"Give Me Another Chance"

CHAPTER THREE

My husband yanked me forward, hissing threats under his breath the whole way to the car, but my mind was somewhere else entirely.

I was still back in that room. Still feeling the echo of Cole’s touch.

Still hearing his voice as he said…

“Anything at all.”

Good God!! What have I gotten myself into!!!!

I knew the moment we got into the car that I would pay for tonight...

“What the fuck was that?” he yelled immediately I sat in the car and he began to drive home.

I swallowed. “I didn’t...”

“Don’t fucking lie to me...You sat there,” he hissed, “acting like some victim. Acting like I hurt you.”

My chest tightened. “I didn’t say anything… I didn’t say a single word all through...”

“You didn’t have to.” He slammed his palm into the steering wheel, making me jump. “You think people don’t notice when you flinch? When you look down like some abused puppy?”

My throat burned. “I...I wasn’t trying to embarrass you.”

“Bullshit.”

He turned the car off in the driveway but didn’t open the door or move to leave the car.

“You knew Cole was watching you, and you proceeded to act like a weak bitch that could not even fucking breathe, you fucking butch!” he said finally.

My stomach dropped.

“Do I hurt you, huh? Do I hit you except you deserve it? You always deserve it… and now you’re throwing a pity party In front of a fucking criminal mafia lord? He was looking at you the whole damn night.”

I forced a small shake of my head. “He wasn’t. He was just...”

“Don’t you dare lie to me,” he snapped. “Do you think I didn’t notice? Do you think I’m stupid?  You’re trying to get me killed, huh?”

He leaned in closer, his breath hot and sour against my cheek.

“You are my wife. Mine. You don’t talk to men like him. You don’t look at men like him.”

“I didn’t,” I whispered.

“Good,” he said sharply. “Because men like Cole… they destroy things. And if he thinks he can put his hands on you again, he’ll learn who you belong to. You wouldn’t even last a day in his fucked up world anyway, you weak bitch!! You belong to me… maybe you need a damn reminder”

A chill ran through me that had nothing to do with fear of Cole or his world, but everything to do with fear of what my husband would do next.

He grabbed my wrist suddenly, squeezing hard enough to crush my weak bones, while I closed my eyes, bracing myself for the impact of his punches.

“You won’t do that again,” he whispered. “Do you understand me?”

I nodded quickly. “Yes.”

Only then did he release me…Only then did he get out of the car…Only then did I let myself breathe again.

I got changed quickly, and slipped into the bedroom, but he wasn't in bed...but I could hear his voice in the bathroom. He was obviously on a call.

I slipped out from under the duvet without a sound. I crossed the bedroom, pressing myself against the wall just outside the cracked bathroom door. Holding my breath, I listened.

"Hey," Daniel’s voice came through the gap. It was low, intimate, and entirely too soft. "Yeah, I'm here. She's asleep."

I heard a faint giggle from the receiver.

"I know, I missed you too," Daniel murmured. "Tonight was a disaster. The bitch almost ruined everything at the dinner. Just stood there looking pathetic. But let’s not talk about her. I'm still thinking about Tuesday."

My breath caught. I clamped a hand over my mouth to muffle the sound.

"You were incredible," Daniel chuckled, a low sound that turned my stomach inside out. "The way you fucked my brains out in that hotel room... You're so fucking good with your mouth. God, Elena, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it for two days."

Two days ago...

The revelation hit like a fucking blow. Two days ago, Daniel had dragged me into the living room, punching my stomach and ribs until I was coughing up blood on the rug, screaming that I was a curse on his life after he lost a contract.

He had left me bleeding on the floor to 'clear his head' and had gone straight from tearing my body apart to a hotel bed with her. He was cheating on me. The man who claimed I belonged to him was giving away his warmth to his fucking secretary.

"But listen," Daniel’s voice dropped, turning serious. "What about the other thing? Have you seen the doctor yet?"

He paused...

"And?" Daniel pressed. "Is it confirmed?"

The muffled voice on the end murmured something back.

