Page 40 of Mad Love

“Now,” Mom continued, brushing an imaginary blemish from my shoulder, “let’s go make sure your father approves.”

“Of course.” I couldn’t keep the sarcasm out of my tone. Honestly, I didn’t bother trying.

I followed Mom back through the house to Gary’s office so she could present me to him. Again, I swallowed the urge to scream at the top of my lungs. Evan was standing in front of Gary’s desk, and we’d clearly interrupted them.

Gary’s annoyed gaze flickered to us. “Knocking is the proper way to enter a room, Angela.”

“The doors were open,” I pointed out.

Mom sucked in a sharp breath. “I’m sorry, of course you’re right. I just wanted you to see how pretty our girl looks.” She stepped back and wrapped an arm around my waist.

I flinched but managed not to pull away as Gary’s gaze crawled over me.

“Not bad,” he finally muttered. “Make sure everything is ready for our guest. I want dinner served promptly at seven.”

“Of course,” Mom agreed, practically purring at him. She squeezed my waist like this was normal. “You look stunning, Maddie.” She gave me a wide smile as she left the room, her hips swaying with exaggeration that I cringed at because it was solely for Gary’s benefit.

Gross.

My nails cut into my palms until I was sure they were bleeding.

“We’ll finish up later, Evan,” Gary said. “Maddie and I need to make sure we’re on the same page for this evening so things go well.”

Evan gave him a curt nod and walked out, closing the doors and leaving me alone with Gary.

“Why don’t you have a seat?”

“I’m good standing,” I replied.

He smirked. “It wasn’t a question. Sit down, Maddie.”

Hands still clenched, I complied and sat on the edge of the seat.

“You look lovely,” he complimented. When I didn’t answer, his face contorted into a scowl. “The polite thing to do is say ‘thank you.’”

“Thank you,” I ground out.

His glare intensified. “Try sounding like you mean it.”

“Why? We both know I don’t,” I snapped.

He slammed a fist on the desk. “I won’t have you be disrespectful to your new husband.”

“Do you want to tell me how to suck his dick, too?” I snarled before I could censor my own thoughts.

Gary’s face went a disturbing shade of purple and he stood up fast enough to send his chair toppling over backwards. He rounded the desk and shouted for Evan at the same time.

A chill slid down my spine at the unhinged look in his eye.

“It was a—” My words were silenced when he grabbed my throat. The pearls dug into my skin, pressing against my windpipe.

“Sir,” Evan said from behind me as I clawed at Gary’s hands. “You know marking her might be an issue. He’ll want to announce the engagement immediately, and we’ll be taking photos.”

Instantly Gary’s hands relaxed, and he stepped back. His whole body was trembling as he glared at me before his gaze moved to Evan. “Hold her shoulders down. Don’t let her up.”

Evan’s hands pinned me to the chair for the second time that day. His hold was unbreakable, but not as tight as it could’ve been. Not enough to bruise or mark me.

“It’s a pity that you’re such a clumsy girl,” Gary said, towering over me. He reached for my wrist with one hand and my pinkie finger with the other. Slowly, he started to bend it backward.

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