Total pages in book: 186
Estimated words: 178688 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 893(@200wpm)___ 715(@250wpm)___ 596(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 178688 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 893(@200wpm)___ 715(@250wpm)___ 596(@300wpm)
“Yeah, maybe someday. I’ll miss you, bro,” Liam tells me as I step out of his SUV.
“You too. We’ll keep in touch,” I vow, then walk inside.
Goodbyes are always the hardest, especially when I’m leaving people I love, which is probably why I try to avoid saying them. Before I board, I text Everleigh and remind her when my flight lands. While I hate to leave my friends in Sacramento, I’m happy to be going back to Lawton Ridge—a sentiment I never thought I’d feel.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
GEMMA
When I climb into Robert’s car, my skin feels like it’s melting off my body. I’m ready to internally combust after Victoria dropped the bomb that our wedding has been moved up. Robert thinks he’s so cunning, but I see through this act, and I’m disgusted I fell for it. When Winnie messaged me more than usual this weekend, it should’ve raised some red flags. I went from talking to her every other week to getting questions every ten minutes. It all makes perfect sense now.
During the drive to his house, Robert goes on and on about how excited he is that Victoria’s interested in his company. I don’t respond to anything he says and just stare out the window. Instead, I get lost in my thoughts, wishing I was anywhere but here. When we pull into his driveway, he notices I’m not playing the part of the ecstatic fiancée. After client dinners, he loves to have his ego stroked, but I’m not in the mood tonight. Too many revelations have come to light, and I’m questioning our relationship in a way I never have before.
Over the past few months, I’ve seen glimpses of this side of him, but I always made excuses for his behavior. I’d blame it on his drinking or jealousy, but an underlying issue exists that’s bigger than I ever imagined. It’s frightening not to truly know who he is, and I hope I haven’t been scammed into marrying a man who doesn’t exist. Though a part of me should’ve seen this coming, considering how pushy he’s been. I’m so stupid for falling for his manipulative ways.
“What’s wrong, darling?” he asks as he yanks my weekend bag from the back seat. Without waiting for my response, because it’s not as if he cares anyway, he gets out of the car. I grab my purse, then follow him to the front door. I need to figure out how to bring up the receipt I found for the private investigator and list my other grievances, but it won’t be easy. The last time I complained, he listened, but then nothing changed.
Once we’re inside the house and the door closes behind me, my emotions nearly boil over.
“How could you move the date of the wedding without consulting me first?” I finally blurt out. “That completely blindsided me tonight. It was disrespectful for me to have to find out from a stranger instead of my fiancé.”
Robert sits on the couch and slips off his shoes. “For weeks, I’ve asked you about it, and you’ve been indecisive. I understand you’ve been under a lot of pressure, which I assume is because you work with a criminal, so I’ll give you some slack. I can’t imagine how stressful that is for you, not knowing if it’s safe or if you’re being robbed blind. But I digress. Instead of adding more to your plate, I made the decision for us, something I’ll be doing a lot of when we’re married.”
My mouth falls open at his pitiful attempt to throw jabs at me, but he doesn’t seem to notice or care. I refuse to entertain him or argue about any of this because we have much bigger issues at hand. I’m well aware that Robert will continue to throw this in my face until I bend to his will, but quitting the garage isn’t up for negotiation, and I’ve made that crystal clear.
“The last thing I want is for the happiest day of your entire life—our wedding—to cause any anguish, Gemma. I thought if I moved the date and took care of the major things, you wouldn’t have to worry about it. And you said so yourself, you’ll be ready, so I took care of your dress and veil as well. Everything’s in place. Winnie’s paid and so is the venue. Invitations are going out soon.”
“My wedding dress?” My blood is pumping so hard, I think I can hear my heartbeat echoing in my head. I’m tempted to pinch myself to make sure I’m not living in some weird nightmare because this can’t be real. He’s officially crossed the line, and he is delusional if he thinks I’m going along with this.
I want to slap the smug look off his face. Robert tilts his head and smiles, but it’s not kind nor inviting. Instead, it’s menacing, and his eyes are cold. It’s like the curtain has been pulled back, and the man behind it all is evil.