"A boy?" Daniel’s voice suddenly erupted with a pure joy I had never heard in all our years of marriage. "A boy. God, Elena... you're actually pregnant. We're having a son."

The air left my damn lungs entirely.

Pregnant???

Elena was pregnant with his child???? A fucking son???

A sudden, blinding wave of fury washed over me.

He had beaten my own children out of me four fucking times, leaving me hollowed out, while he carefully nurtured a new life inside someone else. What the actual Fuck?

I threw the bathroom door open.

Daniel spun around, his eyes widening in brief shock. But it vanished instantly, replaced by a sickening smile. He just brought the phone back to his ear, keeping his eyes locked on mine. "I'll call you back, sweetheart. The trash woke up."

He hung up and tossed the phone onto the vanity behind him.

Did he just call me...trash?

"You bastard," I choked out, my voice cracking under the weight of my agony. "You monster! She's pregnant? You're having a baby with her while you... you killed mine! You beat them out of me!"

Daniel took a slow step toward me, towering over me. "Your children?" he laughed, a dry, mocking sound. "Please. I didn't want kids with a swine like you."

"What?" I stepped back, my mind reeling. "What are you talking about? You said you wanted a family!"

"I said what I needed to say to keep your pathetic father happy," Daniel sneered, his eyes flashing with malice. "I never loved you. Look at you. You're weak. The only reason I ever put a ring on your finger was because your father promised to establish my business and secure my capital."

He took another step, cornering me against the doorframe.

"But the old man is dead now, isn't he? He died and left everything to me anyway. I don't see any reason why I should keep pretending. I deliberately rid myself of those parasites in your stomach because I couldn't bear the thought of having my bloodline tied to a useless bitch like you."

"My father loved you!" I screamed, my grief turning into a desperate defense. "He believed in you! He wanted to give us a good life, and you used him! You used me!"

Daniel slapped me across the face, the force knocked me straight to the floor. My vision blurred, a sharp ringing erupting in my ears as my cheek hit the hard tile.

I tried to scramble backward, but he lunged forward, grabbing the collar of my nightgown and dragging me back up.

He pinned me against the wall, lifting me slightly so my toes barely touched the floor. His grip tightened, cutting off my air instantly. I clawed at his hands, my nails digging into his skin, but it was like trying to move solid stone.

"You're nothing," he growled, his face inches from mine as black dots began to spark in my vision. "You have nobody left. Your father is dead. Your babies are dead. You are nothing." He laughed like a madman, still choking me. "You think I used him? Oh, it gets better. I used... and I fucking killed the useless pig. You actually think he died of natural causes?"

Tears gathered in my eyes. I could not breathe or speak, so he kept talking.

"His insulin," Daniel whispered, leaning in with a sick grin. "I just paid his private nurse a very generous amount of money to triple his morning dosage. It was so simple. Just a regular injection, but enough to induce a massive heart attack and kill him."

Tears and lack of oxygen blurred my vision. "No... no, you didn't..."

"I did," he hissed. "And while he was resting in the morgue, I took care of his paperwork. I amended his will. You were supposed to be his sole heir, but by the time I was finished, everything was legally changed. He left everything to me. Not a single cent belongs to you."

"You will regret this..." I whispered.

"Really? Who is going to stop me?" He asked, squeezing my neck tighter.

My lungs burned. I struggled for air, my fingers scraping desperately against his wrists, but I couldn't break his hold. The pressure in my head built until it was deafening.

Fuck... I always said I wanted to die... But I just can't believe this is how I actually died.

"Please," I prayed into the void of my own mind. "God, anyone, please... just take pity on me. Give me a second chance. Don't let it end like this. I want to fight. I want to make him pay. I want him to beg for help and never get one... I want him to bleed before me... I need another chance. Please... a second chance..."

The image of Cole Ryder’s dark eyes flashed through my mind one last time. “Come to me.”

"Give me another chance, and I will...I will...please."

The prayer in my head dissolved into a silent whisper as everything slowed down, including my heartbeat.

Daniel’s hateful face blurred as my eyes slowly closed until there was nothing left at all. And just like that, the world went completely black.