Page 222 of The Catalyst

“Oh my god,” I whisper as he fusses, his expression twisting with discomfort. “Even at this age, he looks just like Nigel. There’s no denying who his father is, huh?” I joke because this is something I’ve adjusted to.

The baby looks up at me with those icy blues that is a normal thing within the founding families of Grove Hill.

“Yeah. I thought since I know how much you miss…I thought holding Finnick might make you a little less sad.”

She’s right.

Finnick isn’t Rian, but it does make me feel better to hold him, even if just a little.

Each day feels like an eternity, but every day that passes starting tomorrow I can tick off my list of the four thousand, three hundred, and eighty days until Rian can be mine again.

Four thousand.

Three hundred.

And, eighty.

We’ll survive this and in the end, I’ll have my baby again. Who knows? Maybe Rian and Finnick will be good friends and all of our children will be as close as the current generation of Bastards are.

EPILOGUE 1

MARTIN

I scream as my father’s guard ties me down to the chair and my father just leans against his desk, puffing on his cigar.

“Well, this looks familiar,” I quip with irritation.

Sweat trickles down from my hairline. I was in the middle of working out before these pricks threw a bag over my head and dragged me back from the empty gym, threw me in the trunk, and brought me back here.

I’ve been avoiding being here as much as possible, which is why I’ve been staying at Carmen’s apartment.

“Is there a reason you want your henchmen to kick my ass this time?”

“That’s not why I had them bring you here. I actually have a deal with Bethany that prevents me from having them teach you a lesson.”

I swear, the temperature of my flesh drops. Oh fuck. What did my little rabbit do? Why would she make that kind of deal? What did she have to give up for that?

I swear, if he touched her, I’ll break through these restraints and strangle him where he stands.

“What did you do to her?” I’m so pissed I probably look like a feral animal with teeth bared and my muscles ready for a fight.

“Ohh, I didn’t think you still cared for her. You’ve been so wrapped up in your new girlfriend. I thought you completely forgot about Bethany. Silly me. You can calm down, son. I didn’t do anything to her, but you will.”

What the fuck is he talking about?

He reaches over onto his desk and holds up a piece of paper made up like a contract. The only question is: what the hell is that contract for?

“You see, we’ve got a little problem. Your brother took the actions to make it impossible for him to sire an heir with Miss Mercer and I’ll deal with that in time. That leaves only two of us who could get the job done. You and…me.”

I yank hard on the ropes around my wrists. “You won’t fucking touch her!”

He slowly shakes his head. “Well, she has expressed that she doesn’t want it to be me if it has to be done the old-fashioned way, but that just leavesyou.” Then, he holds up the paper in all his dramatics. “So, here’s the deal, son. You sign this contract and agree to my terms and she’s yours…as long as you can actually provide an heir. I have faith in you since you knocked up that dreadful Casey girl.”

“And the catch?” There is always a catch with him. He wouldn’t just say I could have Beth all to myself behind closed doors without having something else he wants.

“Well, you see, Miss Mercer really hurt my feelings.” That’s the biggest joke ever. He doesn’t have feelings. He’s an impenetrable wall. “So, what you’re going to do is after she marries Michael tomorrow and everyone leaves, you’ll take her to the ballroom and…you’ll hurt her or…I’ll do it myself and I’ll make it ten times worse than you could ever imagine. I want you to rape her and I’ll be watching to make sure you do it. So, what’s it going to be? Me…or you? There is no third option.”

I would never fucking hurt Beth. Not in a million years. I love her more than anything in this world. He fucking knows that, but he’s backed me into a fucking corner.

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