Page 123 of Cruel Revenge

I make a noise in the back of my throat, gaze dropping to her leg. “Are you okay?”

“A stab wound. Nothing worse than anything Aiden would’ve given me when we were kids.” She lies back down again and leans her head on my shoulder, looking down at our joined hands, her ring tattoo and mine side by side.

I tap the ink on her finger. “This means you’re mine, just as much as mine means I’m yours. As far as I’m concerned, you are my wife, you hear me?”

She laughs. “Well, that’s good. While you’ve been napping in the hospital, I was busy filing our marriage certificate with the state.”

God, she’s perfect.

“How long have I been out?”

“Long enough for me to forge your signature and take the paperwork to city hall.” She smirks, giving me that mischievous look I’ve grown to love so much.

“I love you.” I brush my lips over hers. “Wife.”

“Husband.” Her eyes flutter shut, and she kisses me again. “I love you, too.”

And as I lose myself in her again, I know that there’s nothing else I need right now.

We can figure out everything else that’s going to come in the morning, trying to make sense of it all.

For the rest of the day, I’m going to spend time in this hospital bed with Skyla, enjoying the fact that I’m alive.

Chapter Thirty-One

SKYLA

“ShouldI be worried that the forgery turned out this good?” Joshua looks over his shoulder at me with a smile, the bruises covering his face healing and the shallow cuts scabbed over.

“Maybe.”

He smirks and hangs the framed marriage certificate across from his desk.

My heart seizes in my chest as I look at him, wishing that I had gotten there sooner.

It has only been a week since I got him down from those chains and brought him to the hospital. One week of waiting for my chance to find Zoe again and kill her.

Joshua turns back to me, striding across the room and putting his hands on my hips.

He pulls me closer, his lips brushing against my jaw. “You know we’re going to hunt her down. Stop worrying.”

The corner of my mouth twitches. “It’s almost like you can read my mind.”

He chuckles. “You need to stop worrying. I’m alive, and we’re going to figure everything else out.”

“You’re alive, but you might not have been. What if I didn’t get you down?”

A mischievous look enters his gaze as his hands drop down to my ass. “You know, I’ve been thinking that maybe I should get some anchor points put into the ceiling. We could tie you up and hang you.”

I snort, the feeling of his bulge digging into my lower stomach. “Turning your trauma into kink. I like it.”

“I love you.”

My cheeks warm. “I love you, too.”

His lips graze my earlobe, his breath warm against the side of my neck, making my heart skip a beat.

He smirks. “You know, one of these days, you’re going to get more comfortable with saying that to me.”