Page 100 of Falling

I put my hand on her back and she jumps, her eyes meeting mine for the first time since we sat down.

“Tell me what happened.”

“We might have to get an annulment,” she whispers.

Her eyes look like they hurt when she blinks, and I try to separate myself from the pain of what she’s said and just focus on her.

“Why?”

“He’s threatening the animals if I don’t marry him.”

“What? No, he can’t do that.”

“He’s already mistreated them. They all hid in the barn the entire time he was here. One is already dead…because of me.” She stares up at the ceiling, rocking slightly.

“Not because of you. If he hurt Thor, it was all him. We’ll get law enforcement here, he can’t—”

“He said if I told anyone, he’d hurt them and I’d still be stuck marrying him.” She looks around. “For all I know, he’s got the barn bugged and is listening right now.”

I shake my head. “He’s not smart enough to have this place bugged.”

I glance around the beams, checking for any lights or strange panels that could be hiding a camera.

“I want to believe you’re right, but I’m seeing a side of him I never knew existed. He was inattentive and cold at times, but he wasn’t cruel. Maybe he’s right. Maybe I really was so preoccupied here that I didn’t see it.”

She turns to face me and I brace myself.

“As much as you love animals, you’re maybe the onlyone who can understand why I have to do this. I feel awful about what they’ve already gone through without me here. He doesn’t want to be married to me. I don’t know why he’s insisting we go through with it. He claims I made a fool of him. But whatever the reason, I don’t think I’m going to be stuck in a marriage with him for any length of time. I’ll make sure I’m not. But I’m not going to ask you to wait for a what-if, Callum.”

Her voice cracks again and she turns away from me. I put my hand on her back.

“I would wait as long as it took, Ruby, but you can’t marry him. I refuse to accept that option.”

“I don’t know what else to do. I couldn’t bear it if I didn’t take him seriously and all these animals died because of me.”

“I’lldie without you,” I say.

It’s a low blow and I shouldn’t have gone there, but I feel like it’s the fucking truth.

“We haven’t even known each other that long,” she whispers.

“Don’t you say that, Ruby.”

Her eyes are tortured and I put my hands on her face and kiss her. It’s sweet and desperate and so full of anguish, it rips my heart apart a little more.

“Don’t pretend we didn’t know everything that was important,” I say, my voice breaking. “We exposed the purest parts of ourselves. Don’t make it sound like it was nothing.”

“It was everything to me,” she whispers.

I grip her face and when she blinks, I let up, knowing I can’t force her to be with me.

“It still can be,” I say, dropping my hands.

“Thank you for bringing the RV and Dolly all this way. Thank you for all you’ve done for me, Callum. I can’t begin to tell you how much it means to me.”

“Do you hear yourself?” My voice rises. “Don’t treat me like a fucking stranger! Look at me, Ruby. Really look at me.”

“You need to go,” she says. “Please.”

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