A Thousand Words by M. A. Fréchette

Author:M. A. Fréchette [Fréchette, M. A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-77706-982-7
Publisher: M. A. Fréchette

32

Elora

Richard sat at the table, finishing his supper, looking pensive about something. He hadn’t commented about her swollen, puffy red eyes, likely assuming she’d cried about his latest anger toward her.

Every day since she’d told Vincent to leave, she’d broken into tears.

But nothing hurt more than her lie to Vincent. She wanted him, but she couldn’t ignore the pain in his gaze after what happened. He tried so hard to help her, but it was useless. There was no leaving this place, and if she hadn’t ended it with him, it would’ve gotten worse with time.

“I spoke to a coworker this morning,” Richard started, pulling Elora out of her regrets. “He told me how his wife used to be like you. She was unhappy and bitter, always instigating fights. The usual imbalance of hormones, you know?”

She frowned, pushing at her green beans with her fork. “Hormones?” she repeated.

He nodded as he pushed his plate away. “Exactly.” Standing, he pulled his chair next to hers, and she stiffened as he sat. “I hadn’t realized what I was doing. I’m sorry for being so cruel in my thoughtlessness toward you.”

Slowly, she put down her utensil, her mind racing as she tried preparing for whatever hurtful words he’d say. A brutal comment usually followed anything sounding like an apology or a compliment.

“It’s…” She looked at him. “I don’t know what you mean.”

He smiled, and her guard rose. “You’re not getting any younger, and the whole time I’m living my life to the fullest as a man, I’ve denied your purpose as a woman.” He placed his hand on her abdomen. “I’m going to put a baby inside you.”

Her pulse sped and her breath caught. Of all the things she expected, this wasn’t one of them, and it was worse than any of the possibilities combined. Chills ran through her, but she did her best not to throw up as she opened her mouth to say something.

“You… already work so hard for the two of us.” She forced a smile, despite her trembling chin. “Is adding a child a good idea? I mean, I don’t want you to have to stress out.”

He waved his hand dismissively, and she flinched, expecting him to strike her. He chuckled and shook his head. “Nonsense. This is important. You’ve been worthless your whole life. Think about it. You’d finally have a reason to live. No more being selfish and acting like a brat, because you’d have a baby to take care of.” His palm slid lower until he reached her thigh. “Women are supposed to bear children. It’s what you were born to do. When you married me, you made a vow to God to serve me as a wife. That includes giving me kids.”

She wasn’t certain how much longer she’d keep from being sick. Her body kept going from hot to cold chills so fast, she thought she had a fever from the shock. Luckily, she was on birth control since meeting him. He didn’t know about it, and she’d kept it that way for years.

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