Page 137 of Prized Possession

My breath catches at the intensity of his words, my heart beating so hard I’m surprised it’s not broken out of my chest. I try to find the words for such a momentous statement, but before I can, Marcus gives me a short yet passionate kiss.

“We better get back. I’ll go first, you follow in a couple of minutes.”

I nod my head in agreement, needing to use the time after he’s gone to compose myself.

Did he just imply he wants to marry me one day? Or was it just another of his possessive statements?

The little girl that’s been dreaming about becoming Mrs Morelli since the age of eight, when she first put a pillowcase on her head, pretending it was a veil, knows which she’s hoping for.

Once I’ve pulled myself together, I go back into the parlour room. Mother glares at me, but everyone else is deep in conversation, barely having noticed my absence. Scott must have grown bored with Mother and is now brown-nosing with my dad.

Thankfully, not long after my return, Marcus announces it’s time for us to leave. Just as I’m almost free and out of the door, my mother stops me, grabbing me by the arm.

“Since you haven’t given me a firm date, I’ve looked at my diary and chosen for you. I will make an appointment for Wednesday morning for us to go dress shopping.”

I look down at where she’s gripping my arm, glaring at her until she has the good sense to remove it. I feel Marcus place his hand against my lower back, and it’s just what I need to draw strength from.

“I can’t do that day, I have class.”

“What class?” Mother stutters, both Dad and Scott looking equally as confused.

“I’ve started taking baking and cake decorating classes. I’ve gotten quite good, and I really enjoy it,” I tell them, holding my head high with pride as I admit that it’s something I’m skilled in.

Scott looks furious. “Why on Earth are you wasting your time with stuff like that?”

I roll my eyes. “Because I enjoy it. I’m thinking of starting my own celebration cake business.”

Scott lets out a dark laugh, as my mother dramatically gasps.

“I can’t stop you from wasting your time right now, but I can assure you, when we are married, you won’t be messing around with such ridiculous notions.”

“Why would you need to start a business, Chloe? Scott will provide for you,” my mother cries, holding her hand to her chest dramatically.

“Well, I think it’s a great idea,” Miles cheerfully chimes in, breaking the growing tension.

“We should be going,” I add quickly, before anyone else can give me tips about my life.

“This isn’t over, Chloe. We will need to discuss this,” Scott snarls.

Marcus steps towards him, but I grab his arm, pulling him away. I shout goodbye over my shoulder, rushing to get into the car. I can feel the rage vibrating off Marcus, and I’m barely holding it together myself.

The drive home is awkward and silent, neither of us wanting to be the first to speak. Once Miles pulls into our garage, we mutter our goodbyes to him and head inside. As soon as the door is closed, Marcus takes my hand and pulls me into the kitchen.

He goes over to one of the drawers that we rarely use and pulls out an envelope, which he places on the kitchen island before sliding it over to me. As I go to pick it up, Marcus breaks the silence.

“Open it.”

“What is it?” I ask, looking at the blank envelope with intrigue and a little nerves.

“What Scott said pissed me off so much, but I was more proud that you finally told your family about your baking. I’ve watched you fall in love with it, but you’ve never said you wanted to make a career out of it, until today,” he explains.

I shrug my shoulders and give him a tight smile. “I’ve never really believed I could choose this as something for me.”

Marcus’ smile widens. “I’ve always believed… Open it.”

I quickly open the envelope and pull out a cheque. It’s for a thousand pounds, and it’s made out to Chloe’s Charming Cakes. But the bit that really has me choked up is the date in the corner.

“You wrote this cheque over a month ago?”

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