Chapter 68 - 70
Trapped in the heat of his gaze, his lips curving into a slow, satisfied smirk that only deepens my discomfort. My hands instinctively push against his chest, but his grip doesn’t falter.
"Do you know Alec?"
I frown at the strange name. "No, should I?"
"A wife should," he corrects playfully. He leans closer and my face tilts away so his lips can graze my temple, only to take a nip at my ear. "Alec is a friend—best friends since boarding school and he’s throwing me a party in honor of us."
I free a wry gesture, a sound scraping off a bitter laugh. "As if I’d ever been seen at one of your disgusting sex parties—I’ve seen the tabloids and I won’t be a part of any of that."
I attempt to push past him again, but his hand snaps out, and with a forceful shove, he drives me backward. The sharp edge of the counter digs painfully into my lower back, trapping me in place. My breath catches, my chest heaving as I turn my face away, desperate to conceal the shimmer of unshed tears threatening to spill.
"I find it fascinating that you think you have a choice."
He grabs my jaw to force me to face him. The light in his eyes dims to give way to untold revile. The facade of charm and charisma crumbles away, leaving behind the raw, unvarnished truth he himself once confessed to me—a chilling vow to become my ruin.
"I’ll fetch you this Saturday at 8pm—or somewhere around there." His eyes take a dive to scour the length of me with a scathing smile. "And wear something that doesn’t make you look like a pastor’s wife." His chilling smile only grows as if feeding on my fear. "That night will be about the sin before the repentance."
"Let me go, Landen," I manage, my voice trembling with equal parts fear and outrage.
But he doesn’t move, his expression unreadable as the seconds stretch unbearably long. And then, just as abruptly as he closed the distance, he releases me, stepping back with a low chuckle that lingers in the air like smoke.
"For now," he says, his tone as smooth as silk, but the promise in his words chills me to the core. He leaves, claiming another backward glance and I’m left gripping the edge of the sink, trying to steady the wild beating of my heart.