Total pages in book: 331
Estimated words: 315585 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1578(@200wpm)___ 1262(@250wpm)___ 1052(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 315585 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1578(@200wpm)___ 1262(@250wpm)___ 1052(@300wpm)
A woman in our world is meant to give her Lord an heir, and she already thought she was useless, so he made sure she remained that way. But my wife is tough, and she fought hard to forgive herself and live her life.
I will not let him continue to do this to her. She will bounce back. It will take time, but I’ll stand right beside her, reminding her she is enough. That she’s strong, worthy of love, and will be a great mother.
NINETY
KASHTON
It’s been a week since Eve found out she was never pregnant. It’s been a rough seven days for her. We haven’t left our bedroom at Carnage. The guys haven’t even bothered us. They know the situation and that she’s grieving the loss of the truth she thought she knew while reckoning with the fact that the guilt she carried all these years was baseless.
I look over to see her exit the bathroom. She’s got her hair down and curled and is wearing a pair of skinny jeans, a black silk blouse, and a matching set of heels. Her makeup is done, and when her eyes meet mine, she smiles at me.
It’s forced, but it’s the first one I’ve seen all week.
“You need to get ready. We have to leave in fifteen,” she says.
“Where are we going?”
Eve frowns. “You rescheduled our meeting with the contractor. Today is the day.”
“I’ll push it back.”
“No. I want to go.”
I stand and walk over to her. “Eve, it’s okay to wait. He’s not going anywhere.”
She drops her gaze to my boxer briefs before meeting mine. “I don’t even want to return to my house, and I want out of this hell before we’re parents.” She sighs. “I want a life. With you. A fresh start. Our place.”
I nod and kiss her forehead. “I’ll get ready.”
Twenty minutes later, we’re running late, making our way out the front, down to my car. We’re pulling out of the gates of Carnage when she says, “Stop.”
I slam on the brakes, and she gets out. “Eve? Where are you going? We’re already late—”
She shuts the passenger door, and I do the same to see her walking over to the cemetery. “What are you doing?” I come up behind her.
“You took down the headstone,” she observes, looking over the fresh grave we dug up.
“Yeah,” I remark. “What did you want me to do with it?”
“I don’t know. It was just so beautiful.” She shrugs. “It’s just weird, ya know…”
“Weird isn’t the word I’d use to describe burying my wife, but sure.” I laugh it off.
I’ve seen people shot and bleeding out, Haidyn playing dead, and Adam shooting himself until he was unrecognizable so he could put a body in his place. But with Eve it was different. There was no denying the dead woman looked like my wife.
“Why did you have it read Everett Sinclair Pierce?” she asks, looking up at me.
“Your father never gave you a middle name, and I didn’t want to take away your mother’s maiden name, so I made it your middle name.” I shrug nervously. “It just felt right.” My wife took my last name, dropping Sinclair. I knew how much that name meant to her, so I wanted her to keep it.
She nods to herself but goes quiet.
“Eve?” I step up to her to see her staring off. She does this from time to time, and I wonder where her mind goes. To the baby that didn’t exist? To the future we’re going to have?
She turns to look at me once more. “What is that?”
She points to a smaller fresh pile of dirt next to her grave.
My pulse races at her question, and I take a step back. “Uh, well…”
“Kashton.” She places her hands on her hips, pushing one out. “What is it?”
I run a hand through my hair. “After I buried you, I had Sin help me with something.”
“What is it?” she demands as I try to avoid answering.
Rubbing the back of my neck, I sigh. “It’s your mother and”—I lower my voice—“the baby.”
Her face falls, and her arms drop to her sides. “Wh-what?”
“I wanted them to be here with you. So we went and dug up some dirt where you would sit at the cemetery, and I brought it back.” I step into her, and tears fill her eyes. “I’m so sorry, angel. I didn’t know about the baby at the time.” Her watery eyes search mine. “I’ve got a headstone coming for them. It should be here next week.” She stands stiff in my arms, and I swallow nervously. “I’m sorry, Eve. I didn’t mean—” She throws her arms around my neck, and I slowly wrap mine around her. “You’re not mad at me?”
She pulls back and sniffs. “No.”
I push the hair from her face. “I just wanted you to all be together.”