Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 75144 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75144 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
Frowning at me, she shakes her head. “Why marry me then?”
“You don’t annoy me,” I mutter as I turn around and head back down the stairs. “Pack your belongings and be ready at six.”
I suppress the urge to glance over my shoulder at my future bride as I head to the French doors.
Ian comes out of the office and rushes across the foyer while gripping his bleeding arm. “A little help would be nice, Grace,” he calls out.
“I had to clean up my own blood after Braden beat me,” Grace replies. “I’m sure you can manage just like I had to.”
The corner of my mouth lifts as I step out onto the veranda.
Chapter 11
GRACE
I slam my bedroom door shut behind me and only manage a couple of steps before my legs give way beneath me. Sinking to the floor, a sob explodes over my lips.
In a span of mere hours, Ciara has left me and I’m being forced to marry Dominik.
God.
Lifting my hand, I grip the fabric of my shirt as a hopeless cry tears from me.
After everything I’ve done for Ciara, she didn’t trust me enough to tell me she was leaving.
Even though I’ve offered myself as a sacrifice, I never thought it would actually happen. And if it did, at least the marriage would be in name only.
But that’s no longer the case.
Dominik saved my life twice, and he shot Dad for slapping me. There’s no way he’d go through so much trouble for a sexless marriage.
The image of him pinning me down on the bed flashes through my mind.
My breaths come impossibly fast, and my heart thunders in my chest.
I gasp and gasp as my dire situation ravages my mind. My vision grows darker, and when my throat closes up and I’m unable to take another desperate breath, I pass out.
Standing in the backyard, I stare at the house that I have to call home. It’s near impossible for me to go back inside.
Not after last night.
Every movement causes my body to ache, and it feels as if I have shards of glass inside me.
“Grace!” Braden shouts from inside.
I stand still, nauseating fear coating my skin.
When he comes out via the sliding doors, my survival instinct takes over, and I break out into a run. I have no idea where I’m going as I race across the yard.
Even though flowers are in full bloom around me, I don’t see any of it.
Braden plows into my back, and I hit the ground with a harrowing cry.
His fingers brutally grip my hair, and my face is pressed hard into the grass.
I hear his zipper go down, and I lose my mind as I hysterically fight against his hold on me.
Coming to with a fright, sweat coats my body, making my skin feel overheated and sticky.
I become aware that I’m lying on the floor as I gasp for air, the remnants of the nightmare making my stomach spin with nausea.
Tears spill from my eyes, dripping from my face and soaking into the carpet.
I have no idea what time it is, and I have zero strength to get up.
How will I survive Dominik?
Maybe I should just end it all.
My eyes drift shut as the thought wars with my will to live.
No matter how dark things get, there’s always a part of me that believes life will get better.
Will Dominik really not force himself on me? Do I dare hope?
A hopeless sigh shudders from me because there are no answers to any of these questions.
With zero energy, I groan as I pick myself up off the floor. I walk to where my cell phone is lying and grab it.
Opening the chat I have with Ciara, I read her message again before responding.
Grace: I would’ve gone with you. Please be careful out there and check in regularly. I love you more than anything.
After I press send, I notice it’s one am. Knowing I won’t be able to sleep, I glance at my closet.
Do I pack and go with Dominik, or do I refuse to marry him?
Will it help if I fight?
He shot Dad for slapping me. I don’t think me saying no will make any difference. He’d probably knock me unconscious and drag me out of the mansion like a caveman.
Jesus.
My heartbeat speeds up, and a frustrated moan escapes me.
Becoming hysterical has never done me any good, so I close my eyes and take deep breaths in an attempt to calm down.
Once my heartbeat slows down, I walk to my closet and open the doors.
The last time I packed my belongings, I was scared of marrying Braden. But now that I know what marriage is like, fear doesn’t begin to describe what I feel as I pull my bags off the top shelf.
I set them down on the bed, and like a woman who’s been handed a death sentence, I slowly pack one item of clothing after the other.