Page 15 of Sacrifice
“You heard me. You haven’t seen him in almost two weeks. You take him for a few hours and you can’t even manage to spend that time with him? Let me guess, you took him to your office and shoved him in one of those board rooms, gave him a bucket of toys you’ve had since he was two years old and told him to play for a bit. I’m sorry being a father got in the way. You’ll have to save your trip to the strip club for tomorrow night.”
The words are out of my mouth before I have a chance to stop them.
We both know it’s the truth, although by the time I figured out what kept him out all night, I had lost all the energy to bother arguing with him.
“Excuse me.” He takes the step toward me, shoving me against his car.
I never had any proof he was cheating on me, but if I did, it would be game over for him. He knows what this would mean for our divorce. Honestly, I don’t want anything from him but out of our marriage. Not the house, not his money.
I want custody of Huxton and to be free of his torment.
He reaches for my forearm, using his body to hide the force of his grip as he dips his head near my ear.
“I don’t know who you think you are, Haelynn, but I think you need to remember who the fuck you’re speaking to.”
His breath feathers across my skin, and I curl my lip in disgust.
“Let go of me, Atlas.” I attempt to jerk my arm out of his hold, but his grip only tightens, causing me to groan in pain. Tears prick my eyes as I stare up at the hateful man standing in front of me.
“Please, Atlas, you’re hurting me.” I blink past the tears threatening to spill over, not wanting to let him see an ounce of weakness.
“I suggest you listen to her or I’ll have to step in and see that you do.”
Atlas releases my arm, turning to peer over his shoulder.
“Are you okay?” Corbin asks, glancing over to where I’m clutching my arm against my body. My chest heaves, struggling to take a deep breath.
“Yes.” I force a smile. “Thank you.”
He nods. His face reddens and his nostrils flare. This side of him is so different from the outgoing and lighthearted Corbin I’ve gotten to know.
“I think you should go,” I say.
Atlas slips his hands in his pockets, widening his stance, trying to intimidate Corbin. Corbin shakes his head, crossing his arms in front of him. A grin curves his mouth, as if waiting for Atlas to test him.
“Did you hear that, buddy? She said you should go. This isn’t any of your business. You can be on your way now.” Atlas smirks.
“Atlas, I was talking to you.”
My forearm throbs. I know without looking he’s left a bruise. If he hadn’t done this several times before, I’d think he damn near fractured my arm. It’ll take a few days, maybe even a week, but I’ll be fine. I just hate how hard it makes it to cover up in the sweltering heat of the summer.
Corbin raises his brow and shakes his head, turning his attention back to me.
“It’s fine. I’m done here anyway.”
He’s not only talking about tonight. There’s an underlying warning to never bring it up again or next time it’ll be much worse.
I’m all too familiar with the subtle jabs and the hidden threats, warning me not to mention it or I’ll regret it later. It was all a ploy to get me to play the role of his dutiful wife.
Except I don’t have to listen to him or comply with his rules anymore.
He climbs into his car, slamming the door behind him and peels off down the road. When he’s gone, Corbin cuts across the space separating us. I can tell it’s bothering him, wanting to pull me into his arms, and if I’m being honest, I wish he would too. It doesn’t escape my mind that Huxton is waiting for me inside, and I need to check on him.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’ll be okay. I’ll have a bruise, but it’ll be fine.”
I wince, stretching my arm out. Corbin reaches out, brushing his fingers over the blue and purple forming under my tender skin.
