Page 42 of Unregrettable

The corner of my mouth twitches. “I would never.”

“Ugh.”

With that, I make my way to my parked car, click the doors, and set her on her feet. Opening the back door, I gesture for her to enter. If she doesn’t do it of her own volition, I’ll be more than happy to take care of it for her. Her choice.

She peeks up at me, sees my face, and slides inside. I enter behind her and slam the door shut.

She turns abruptly. “I didn’t do anything wrong this afternoon. You’re just super bossy and controlling.”

“First off, yes, I’m bossy and controlling. Don’t know why you expect anything less from me. But second, and more importantly, fuck! Just, fuck me. Did you learn nothing from yesterday?” I grab the hair on my head in frustration. “Kidnapping, remember? Does that ring a bell?”

Fuming, she flexes all ten fingers as if she wants to strangle me. “If he wants me, he can nab me anywhere. He can snatch me from my bed in the middle of the night. So no, I’m not too worried about going off-grid for a couple of hours to get a cappuccino or a knish in the middle of the day with my best friend.”

I always knew Crina was a risk-taker and a rule breaker, but she’s my wife now. Fear rips through me. How as I possibly going to keep her safe? I break into a sweat and ball my hands so tightly together that my knuckles turn white. “You don’t have to make it easy for him though. And at night? You’ve gone to an open mic at night? I mean, that’s just taunting a man like him.”

“That was before. I did that before.”

“And would it have stopped you last night?” She turns her face from me, giving me the answer. “I thought so.”

I sweep a shaky hand over the sweat beading along my hairline. “See, this is the impulsiveness I’m talking about. How can I help you if you refuse to help yourself?”

She lowers her head ever so slightly as she sits silently, for once.

“You’re entitled to get upset. Your mother drives you crazy and you want revenge. Or the strict rules clans have for women aren’t fair. These are the things you think, am I right?”

She nods once.

“And you’re not wrong. Life is unfair. I know that better than anyone.”

Her lips turn downward at my oblique reference to my brother. She lifts her face toward me, and now that I have her attention, I go for the jugular.

“But you’re being selfish. This isn’t about your mother or our society. This is about your safety. How do you think your father will feel if he hears that you’ve been taken? Do you think he can handle that? Do you think he has the energy to fight to get you back given what he’s dealing with?”

I’d heard about her father’s new seizures through my mother.

She flings herself away from me in shame.

“No, he doesn’t,” I continue relentlessly. “That’s the real reason he agreed to this marriage. Because he can’t fight for you and he knows I will. And what about me? If you care about me, if you’ve ever cared about me…” I swallow. “I can’t lose you, Crina. I’ve already lost one…”

My chest tightens with emotion. I drop my gaze to my fists. I slowly release one, then the other. Staring intently at my hands, I confess, “I can’t. I just can’t.”

Her hand covers mine. “Look at me.”

I glance at her. Her eyes are rimmed in red. Her nostrils flaring. She may not be crying but she’s close, and I hate that. I hate bringing her to this state, but she’s got to start taking this seriously.

“You’re right. For once in your life, you’re right, okay?”

I gulp around the hard knot in my throat.

“I’ll be more careful.”

“You say he can take you whenever he wants. That might technically be true, but if you do this kind of stuff, you’re letting him think we don’t take care of our own. One day, he will grab you, simply because he thinks he can take care of you better.”

“I get it…”

For once, she’s chastened, but I need to drive in the stake. “If I catch you again, I’ll go to your father myself and tell him what needs to be done.”

She gasps.

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