“Twins?” he croaks. “It was twins?”
I nod. I thought it was hereditary, but now, I’m guessing it was the fertility drugs.
“Why would he do that?” Kai asks. “Keeping you and the baby—babies…” He corrects himself, and tears shimmer in his eyes, destroying me anew. “Keeping them alive was his best leverage. All he had to do was keep you from marrying me, and then the shares were his.”
“I have some theories,” I admit, sniffling. “I think this is bigger than Manning Motors. That’s only one part of several moving pieces, and me not being pregnant out of wedlock was more important.” Acid crawls up my throat. “It removes any impediment to marrying Charlie,” I add, and I expect his dark scowl. “But mainly, I think he did it to spite your father. To take away his insurance plan. To ensure he didn’t share a grandchild with him. And…” Air whooshes out of my mouth. “He did it to break me. To show me he owns me body and soul, and there’s nothing I can do about it.”
I cup my bigger bust as a sour taste floods my mouth. “For years, he wanted me to have breast augmentation surgery, and I always refused.”
Kai’s jaw hardens. “He did that to you while you were knocked out?”
I nod. “At first, when I noticed, it gave me hope because I thought it meant I was still pregnant, but after he confirmed he’d forced an abortion on me, I knew what he’d done.” My heart hardens, and my tears dry up. “I couldn’t figure it out because there are no scars on my boobs, but he gave me this literature on the surgical options once, and I remembered there’s a less common procedure where they go in through your armpit, so I’m guessing that’s how it was done.”
I glance down at them. “I hate them. I never wanted bigger boobs. I was happy with the ones I had.” Tears prick the backs of my eyes again. “But mostly, it’s because every time I look at them, I’m reminded of what he’s done.”
My chest heaves, and another onslaught of tears arrives. I wrap my arms around my waist, rocking back and forth as I cry. This is what I get for locking all my feelings up and denying my grief an outlet. “He took our babies, Kai!” I cry out. “He murdered them with no guilt or remorse.”
My piercing screams penetrate the air, spurring Kai into action. He takes me into his arms, and I cling to him, needing his comfort, as I scream and scream, finally letting it all out
When my screams die out, I rest my head on his shoulder, circling my arms more tightly around his neck. His woodsy, citrusy scent wraps around me like a comfort blanket. “If he can do that, he’ll do anything,” I say, sniffling. “I’ve always known he was a monster, a psycho, but this proves there’s literally nothing he won’t do to achieve his aims.” I shiver, but I don’t know if it’s the snow covering me in a light, wet layer or the reality of our situation. “He doesn’t care, Kai.” I bury my face in his neck. “And I think he might have succeeded.”
I peer deep into his eyes. “He’s destroyed me, and I’ll never recover from this.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Kaiden
I hover over her bed, watching her sleep, wanting to soothe her and kill her at the same time. She cried herself to sleep in my arms, and I reined in my emotions, but they need an outlet. Or I’m liable to hurt her.
And though I’m beyond enraged, I don’t want to hurt her, because she’s already in her own personal hell.
The circle must end.
But first I need to deal with my fucked-up emotions.
I tiptoe out of the room, quietly closing the door behind me. I walk with purpose toward the kitchen where I know Hunt and Lauder are waiting for me. Her screaming and crying in the bedroom must have woken them up, and they fled outside after me. I appreciated that they hung back, but I knew they would want to know.
“Is she okay?” Lauder asks, worry evident on his face.
My fists shake with violent urges, and I’d happily take my aggression out on his face. He’s crossing a line with her, and he knows it. “She’s asleep, but she’s not okay.”
“What is it?” Hunt asks, handing me a bottle of bourbon.
I uncap the bottle and knock back a few mouthfuls. The burn coasting down my throat is welcome, but it doesn’t come close to matching the burn inside my veins. “Her father aborted the babies while she was unconscious.”
Lauder drops his mug, and it shatters into smithereens on the floor. “Babies?” he queries, his face ashen.
I nod. “She was carrying twins.” I take another glug of whiskey.
“She deceived you.” Hunt’s penetrating gaze locks on mine. “Why?”
“Payback.” I swipe another mouthful of whiskey, before setting the bottle down on the island. While getting drunk is tempting, that’s not what I need.
“I can’t say I blame her,” Lauder admits as he picks up pieces of broken porcelain off the floor.
“And I can’t say I’m surprised you’d pick her side,” I snap.
“I understand it to a point,” Hunt says. “Because she didn’t know if you’d deliberately gotten her pregnant, but she should’ve fessed up once she knew the truth.” He shakes his head. “I’m disappointed in her.”
“I lied to her about who I was, and we’ve all seen evidence of her anger.” I flatten my palms on the counter as fury builds momentum inside me. I’m trying to hold on to that thought, because I know I’ve hurt her and lied to her and I know this is how Abby copes. She doesn’t take things lying down. Her fighting spirit and her survival instincts are some of the things I love most about her.
But I’m so fucking mad she tricked me.
All week, she’s let me believe she was pregnant.
All week, I’ve been harboring notions of us as a family, and I’ve been actively making plans.
All week, I’ve been living a charade because none of it was real.
“That doesn’t excuse it,” Sawyer says. “She’s gone out of her way to piss you off since you arrived, and now this?” He arches a brow, and an overwhelming urge to defend her sweeps over me.
“She was hurting, Hunt.” I rub the dull ache spreading across my chest. “Look at everything she’s been through. She wanted to hurt me back and regain some control, and I can’t hold that against her. Not after all the shit I’ve done to her.” The words imprint on my heart and my soul, making me realize my anger is misplaced. He slowly nods, getting it.
Yes, I’m pissed she did it. And I’m hurting over our loss.
But it’s not her I’m angry with.
The murderous rage I feel toward Michael Hearst is unlike anything I’ve ever felt. I’ve spent the best part of my life hating him, and his assault on Abby only compounded it.
But this.
This is…
A shuddering breath leaves my body, and I have no way of articulating the venom I possess for that man.
He will suffer. Even if I die ensuring vengeance.
“That bastard needs to pay,” Lauder says, as if he has a direct line to my thoughts.
“I should’ve persevered the night I broke into their place and gone after him instead of stopping to tackle Louis.”