Page 65 of Possession

He shakes his head. “No can do, Little Doll. I’m dropping you at my father’s.” This is news to me. I’ve never even met his father. “Jade asked for a girls’ night. I thought you could do with a friend right now.” My pulse races. I haven’t seen Jade in weeks, and though the gesture is sweet, it’s also out of character for Rafael.

“Where are you going?”

He darts his eyes away from me. “I’m working at one of the clubs.”

“Am I taking Oliver with me?” So easily I sing to his tune, and I hate myself for it.

“No. Rosalita will watch him. I want you to have a good time.” He’s in front of me and holding my head in place as he breathes in my hair and places a soft kiss on top of my head. “When do we leave?” He pulls the band from my ponytail, forcing the locks to fall down my back. Then he strokes over my hair, as if needing reassurance and soothing himself, reminding him I’m still here.

Guilt sits like a heavy weight in my empty stomach.

“Now. But Daddy needs you, little girl.” In one fell swoop he has me bent over the bed, my yoga pants down, and my panties shoved to the side while he unbuckles himself and slams inside me before I can even blink. His strong thrust sends my small body sliding across the mattress, but he tugs me closer, then holds me in place with his heavy palm on the middle of my back.

“Fuck, Little Doll. Daddy needs this. He needs it so damn much.” He grunts with another thrust.

A rebuke is on the tip of my tongue, to ask him if his wife wasn’t enough for him. Instead, I close my eyes and imagine him fucking me before he shattered my heart, before I knew she existed.

I relish his touch and pretend we are Daddy and his little doll before he broke me; I need this too. One last time, I need to feel him before I break him like he broke me.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Ellie

“Let me get this straight.” Jade blows out a deep breath. “He’s. Fucking. Married!”

My eyes close of their own accord, the hurt at hearing it out loud almost too much to bear.

“Yeah,” I whisper.

“The fucking pricks. They said she was dead!” The horror in her voice is evident, causing me to wince.

“I know.”

She strokes over her swollen stomach, and I watch the motion with a lump gathering in my throat. Rafael spoke about us having children.

She shakes her head again. “I just—” She blows out another deep breath. “I can’t believe it.”

“And I had to sit through this meal with her, Jade. It was fucking awful. She was fucking awful.”

Her mouth drops open, and her fists pump beside her. Jade can be a little firecracker when she gets riled despite her innocent little-girl looks. Something people underestimate her for.

When she discovered she was pregnant, Tommy had left her without a word. Now she lives with his father, who vows to stick by her and their baby. She assures me Vinny Marino is like a father to her, and each time she mentions Tommy, he shuts her down, leaving her heartbroken that she’s bringing a baby into the world without a father.

I blink back tears. “I love him, Jade. I do, but...”

“But what?”

“I can’t stay.” I hold her gaze, and her face falls, but when she stares back at me with pity coating her pretty features, I know she understands.

“You’d always be the other woman.” Her solemn voice stills me, and I know my friend is hurting after discovering Tommy left her for his ex. “You deserve more than that.” Her voice grows stronger on each syllable, giving me the confidence I’m going to need.

“We both do,” I reply, meaning every word. My friend is beautiful inside and out. All she ever wanted was a family, much like me.

“Yeah, but I got this little one. My family is here.” She strokes over her stomach, not a sliver of regret in her tone, and I love her all the more for it.

My phone vibrates on the couch beside me, and when I lift it and open the message, the feeling in my heart becomes irreparable.

He isn’t at work.

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