Page 43 of Bittersweet Legacy

I met Caleb’s eyes – they were even icier with rage.

“Are you mad I interrupted your little party?” I spat, masking my hurt with anger.

“Where do you think you’re going dressed like that, Esmeralda? I’m not keen on sharing what's mine.”

“Yours?” I chuckled. “Did you remember we’re engaged when she had your dick down her throat?”

He hissed as Taylor gasped – yep, the cat was out of the bag now.

“I’m marrying you Esmeralda, but I’m not committing to you,” he replied coldly, squeezing my arm.

“So, you’re saying that faithfulness is not expected? That I will see you again with a girl sucking your dick?”

He shrugged, letting go of my arm and burying his hands in his pocket in a désinvolte gesture. “It’s not impossible unless you learn to knock.”

The fury and betrayal I felt in that moment was almost blinding. “So, I can too? I can go out and-”

He chuckled. “No, I’m sorry, let me reword that. Faithfulness is not expected from me but is mandatory from you”

“How is that fair?”

“It’s not – it’s just how it is.”

I snorted.

He grabbed my jaw between his fingers. “You are to have my children; we can’t have children born with olive skin and dark eyes, can we? We can’t have a Ben Deluca Jr, can we?”

“Is that why you’re acting like this? You’re jealous?”

He rolled his eyes. “Please! There’s nothing to be jealous of. He’s nothing.”

“Nothing? Yeah, right! He is muscular, sporty, honourable and… wait, I never told you his last name.”

His smile turned even colder, meaner. “I know a lot of things, Esmeralda.”

“If you keep on going, I’m not marrying you.”

“The simple fact you think you have a choice is quite endearing,” he replied with so much condescension I wanted to smack his head against the wall.

“I will not commit to that, Caleb, I have nothing to lose,” I bluffed. “And a diseased dick’s not something I can settle for, sorry.” I pointed at the party. “Now is the time to get even, go finish your party with slut Barbie.”

“If you think for one fucking second I’ll let you walk away from here dressed like that you’re in for –”

I swirled around, giving him my back, a small gesture of rebellion.

“Don’t walk away when I'm talking to you!” he exploded, and I couldn’t help but smile a little as I figured once more what could get on his nerves.

He grabbed me more forcefully this time, hard enough to be bruising. His lips were in a thin line, his nostrils flaring with his barely contained fury. Maybe I pushed him too far.

“Listen to me Esmeralda Forbes,” he raged threateningly. “You stopped being your own person when you accepted my proposal.”

“I don’t see a ring on my finger,” I showed him my bare hands.

“This doesn’t matter, I own you.”

“You own me?” I snorted.

“Yes, and I will show you right this second what it means,” he pulled me toward him but Archie struggled out of Taylor’s hold and swayed toward me.

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