Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 80564 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80564 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Tears are pulled up from my soul. Each word he utters in that cold, dead voice he’s using, cuts me open and makes me bleed.
“Stop it, Max. Just stop it,” I plead, not wanting to hear this. I’m going nowhere, and he’s wasting our time. He loves me; I know he does.
“Stop what? Making you face reality? I told you that day before this all went down. Don’t you remember, Tess? I told you not to forget who I was. I told you. I’m a murderer. I’m property of the state of Florida. I have nothing to offer you. Nothing.”
“You’re my heart! You’re my home, Max! Jesus, we’re having a baby!” I yell, walking to stand in front of him, needing to erase the distance between us—both physical and the kind he’s trying to put there.
“No, we’re not, Tess. I haven’t been there for anything other than laying dick to you. Don’t you get it? Hell, I can give you more of that here today if you want. Just strip.”
“Max…” I’m physically hurting from his words. I didn’t envision today going like this. I had built up so much in my mind. None of it was like this. This is slowly destroying me.
“That’s all I am, Tess. A willing dick.”
I grab his hand and place it on my stomach. On cue, our baby kicks against his hand. Something flashes in Max’s eyes before the mask slams back into place and his hand curls into a fist and yanks away from me. I don’t give up. I can’t.
“That’s our baby, Max. Ours. You’re a father. You may not be with us right now, but you will be, sweetheart. You will be, and then we can finally live our lives….”
“I’m a sperm donor, Tess. That’s it. I’m going to be nothing in that child’s life. I told you.”
“No! You’re the man I love, the man I gave my body to!”
“A willing dick, who enjoyed the fuck out of getting inside you. That’s it. Go ahead, Kitten. Strip for me and I’ll give it to you here. Hell, it’s been a long dry spell for me. You might be enough to tide me over so I won’t have to use my own hand for a few weeks.”
I slap him. This is not my Max. I don’t know who this man is, but he’s hateful, he’s crude, and he’s vile. He’s slowly killing me with his words. The echo of my hit vibrates in the air, for minutes after I do it. I just stare at him with tears in my eyes, and Max returns my stare. His dark eyes are harsh and cold. He touches the place on his jaw where I slapped him.
“I think we’re done here,” he says.
Those words…kill.
I reach inside the small purse I brought with me. There’s nothing inside but two items, because of the security. Both things are pictures. I take them out and place them on the table beside us. A picture of the newly finished nursery and a picture the doctor printed of my last sonogram.
“I don’t know what you wanted to accomplish today, Max. If it was hurting me, then your mission was accomplished. I brought these for you. I stupidly thought you’d want to see your daughter. You can just throw them away,” I tell him quietly, my voice thick with tears. A few have escaped, but I’m doing my best to keep them in, at least until I get out of here.
“My daughter?” he asks, but I’ve already turned away. I can’t stay here, not now. I pause at the door, trying to breathe through the pain.
“Goodbye, Max.”
He’ll never know how hard those words were for me to say. Then again, apparently he doesn’t care.
The guard pushes me down in the seat. I don’t bother giving him the time of the day. It doesn’t matter. Nothing does these days. Nothing except this visit. These visits from Marcum keep me sane. I don’t know how he did it, and I don’t ask, but these days we get to talk sitting across from each other at a table. No more glass between us. That, at least, makes me feel less caged.
“You’re looking rough, boy.” Marcum says, and I give him a one finger salute.
“How are Tess and the baby?” I ask getting straight to the point.
“Why are you asking? You’re the fucker who pushed her away.”
“She needed to stop dreaming of a life with me. She needed to live her life,” I explain again, even if the thoughts of her with another man destroys me.
“Then I’ll guess you’ll be happy to know Officer De Luca has taken a liking to her,” Marcum says leaning back in his seat like he doesn’t have a care in the world. The words are like acid.
“That fucking detective?” I bark, not liking the idea of his pretty boy face anywhere near Tess.