Page 46 of Coerced Wife

I close in on her. Crowd her. Corner her. “Are you saying you’re ashamed of me for defending you?”

“Is that what you did?” She makes it sound like a challenge. “You defended me?”

“I also protected you. Do you think murder is beneath a justice? As long as you carry his secret child, he has a good motive for wanting to get rid of you. At least now it’s out in the open.”

“Really?” She utters a laugh. “Is that your excuse for the public spectacle you just made?”

“Why are you so upset about this? I called him out on his bullshit.”

“Are you expecting me to be grateful?” she asks with an incredulous expression.

“What the hell are you saying? What’s wrong with what I did?”

She cranes her neck and holds my gaze brazenly. “I’m saying you should practice what you preach.”

“What the—?” I stab my fingers through my hair and walk two paces away to calm the fuck down, but a second later I’m in front of her again. “What is that supposed to mean?”

Sparks fly from those honey-colored eyes. “I saw the way you looked at my stomach when I first told you I was pregnant. Did you think I wouldn’t notice the disgust on your face? And now you’re pretending to…” She makes a frustrated sound. “I don’t even know what you’re trying to pretend.”

Her words are like punches raining down on my solar plexus. “Wait a minute.” I hold up a finger. “First of all, I don’t pretend. Not with you. I don’t need to. Secondly, why in the name of God would you think I was disgusted to find out you were expecting a baby?”

She opens her mouth to say something, but I don’t give her a chance.

I step closer, backing her up to nowhere. “What you saw on my face that night was the disgust I felt for having pushed my blade against the baby growing inside you. I detested myself for pointing a knife at your unborn child. I still hate myself for it even though that threat wasn’t intentional. You should know by now that I only have admiration for the changes taking place in your body. I hoped my actions would speak for themselves. Haven’t I tried to only take care of you, to give you and your child the best? If you think for even a minute after everything we’ve been through that I’m disgusted by your baby or your pregnancy, you’re a very poor judge of character.”

Her back hits the wall behind us, the air leaving her lungs with a soft puff that escapes her lips. “Yes, you’ve taken care of me, and I appreciate what you’re doing formy baby, but adoption?” She points a finger toward the restaurant. “What you said in there… Are you out of your mind?”

I narrow my eyes at her. “My mind has never been clearer.”

She pushes up against the wall, flattening her body, the stance reminding me of the night we met.

Searching my eyes, she says, “You told Justi?—”

I bite off every word. “Do not say his name.”

“You told him you’ll have paperwork delivered.” She drags in an audible breath. “To sign over his paternal rights.”

I slam a palm next to her face on the wall. “Damn right. He’ll sign it over even if I have to cut off every finger on his left hand.” My smile is mocking. Savage. “I’ll start with his ring finger. He won’t miss it too much. He doesn’t wear a wedding ring anyway.”

“Why?” she asks, her pretty face scrunched up with confusion. “Why would you force him to do that?”

I lean in. “Because he can take the baby away from you. Have you thought about that?”

She blanches.

“Yes,” I continue. “If he wants to, he can file for custody, and not you or I will be able to win a court case.”

“Because of whom you are,” she whispers, shock washing over her features. “Because I’m with you.”

“Because he’s an asshole.”

“He can simply denounce his paternal rights.” Her voice is pained. “Why do you want to adopt my baby, Saverio?”

I snap my teeth together and grind my molars so hard my jaw aches.

Why indeed?

It takes only a moment to school my features, to lockthe violence in the cage with my beast and find that place where I can ignore my emotions before they show on my face.

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