Page 68 of The Billionaire's Runaway Bride

No. It will be so tempting, but I can’t veer from my choice. I have to see it through. I have to see all of it through. I need to stay strong and play along until I can make sure Jeremy can’t try to attack Caleb through the current scandals he’s hoping to move on from.

Jeremy slides into the driver’s seat and doesn’t wait for me to buckle. He’s always been a reckless driver, thinking that he looks like a rebellious badass to break the law by going over speed limits. It’s always made me nervous, especially when he would be drunk or high and refuse to consider calling for a ride or, even worse, letting me drive his car.

“How dare you?” He slams his hand on the steering wheel as he sends grass flying in a sloppy reverse out of the Goldfinch Ridge’s drive. All that grass I raked and mowed has been ruined by his crappy driving.

I swallow hard, staring in the mirror at the muddy streaks from his tires with his careless exit. Behind them, I see Caleb and Marian on the porch. He’s got his arm around her shoulders, and I’m glad he’s there to comfort her in my absence. But he won’t stay. He was only here for a few weeks, at most. Who will look after Marian when he goes home? No one? It’s too hard of a thought to bear.

“Listen to me!” Jeremy swerves after a dip into a huge pothole.

His hand reaches out to grip the front of my shirt. He takes his eyes off the road to cringe at me. “Look at you. In this stupid trashy shit.” Releasing me roughly, he shoves me back into my seat. “You’ve got a lot of nerve, Lauren. A lot of nerve running away from me. What the hell were you thinking?”

I’ve done this routine too many times to count. When he’s growling and bitching in that particular tone, he’s not expecting an answer.

“You thought you could leave me there and make me look like a fool? Huh? You’ve got some nerve to pull a stupid stunt like that. What was it? You wanted to embarrass me? You’ve got no clue how embarrassing this shit has been. You leaving me at the altar like some spoiled princess.” He scoffs, then curses at a tricky portion of the road.

“Embarrassing. Even more when I know you ran off to this damn mountain. They can’t even pave a damn road?” He slams his hand on the steering wheel. “This is what you wanted? To hang out with freaking hillbillies in the mountains, wearing ugly, cheap trash like that?”

I breathe steadier, shoring up my energy for when I’ll need it in the dark days ahead. Jeremy has never missed out on a chance to listen to the sound of his own voice. I swear I can see my breath fogging before my face. He’s always kept the AC frigid. It’s the way he prefers it. In our bedroom. In the car. No matter if my fingertips turn blue and I shiver without letting my teeth chatter.

“You’re such an embarrassment,” he rants. “And now, you’ve got hell to pay. You understand me? Huh? You better be listening good. You’ve got hell to pay now!”

I lick my lips and shiver. “Only me.”

He snorts and cranks the AC colder.

“That was the agreement. I would marry you if you leave him be,” I remind him.

He doesn’t reply for so long that I worry I can’t escape and rectify this mistake.

“You agreed.”

He growls. “Yeah, and you agreed to marry me when I put that damn ring on your finger!”

I grip the handle and summon all my energy to face him. “If you go after him…”

He laughs, a manic cackle that sets my nerves on edge. “Then what? What the hell will you do?” He clicks the button for the lock on the doors to emphasize I can’t get out. “I’ve got you right where I want you.”

“You can’t force me to say I do.” Marian is right. I have a voice, and he’s banking on me uttering those two final words.

“Don’t even think about it, Lauren. Don’t.” He clenches his hand. “After all the shit I had to do to save face after you ran off and how hard it was to find you, don’t piss me off. It won’t end well for you. Or your lame boyfriend.”

“You leave him out of it.” It’s a weak way to stand up for myself, but it’s all I can do. We both have something for leverage. He’s determined to marry me for my money, and I’m driven to prevent him from going after Caleb, and I see now that he can. Jeremy might be a nobody compared to Caleb, but he’s completely capable of reaching out online and spewing more gossip to feed off of the bad publicity Caleb faces. Anyone has the power to stir up shit online, and Jeremy would gladly do so.

“That loser?” He does that evil laugh again. “That’s even more embarrassing. That you’d go after an idiot like him. That you’d think he even gives a shit about you.”

And just like that, he’s at it again. Ranting and whining and berating me.

By the time we reach the end of Meadow Lane and turn onto the main street that’ll bring us closer to the airport, I dissociate completely. Tears run down my cheeks as I sink into a shell of who I want to be, but I cling to one discovery: I’ve found myself, and I’m not an embarrassing piece of useless trash like Jeremy claims. I’m a strong woman who will look out for the man she loves, even at the cost of my own sanity.

Chapter 27

Caleb

Once the SUV speeds from sight, I release the breath I was holding. Marian sniffles once and steps from my arms, hurrying inside. I hate to think of her crying in the aftermath of this hellish morning, but I have to give her space.

I need space. I pace in the yard, scowling at the tire marks that asshole left, damaging the work Lauren did in tidying up the yard. Then I stalk around the perimeter of the property, stepping into the vacant lot next door, too. My feet are soaked, still bare from the way I rushed out of Lauren’s cottage, but I can’t stay still. If I had my running shoes, I would’ve taken off on a grueling, punishing run. Moving my body keeps me from roaring out my anger or venting this ugly, negative energy in a destructive way.

On another circuit around the Goldfinch’s property, I pause long enough to bend down and snatch Lauren’s bag from the ground. Jeremy sneered at it like what she could have worn was beneath him, not measuring up to his tastes and requirements for her appearance.

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