Chapter 46
Chapter 46
Winter hadn’t been completely wasted earlier at the club. The alcohol had hit her head, but she wasn’t the type to air her dirty laundry in front of strangers. She hadn’t even finished her sentence before nausea hit. The “can’t do it” comment had merely been a reflex, blurted out as she felt the urge to puke.
But now the full force of the alcohol had caught up with her. Whatever restraint she had left was gone.
She looked at him, and everything she had swallowed for years began swelling inside her chest. Grievance. Pain. Humiliation. It kept building until it finally burst.
“Can you?” Winter demanded, her eyes red and burning. “If you can, then why in three years of marriage did you only touch me three times p>
The hand gripping her waist tightened sharply. His expression darkened.
Then tears flooded her eyes, spilling down her cheeks.
She lowered her head, her voice trembling. “It’s not that you
can’t.
“Chris, it’s that you don’t love me.
“You don’t love me. That’s why you wouldn’t touch me p>
She lifted her tear–streaked face to look at him. “Fine. If you don’t love me, I can accept that. But why won’t you even protect me anymore p>
“I was dragged into an alley and beaten. It really hurt p>
The alcohol had stripped away the armor she usually kept around herself. Her body trembled. Tears slipped from her eyes, full of hurt and quiet grievance.
Her shaking fingers pressed against her chest. Her voice dropped so low it was almost a whisper.
“I’m actually scared of pain.
“Chris, did you forget that I feel pain?
“When we were kids, you were the one who saved me. You pulled me back from the edge. So why did you forget how to protect me? Why are you protecting the people who hurt me?
“Wait… no p>
She pressed a hand to her throbbing head and ran her fingers through her hair. Even as she swayed, his steady hand remained at her back, holding her upright.
“Was it you?” she asked hoarsely.
She forced her tear–blurred eyes open. She choked on the words.
“Did you have anything to do with Jacob’s death p>
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Chapter 46
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She stared at him, searching his eyes for even the smallest crack.
“You’re overthinking it,” Chris said, his dark gaze unreadable.
A bitter smile touched her lips.
“Right. I’m overthinking.” She let out a hollow laugh. “Just a coincidence. Why would you ever hurt your sweetheart’s brother for my sake? I can’t believe I even questioned it. Maybe I deserve the way you treat
me p>
The bitterness inside her overflowed. She grabbed the front of his coat with both hands, her fingers tightening until her knuckles turned white.
“Why did you give my mom’s bracelet to Skyla? You knew I wanted it. Do you hate me that much?
“You gave her the bracelet. You gave her my house p>
She buried her face against him, sobbing. “Chris, why are you so cruel to me p>
He said nothing.
His silence shattered the last of her control. Everything she had bottled up for years finally broke loose.
“Are you punishing me for forcing you to marry me? Or does your hatred for my family run that deep? Is that why you treat me like this p>
The hand supporting her stiffened suddenly.
Her hysterical accusation drained the last of her strength. Her vision blurred, darkness creeping in from the edges. She collapsed against him.
She didn’t see the change in his eyes after her words left her mouth.
Chris’s eyes darkened, like a storm building on the horizon.
He slowly clenched his hand into a fist. His knuckles turned white as his jaw tightened, the tension visible in every line of his body.
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Florence
A passionate storyteller who brings emotions to life through her words. When she’s not writing, she finds peace nurturing her garden.