Page 109 of Unravelling The Beast

I straighten my shoulders in defiance since I realize I don't seem to recognize myself anymore. I’ve come weak—weak for a man who clearly doesn’t care about me. I sniffle before gazing down and opening my small clutch bag to find some lipstick, when suddenly I hear the door opening behind me.

I immediately sense it’s him; I can fucking feel it all over me. I keep my head lowered, messing with the lipstick lid, and when it eventually comes off, I lean over the counter to take a closer look at myself, completely disregarding the fact that Arlo is behind me.

I press the lipstick over my lips as he approaches, his polished shoes tapping against the marble flooring until he's so near that he lays his hands on the counter on either side of me. When he peers over my shoulder, my eyes instinctively lock with his in the mirror.

I roll my lips together, smearing my pink lipstick out evenly and then break eye contact to place the lid back on and return it to my bag.

"So, when were you going to tell me?Maybe after the wedding? Or would I have received an invitation from the fake bimbo herself?"

As I zip up my bag, wrath of betrayal and jealousy rush through my veins at an alarming rate, and I can feel his eyes all over me in the reflection.

“I’m a joke to you, aren’t I, Arlo? Just some piece of worthless fucking meat!”

I fight back the tears that are threatening to come, fiddling with my bag as I look down at it, anything to not look at him because he doesn’t have a right to see me upset.

After a while of brutal silence, I swallow hard and take a deep breath before finally turning around to face him, and his gaze instantly falls to my lips as he is at my eye level.

He moves his focus from my lips to my eyes in one slow blink before inspecting them deeply. I examine his too and all I want is for him to speak, to say anything, to tell me it's all a lie, to make me feel better in some fucking way, but he doesn't, so I decide to speak out first.

"You're really going through with this, aren't you?"

When his jaw tightens, I feel my heart shatter inside my chest and I'm not sure why, but I feel it disintegrate.

My emotions are quickly replaced by rage and I grit my teeth angrily.

"You piece of shit!"

I'm ready to smack him again, but instead I straighten up and attempt to walk past him, but he doesn't budge, trapping and infuriating me.

"Fucking move!"

When he suddenly speaks, his voice is calm.

"I genuinely meant what I fucking said in the shower today."

I pause and turn my head to look at him.

"I can't, and I won't, lose whatever the fuck this is."

I lift my chin and lean back against the counter in front of him before narrowing my eyes.

"I won't be your little mistress, Arlo."

"I don't fucking plan on marrying that cunt."

"So, why did your dad say—"

He cuts me off in the middle of my question.

"Because that's what he fucking wants, and it's what he expects."

I look up at him, confused, as he stands upright, placing his hands in his pants pockets.

"What he wants is not a fucking option.I'm not doing it.”

Just as I am ready to speak, he lifts his hand and places his fingers beneath my chin, tilting my head back.

"You'll have to trust me on this one, Wren. You're going to have to play the game, just for a while, at least until I sort out this bullshit. I didn't tell you because it's not fucking happening."

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