CHAPTER 5

Caroline

“Peter, what the hell are you doing?!”

My scream cut through the garden as Peter’s fist connected with Alex’s jaw in a brutal crack.

Alex staggered back, blood already staining his lip, while guests gasped and Cerene let out a pitiful whimper, clutching her chest dramatically.

I tried to reach for Alex, but Peter was faster. His hand clamped around my arm like a vice, dragging me away from the lights and music of Cerene’s birthday party into the dimly lit side hallway of the venue.

“Peter, stop! You’re hurting me!” I gasped, my voice shaking as I struggled against his grip. The old pain from labor and the bone marrow extraction flared up with every step, but it was nothing compared to the fresh agony twisting in my chest.

He didn’t say a word until we were alone. Then he spun me around and pinned me against the cool wall, his body pressing close, trapping me completely. His breath was hot on my face, eyes blazing with fury and something darker, more desperate. The air between us crackled, thick and electric.

“Have you forgotten that you’re still married to me, Caro?” he growled, voice low and rough.

I stared up at him, tears burning my eyes as everything I had buried came rushing back.

“Forgotten?” I whispered, my voice cracking. “How could I forget when you’ve spent years showing me exactly how little I matter? You left me screaming in labor, Peter. You chose her again and again while I lost everything.”

Peter’s jaw tightened, his hands braced on either side of my head.

“You don’t get it. Cerene was dying. But you… you let that man put his hands on you right in front of me. At this party.”

A bitter laugh escaped me, mixed with a sob. Fresh tears slipped down my cheeks.

“This party? The one you tricked me into thinking was for my birthday? While I was still recovering from burying our son alone? I stood in the rain with those tiny flowers, Peter. Alone. Because you were too busy kissing her and playing hero.”

His forehead dropped closer to mine, the tension between us almost unbearable. For a second, something flickered in his eyes . .pain, maybe .. but it only made my own hurt sharper.

“You’re still my wife,” he said harshly, though his voice wavered. “I won’t let anyone take what’s mine.”

“Yours?” I pushed weakly against his chest, my body trembling. “When have I ever felt like I belonged to you? I’ve been invisible for so long, sacrificing everything while you chose Cerene. I can’t do this anymore.”

Peter’s breath hitched. His grip on the wall tightened as he looked at me, really looked, the electric charge between us shifting into something raw and heavy.

“You think I’m just going to let you walk away?” he murmured, voice dropping dangerously low.

I met his gaze through my tears, heart aching.

“Watch me.”

“Watch me,” I whispered defiantly through my tears, my voice barely holding together.

Peter’s eyes darkened, something wild and possessive flashing across his face.

Before I could push him away, he cupped my chin roughly with one hand and crashed his lips against mine in a bruising, desperate kiss. It wasn’t gentle or loving ....it was raw, angry, filled with all the turmoil swirling between us. I gasped against his mouth, my hands flying up to his chest as I struggled, hitting him weakly, my fists pounding against the hard muscle there.

“Stop… Peter, stop!” I mumbled between the forceful press of his lips, twisting my head away, but he was too strong.

His body pinned me tighter to the wall, one hand gripping my waist while the other tangled in my hair, holding me in place. No matter how hard I pushed, he didn’t budge, his kiss deepening as if he could claim back everything he had thrown away.

Tears streamed down my face as memories flooded me. I thought back to those early days, before he had ever laid eyes on Cerene. We had been perfect then ....young, hopeful, laughing over late-night talks and stolen kisses that felt like promises of forever. He used to look at me like I was his entire world. Now? Now he wouldn’t even let me breathe without turning it into torment.

I hit his chest again, harder this time, my body trembling with exhaustion and heartbreak.

*Why are you doing this?* my mind screamed. *You broke me. You chose her. You let our baby die and left me to bury him alone.*

Peter finally pulled back just enough to rest his forehead against mine, breathing heavily, his eyes stormy with emotions I couldn’t fully read. His grip on me remained firm, unyielding.

“You’re mine, Caro,” he rasped, voice thick and rough. “No matter what you think you’ve become with that doctor. You’re still my wife. So behave and stay away from other men.”

I stared up at him, chest heaving, lips tingling from the rough kiss, my heart shattering all over again.

“Then why does being your wife feel like the worst punishment of my life?”