Page 234 of My Rules

He keeps his vision straight ahead.

“Can you look at me?”

He drags his eyes to meet mine. “What do you want?”

“I want to explain a few things.”

“It’s fine, Rebecca. I know how you feel. You don’t need to explain anything.”

“But you don’t know how I feel. I was just so shocked, and there’s some things that you don’t understand about my situation that just complicate everything, and I’m scared to tell you.”

“Like what?”

I pick up my bag by the strap and accidentally tip it over. Everything goes flying onto the floor. I scurry down to pick up the contents, and Blake bends and picks up a lipstick and hairbrush and passes them over.

I give him the folded-up piece of paper, and he takes it off me. “What’s this?”

“Open it.”

He unfolds the piece of paper and his eyes scan over it. He frowns. “I don’t understand.”

My heart is beating hard and fast. “In order to keep my house, John made me sign a contract to enforce that I couldn’t divorce him for five years.”

His eyes rise to meet mine before returning to the piece of paper. “You signed this?”

Panic sets in.

“It was the only way I could secure my house, Blake. You have to understand, this has nothing to do with me and you. This is about him blackmailing me.”

He drags his hand through his hair and lets out a low, long sigh. “Why didn’t you tell me this before?”

“Because I didn’t want to fight about it.”

“Because you didn’t want to fight about it, or because you knew it was the wrong thing to do?”

“I didn’t think you’d want to get married, Blake. Especially this soon.”

“Why the fuck would you think that?” he barks.

The venom in his voice makes me tear up. “Can you please not be angry?”

“Not be angry?” he cries. “Why do you think you signed this contract, Rebecca?”

“To keep my house,” I splutter.

“Not even by a long shot.”

“What do you mean?”

“I know you. I know you better than anyone, maybe even more than you know yourself. You signed this contract because you still want to be married to him.”

“What? No!” I scoff. “That’s ridiculous, and you know it.”

“Is it?”

“Yes. It is.”

“A house is not worth selling yourself for, Rebecca ... unless you have an ulterior motive to stay married to somebody.”

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