Page 45 of Rejected Pretend Mate

"April," Weslie called my name, but I didn't stop. I headed up the stairs and slipped inside. I headed down the hallway towards the bathroom, just needing a moment to pull myself together.

I suddenly could hear Ivan. "You're not worthy of everything."

It was late Sunday night. My head was pounding, and I sniffled. We had just gotten back to the house, and he had thrown our China onto the ground. He'd flipped the couch and threw a vase at the window.

"All I asked was for you to have the baby! I haven't asked for much!"

I shook as I stood there, my lower lip quivering.

He walked closer to me, reaching a hand up, and grabbed my face. "You are fucking worthless! You are a waste of space!"

I squeezed my eyes shut, but I could still hear his words.

"You can't do anything right! You can't cook right, you can't clean right, and you sure as hell can't fuck right. And now you lost the baby! After everything I've done! All the hard work I have put into getting us this life, and you continue to fuck it up!"

I had told Ivan I was pregnant, but the test had been incorrect. I went to see my doctor, and she’d explained I had gotten a false positive, but Ivan had taken it to mean I’d lost the baby.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

"You're going to be if you don't make this up to me." His fingers let go, and he stormed off. But I could still hear his words repeating over and over in my head.

You're worthless—a waste of space.

And they still stuck with me. I felt tears build up, wishing I could move away from all that pain, but it traveled with me. I would never be able to believe anything anyone said because of him.

"He doesn't mean it," I whispered to myself. "Weslie was just being nice."

Chapter 18 - Weslie

I watched her walk away and frowned. Shit. I knew I said too much, and she was clearly hurt. But it was the truth. I had wanted all those things with her. I hadn't settled down with anyone because I refused to have that family with anyone else besides April. If I couldn't have that, I didn't want that future.

I glanced at the guys, spotting Cayden. He was laughing with the guys, not watching. No one was watching, and it was probably better that way. I didn't think April wanted anyone to overhear us talking.

I looked back at the house. She deserved to know the truth, and I wanted her to know so badly. I told her part of it the other day, but not everything. I didn't want to walk around like this anymore, acting like this was fake when it wasn't. I loved her with every fiber of my being and was tired of acting like she wasn't my entire world.

I hurried after her, shutting the sliding door as I stepped inside. I rounded the corner and found her standing in the hallway. She was leaning against the wall, wiping her eyes.

Fuck. I made her cry. God damn it.

"April." I stopped a foot away from her, wanting to pull her into my arms.

Her head snapped to me, and she quickly wiped her eyes even more. "I'm fine, honestly."

"I mean it."

She stilled and started to shake her head. "Weslie, stop. Please…when you say things like that, I can't tell if you're being serious or not. I don't know what's fake and what isn't."

"I'm not lying," I said, walking closer to her, stopping just in front of her now. "I mean it. I want to marry you and have children with you. I want all that with you, and it's only ever been you."

She cried, and tears started to spill freely. "Please stop. You don't mean it."

I reached out, cupping her face. "I do. I left the pack because I had to, but I have loved you since the very beginning. I fell so madly in love with you, April, and we were so young. And we lived in a pack that had the shittiest mentality. I didn't have a choice. I did what I thought was best. Considering everything that happened with your brother, I was thinking of taking you with me. I had brought it up to the Alpha, who promised me that you wouldn’t marry until you were older. I didn’t want to uproot your life."

She blinked, looking slightly confused. "What do you mean?"

I sighed. "April, I wanted to make things official all those years ago. But I also didn’t want to rip your world apart even more than it already was. The pack…" I swallowed. "My folks were pressuring me into marriage, and it was either get married or leave the pack. It all just came to a head suddenly one night without warning.”

She looked shocked.

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