll just go change."

His movements halted. His arm dropped dead at his side. A low, barely audible hum vibrated in his throat.

The corporate building's lower level housed an executive wellness center equipped with a lap pool and private shower suites. I grabbed my spare clothes from my locker, scrubbed the sticky coffee off my skin under the scalding spray, and changed into clean dry fabric.

I was just about to push the changing room door open to blow-dry my hair when a tiny figure crept into the space. I kept the door cracked just a sliver. Chloe couldn't see me.

She clutched a pastel yellow thermos against her chest, her dark eyes darting around the room. Finally, she stretched onto her tiptoes and shoved the thermos onto the marble counter right next to the blow dryer.

I pushed the door wide and stepped out. "Chloe?"

She jumped, her shoulders snapping up. Seeing my eyes fixated on her cup, she shoved it a few inches closer to me. Her voice was a tiny mumble.

"Grandma Donna said wearing wet clothes makes you sick. You have to drink hot milk."

She spun on her heel and bolted out the door.

I stood rooted to the floor. The brass handle clicked, and the heavy door crept open just a crack.

The little girl slipped back inside, keeping her back pressed flat against the doorframe. Her head hung low. "Do you hate my guts now?"

The toe of her patent leather Mary Jane scuffed against the floor tiles. "Even if I say I didn't push you down the stairs on purpose you wouldn't believe me anyway. Would you?"

The sterile bathroom fell into a suffocating silence. My voice came out as a hollow rasp.

"But I heard you asking Grandma Donna how to make my baby disappear. That's a fact, Chloe."

Her tiny hands balled into tight fists at her sides. "Think whatever you want then! I'm just a bad kid! Are you happy now?"

She ripped the door open and bolted. The broken, wet hitch in her breath echoed against the cold tiles long after she was gone.

My gaze remained locked on the yellow thermos. It dragged me violently back to the one day I had buried deep in the ashes of my memory.

The morning sickness had been brutal. It drained every ounce of life from my bones, leaving me physically hollowed out. Donna had carried a tray of bland food up to my second-floor bedroom. I realized she forgot to bring up a soup spoon.

I dragged myself out of bed to head down to the kitchen.

The second I stepped out into the hallway, Chloe's high-pitched voice drifted up the stairs. "Did she throw up again?"

"Yeah, Chloe. Delaney's having a terrible time with the nausea. If this keeps up, her body is just going to completely give out on her."

Chloe's voice dropped. "Is there a way to make that that thing in her stomach disappear? I don't even like it anyway. Let's just make it disappear."

Ice injected straight into my veins. My fingertips convulsed, rattling the door handle.

Chloe's head snapped up at the noise. She instantly broke into a trot, rushing up the stairs toward me.

"Why are you out of bed? Do you feel sick again? Do you want me to help"

The moment her small hand reached for me, a violent spike of adrenaline hijacked my brain. My arms clamped protectively over my stomach, and I stumbled backward, my spine slamming into the wall. My palms were instantly slick with cold sweat.

She froze mid-step, her hand suspended in the empty air. She stared at me, frozen in place.

A few seconds ticked by. The realization slowly dawned in her dark eyes.

"Mommy was right about you. All that time you pretended to care about me it was just an act. Now that you're getting your own baby, you're too lazy to even keep up the lie. Aren't you?"

Her lower lip trembled, her dark eyes glistening with unshed tears. "You told me you knew I was a good kid! Then why are you flinching away from me? You think I'm a monster just like everyone else does!"

"You actually think I'm going to hurt you! I hate you, Delaney! I hate you so much! I'm going to find my mommy!"

She spun around and launched herself down the stairs. A torrential downpour was violently lashing against the windows outside.

Chapter 7

I caught up to her, reaching out. "No, Chloe. I didn't"

"Don't touch me!"

She shoved me with every ounce of her strength. My center of gravity vanished. I stumbled back several steps, my heels skidding on the hardwood. The stairs were a gaping maw behind me.

I reached for the railing, my fingers clawing at empty air, before I tumbled backward into the void.

The last thing I saw before the world went black was Chloe screaming, sprinting toward me. She tripped and fell hard on the way down.

