Page 28 of Defiled Innocence

I finish buckling my belt and straitening my own clothes before she gets back, carrying a towel.

She shoots me a heated glare as she wipes the mess already drying on the desktop. If I hadn’t seen her come completely undone only minutes before, I might think she’s actually annoyed.

“Look.” She comes back from the bathroom after depositing the dirty towel and puts her hands on her hips. “I know it will take a miracle to get a judge to change the will, and I know you’d benefit from our marriage.”

“All right?” I lean back against my desk, folding my arms over my chest.

I’m not going to take whatever deal she’s concocted in that pretty head of hers, but hearing her out won’t hurt. It might be enlightening.

“If I agree to marry you, can you agree that it’s in name only? You’ll live your life, and I’ll live mine? Maybe we can even divorce if one of us finds someone they’d actually like to be married to?”

A storm of rage floods me at her last statement. Someone she’dactuallylike to be married to?

“No.” It’s not enough, the weight of my voice as I answer.

But if I expand, I’m likely to say something that will anger her, or hurt her, and for the moment she’s being slightly cooperative.

“That’s it? Just no? No counteroffer?” She’s trying to keep her voice level, and it’s not working all that well.

“This isn’t a marriage in name only, Amelia. You’ll be my wife, not just for a little while, but forever. There will be no other men. No separate life. None of that. You and I will be married, and that’s final.”

She pinches her lips together in frustration, but I can see in her eyes she’s already accepted her fate. Having her freedom would mean losing the foundation, and she won’t do that.

“See. I knew we shouldn’t have done that.” She jerks a pointed finger at the desk.

I laugh. “That changed nothing. You were always going to be my wife.” I push off the desk. “And now that you’re finally understanding that, we can focus on the next thing.”

“What’s that?”

“Moving you out of your apartment and into my home.”

She starts to argue, but then snaps her mouth shut.

“Good girl.” I wink. “You’re learning already.”

Amelia

A chill runs through Lucas’ apartment. It’s been over a month since I’ve been in here, having stopped in after the accident only to find his best suit for the burial.

It’s just as horrible standing here now as it was then. Without Lucas here, it’s just an empty apartment, even with his things still filling the space.

The artwork he hated that he purchased at an auction, but our father wanted it, still hangs in the hallway. Lucas spent a small fortune outbidding the shopper Dad had sent.

Pulling my cardigan tighter around me, I make my way through the living room to his office.

His assistant has already gone through the files and pulled anything that should be brought back to the office. Everything else is just his personal files or copies.

My phone vibrates in the back pocket of my jeans, and I pull it out. It’s Saturday so the center shouldn’t have too many emergencies. But I’m always only a text away.

Don’t forget. We have an appointment with the judge this afternoon.

I frown at the screen.

My romantic fiancé.

An appointment.

He makes it sound more like a doctor’s visit than a wedding ceremony.

---