Page 32 of Rejected Pretend Mate

She shrugged. "I wanted to go to college instead of pushing out babies like a machine. I wanted to work, but Ivan never wanted me to work full-time because his needs and the house required my attention. He was the breadwinner."

"The pack has always had that old mindset. I never understood it."

She snorted. "The pack has fucked up rules and regulations."

"You're not wrong about that. Why did you stay there for so long if you knew better?"

She shrugged again. "It just sort of fell that way. I married Ivan, and things slowly changed, more than I had expected. I thought I was happy because he got me away from my parents." She sighed. "That was until I found him fucking another woman in our bed."

I looked at her, shocked. "Wait, what?"

She nodded. "Yeah, mid-thrust, actually. It's a sight I'll never get out of my head." She scowled. "He said it was because I hadn't gotten pregnant yet, and the pack needed us to be parents."

I tried not to look shocked, but I couldn't help it. "And he's trying to get you back?"

She nodded. "I did everything for him, and I doubt another woman does things the way I do. It wasn't always bad. We got along well before…"

"Before what?"

"Work became stressful, and talk about kids.”

I ground my teeth together.

"Did you ever get pregnant?" I knew it was a personal question, but I couldn’t help but ask.

She shook her head. "No. We had thought I had once, but it was a false positive. Not even Riley knows about that.

"Why didn't you?"

"A guess a small part of me never wanted to…I didn’t want to think about what would happen if I did.

I shook my head. "You guys weren’t together that long.”

"Ivan wasn't a fan of waiting. He was getting frustrated that I wasn’t getting pregnant. Which led to me witnessing him filling a woman. He was impatient."

I parked the car, looking at her stunned. "Jesus Christ."

She shrugged. "It happens."

I scowled at her. "April, that is bullshit. What happened to you was unfair. You can feel hurt."

Her eyes softened slightly, and she smiled. "Thank you for that."

We got out of the truck and headed upstairs. April leaned onto me as we walked, and she stumbled slightly. As I unlocked the door, she leaned closer, her hands pulling at the top of my jeans.

"Do you want to do something for me?"

"Depends on what you're asking," I said, pushing the door open. The apartment was dark as she stepped inside.

"You wanna come to bed with me?" she asked, her fingers tugging at my zipper.

My body tensed up, and I grabbed her hand, stopping her. She frowned, looking hurt. I wanted nothing more than to sink myself into her, but April was not thinking straight. Us fucking before was a mistake, and I wouldn't let that happen again.

"April, you've been drinking. It's not a good idea."

She pulled her hand back, and I quickly cupped her face. "You need sleep."

She swallowed and nodded her head. "You're right."

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