"Delaney! Delaney, wake up!"

My mind snapped back to the present. I unscrewed the cap of the yellow thermos. Steam curled up, carrying the sweet scent of warm milk. There was a small smudge of white near the rim.

She must have heated this herself and poured it in.

Before today, I was convinced that even if Chloe hadn't pushed me on purpose, she had truly wanted the baby gone. That's why I had kept my guard up, letting resentment fester like a wound. Now, for the first time, I began to wonder why a five-year-old would wish for a child to vanish.

The workday dragged to a close. As I was leaving, my phone buzzed. It was Nathaniela rare call.

Loud, thumping bass bled through the receiver, but he didn't say a word.

"Nathaniel? Is something wrong?"

Silence. Just the heavy rhythm of the club music.

"If you have nothing to say, Im hanging up."

I ended the call, but it rang again instantly. And again. He was persistent, a silent demand for my attention. I sighed, finally giving in to the inevitable.

"Send me the address. I'll come get you."

Nathaniel was likely wasted. When he drank, he became insufferably clingy. He wouldn't show it on his facehed still look like the untouchable CEObut if I disappeared for more than five minutes, hed hunt me down like a shark scenting blood.

His sister had once joked about it while nursing a drink. "My brother's getting old, Delaney. Hes got that 'empty nest' syndrome. Have some pity on a lonely old man whos terrified of being left alone."

Nathaniel was only five years older than me.

A notification popped up. Nathaniels thread jumped to the top of my messages. I clicked the location and drove toward the high-end lounge downtown.

On the way, I rolled the windows down all the way. The biting night air whipped through the car, stinging my cheeks.

I was done. I was going to ask for a divorce. I couldn't wait another day.

I pushed open the heavy mahogany doors of the VIP suite. A young hottie in a skin-tight bodycon dress was leaning over Nathaniels lap. Her fingers traced the expensive gold lighter sitting on the table near his hand, her touch suggestive.

"Mr. Nathaniel, I can polish this lighter using only my lips," she purred, her voice dripping with invitation. "Want to see my little performance?"

Nathaniel didn't look like the cold, dignified man from the office. His tie was a crumpled mess discarded on the velvet sofa, and the top two buttons of his shirt were undone, exposing the hollow of his throat. He leaned back into the shadows, his eyes flicking up to catch mine.

"Ask her," he said, his voice a low, gravelly rasp.

The girl spun around. "And who are you?"

"My wife."

The hotties flirtatious smirk vanished as a harsh red flush stained her cheeks. She scrambled to her feet and vanished into the hallway without another word.

Nathaniels sister was there, too, tucked into a corner.

"Delaney, don't worry. It was just a birthday party for one of his friends. I promise, my brother was a total monk. He didn't let a single woman get within an inch of him all night."

I barely heard her. My attention was locked onto Nathaniels right hand. His knuckles were raw, swollen, and stained with dried blood. Seeing that kind of jagged, violent evidence on a man as polished as Nathaniel was jarring.

His sister noticed where I was looking. "I heard about what happened today," she said, her tone turning serious.

"Nathaniel spent the entire afternoon staked out in the parking lot. The second that bastard Robert walked out, my brother cornered him and gave him a hell of a beatdown."

"He hasn't been in a fight since high school. He broke his streak just for you."

I didn't know what to say. The air felt thick, charged with something I couldn't name. I took a step toward him. "Are we going home?"

He gave a curt nod. He reached out, his bloody knuckles brushing against my skin as he gripped my hand and pulled me up.

The drive home was a tunnel of silence. The moment we stepped inside, before I could even reach for the light switch, he slammed me against the wall.

Chapter 8

"Are you done throwing this little tantrum?" His thin lips brushed against my earlobe.

His palm clamped around my jaw, the rough pads of his fingers pressing hard against my skin. He tilted my head up, forcing me to meet his aggressive, predatory gaze.

"It's just a baby. If you want one so badly, we'll just make another. My body works fine, and so does yours. Are you really going to keep shutting me out over this?"

Right before Nathaniel could take it any further, I parted my lips.

"Nathaniel, I want a divorce