“Come on. Sit up.”
I do, and look down in wonder at the feast he expects me to finish.
“Gregory, this is way too much food,” I begin.
He shushes me and picks up the fork, glaring at me till I open my mouth and accept the bite of eggs and bacon he’s speared on it. We don’t speak as he feeds me, though I did reassure him I can feed myself, and when I am done he rises and leaves the room, taking the empty tray with him.
When he comes back all tenderness is gone, which I suppose is only fair, seeing as it’s been five days since Nana’s heart attack and I no longer need him to keep me from going nuts.
I cherish that brief time of care, but I see now that it’s over, and I prepare myself for whatever crawled up his ass this morning.
“I am very glad Nana is okay.”
“Me too,” I murmur, pulling the sheets up to my naked breasts. “Could I get dressed?”
I ask every time, because if I do get dressed and he doesn’t want me to, he can be one mean son of a bitch when he retaliates. The last time I’d made that mistake I’d had to sit through an hour of some weird documentary I can’t remember while he tortured me with his hands and mouth.
I’ve decided that this is for the best, and honestly I’m not even a little uncertain anymore. We’ve run our course, and I need to be done now. I’ve learned that life is short, thanks to Nana’s brush with death, and spending my time with a man who has told me in no uncertain terms that he doesn’t love me is not healthy.
I need a new start, and I am quite frankly sick and tired of his attitude.
“I know.” I sigh deeply before squaring my shoulders. “It’s past time to be done. We’re…”
He narrows his eyes at me, shutting me up, and tosses something onto the bed. I don’t move until he nods down, only then dropping my eyes to the coverlet.
My hand is shaking as I reach out to pick it up, and I stop breathing when my eyes finally focus and I am staring at an engagement ring with a diamond that is big but tasteful.
“What is this?” I whisper, sitting as still as a statue.
When he doesn’t answer I force my eyes up to his. His face isn’t expressionless. It’s worse. He’s looking at me with a cold determination that makes me shudder.
“I want what you took from me, Hannah,” he says, taking a step closer. “I’m thirty-two years old. I want a wife and a family. You took that away from me, and now I expect you to give it back.”
It’s a tortured whisper gasped out past the lump choking me to death.
He shrugs and takes my hand, studying the ring thoughtfully.
“It’s resized.”
“Gregory, this is…”
Not a good idea. Breaking my heart. Not happening.
“You will marry me, Hannah,” he snarls, and I swallow convulsively.
Not because he loves me or wants me or anything that resembles an emotion I can live with. He wants to own me and take revenge for ruining his engagement and the merger I now know would have followed between Lucas and Jeffries Industries.
If he’s just asked…..
# End of Part Two #
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