All Chapters of The Price of Forgiveness: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

I sat in front of my mirror brushing my hair. Time stayed still. The dark growing outside was unnoticeable. I breathed but every breath felt shallow.I shared at myself in the mirror – lost in my own eyes. My hair had been lined with oils at the repetitive strokes.What was I supposed to do now? My father's bills and depts had all been paid. But he was furious that we used Jacob to do it. Even the mention of Jacob’s name seemed to ready him for another heart attack.I couldn’t tell him. I couldn’t tell him why I needed to leave my husband. Or that I so desperately wanted to. I couldn’t lean on them for help.Whatever I did – I had to do it alone.I couldn’t live in this house any longer. Especially not with his mistress in it. Did he really intend to keep her here? And what if Teresa stayed too? What would I do then?I would be tortured – humiliated – treated as a slave in my home. And for what?First I needed to get my family out of Jacob’s reach. But how? Who could help me? How? Jac

CORAL POVAlthough she knew he was excited, Jacob had been avoiding her recently. It was because she was pregnant – she knew that. He was scared to get too close and hurt the baby.The weeks had been paradise though. They’d already chosen names:Aria – For a girl.Ben – For a boy.The nursery would be white and brown.The school had already been chosen.And now Cassie knew. And Coral could finally live with them.Jacob’s mother was an unfortunate addition.She seemed to be accustomed to Cassie working overtime to earn her approval. And with Cassie no longer doing that – Coral had to take over the role of doting daughter-in-law. It was tiring and insufferable.Plus – due to Teresa Aster’s presence – they had to pretend that Coral was just a surrogate.She wasn’t just a surrogate. Their baby had been a product of love and respect.Teresa also seemed to expect to have control over every parenting decision.Coral wanted a daughter named Aria – Teresa wanted a granddaughter named Olivia.C

Flashback Continued:What were they saying? What did they mean?“I still don’t understand.” I said truthfully. My stomach churning into a knot. I looked around the room and felt the stiff air like wet, itchy blanket. They all looked at me with a knowing expression like they were in on a secret.“Surely you know how you got your internship,” a director scoffed.“I worked really hard, I passed all the tests, and the interviews.” I said.“Not the last interview.” The director said in a dull voice, then let his eyes squint curiously, “or wait… did you not know?”I stared at him. Confused.“Oh.” He looked at the CEO.The CEO smirked to himself and sat straighter in his chair, “Miss. Bulton, you were a very successful and impressive candidate but you’re not the one we wanted to choose. Unfortunately your boyfriend – Jacob Aster – showed up in my office and threatened to block my company from going public if I refused to give you the internship. The position should’ve gone to someone else.”“

Flashback Continued:Jake was fairly stoic as I prepared for the party. It had been this way since he agreed to come to the event with me. I was frustrated – more so by how he was reacting than because of what he’d done.He wasn’t happy to do this and he wasn’t in a hurry to hide that.I was used to him expecting to get away with things. I was used to him pushing boundaries to see how far he could get them. But this was the first time I’d pushed back – and his attitude concerned me.What would our lives be like if this is how he reacted to not controlling my choices? Or was I really wrong to be upset about this? I didn’t feel confident in my answers anymore.He didn’t react when I tried to comfort or thank him. He didn’t react when I argued with him. He hadn’t been reacting all week.His only real reaction was when I walked out of the closet. He was sitting on his bed – a bed I slept in more often than in my own dorm – and his eyes widened momentarily.He stood, eyes still wide – mout

“This is my friend Coral. We met in yoga. She’s the one staying with us tonight.” Joanne explained.Of course she was. And from the look in her eyes, I think Coral had been planning this for a while.The proud, smug look brightened her face as she stood, her hand on her stomach, and she said, “you must be Ms. Bulton. Joanne told me so much.” She held out her hand to me.I refused to take it.Coral continued despite this, “thank you for letting me stay here. My husband is very protective of me and the baby.” Her hands circled her stomach, “and his ex-girl friend is really deranged. She can’t handle seeing us so happy.”The smile on her face was sickening but I refused to react.Instead, I said, “I understand. Even post-separation, my ex-husband’s mistress is still trying to convince me he loves her. It’s pitiful”I shrugged and held in my smile as I watched her face fall.I walked into my bedroom and hid there. It took two hours for most of them to leave. I guess this made it the perfe