Page 81 of Betrothed

I squeezed my eyes shut, every cell in my body wanting to fight—knowing Zeke would want me to fight. Remembering how he’d already risked his career to save me. Wanting to believe that his love was worth any cost.

I opened my eyes, but whatever I had left to stand on, died in the next instant as Stan bent forward and murmured the final nail into the coffin burying my freedom.

“If you won’t obey to save him, then do it to save your son. What you’ve done already caused his broken nose, and this latest marriage and custody stunt, well… the water Zeke drank today was supposed to be for Jake.”

I let out a small cry, my worst fears crystallizing into reality.It was because of him. It was all because of him.This whole time, I’d feared Stan’s perverted assault would extend to our son… but the truth was it already had.

I stared at Stan, searching for any part of the man I’d once cared for—any part of the man who at least loved his own son enough to not harm him. But I found nothing.

The man in front of me had planned on poisoning our son with fentanyl just to punish me and force me back into his life. I couldn’t leave Jake alone with him again; he would kill him.

“Okay.” The word choked out of the black pit in my stomach. “I’ll go with you.”

Stan smiled triumphantly, reaching for Jake when he returned and bombastically declaring thatMommywas finally coming home.

I would fight for love. For the love of my son. For the love of a good man. But I would also sacrifice for it—sacrifice anything including myself in order to keep them safe.

So, I put on a brave smile for my son, and let Stan lead us through the crowd and off the beach, acting every inch the handsome hero he wanted people to see.

Maybe someday Zeke would realize why I made the choice I did. Unfortunately, by then it would be too late. The day the truth came out would be the day that Stan finally managed to kill me.

CHAPTER19

ZEKE

“Where’s Kenzie?” I grabbed the cup of water again, trying to erase the scratchiness from my throat.

I wanted to rip all the IVs and monitors off my body and find my wife. I had to tell her this was a mistake—there was no way I’d knowingly take any drugs, let alone overdose on them.

Rationally, I knew there was no other explanation for why the Narcan had revived me, but I hadn’t done this. The drugs must’ve gotten into my system some other way. Still, all I could see was Kenzie’s face blankly staring as they loaded me into the ambulance.

Those first few minutes after I’d been revived were a strange mix of adrenaline-fueled clarity and drug-induced haze. Stan’s face—and his smug fucking smile—were perfectly clear when I came to. But after that… the commotion… the other paramedics… it blurred until I was jostled into the back of the ambulance. Then it was only Kenzie’s face I saw. Her confusion. Her pained disbelief.

She didn’t want to believe I had taken drugs and neither did I. But somehow, I had.

“She’s not here?” Addy came to my side, checking over me like a mother. “I found her on the beach. I told her to wait for me while I gave Ace the water bottle and that I’d bring her to the hospital—”

“What water bottle?” I demanded, needing to process one fact at a time.

“Your water bottle,” she said. “I asked Kenzie what happened—told her there’s no way you’d do any kind of drugs. And then I asked what you’d had to eat or drink, and she gave me your water bottle. Ace is testing it now…”

My brow creased, her voice distancing as my mind tried to string together facts. I’d chugged the water on my way to Kenzie and Jake, and then handed it to her when we went into the ocean. But the water I’d grabbed from the beverage tent—No.My heart dropped into my stomach. I hadn’t grabbed that water bottle from the tent;that water bottle was the one Jake had dropped.

“Fuck no.”

“Zeke?”

“Where’s Stan?” I demanded, grabbing the IVs and ripping them from my arms

“Jesus Christ, Zeke. What—”

“Where’s the guy who gave me the Narcan?” I ripped off the hospital gown, grateful that they’d let me keep my bathing suit on. “The paramedic.”

Addy blinked. “I-I don’t know. I left the beach when I couldn’t find Kenzie—”

I whipped around. “What do you mean, couldn’t find her?”

“I just told you! I told Kenzie to wait so we could come here together. When I got back, she was gone, so I assumed she couldn’t wait and came here on her own—”

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