Escalation - Tessa Teevan Page 0,15

this room is a negative vibe, so for now, I’ll put everything aside and squeeze his hand reassuringly.

“Rafe, I’m right here. We’re both okay, and we’re not going anywhere.”

Raw, primal heat flashes in his eyes, giving me a glimpse of the protectiveness he’s probably been combating since we met. He kneels next to me, still holding my hand, and using his other one to tenderly touch my belly.

“I will do anything to protect you. Both of you.”

All the tension from before melts away. He might have lied about many things—the who he is and the way he is—but deep down, I know this man, and I believe I can trust him. It might not be easy, and the road ahead may be rocky, but I trust him with my life.

And with the life of our child.

“Rafe,” I whisper.

“Yeah, baby?” he asks, his voice raw and full of emotion.

“Let’s go home.”

He smiles at the word, and my heart aches. This should be the happiest time of our lives, yet I can’t help but feel that it’s tainted. That, somehow, this bubble we’re in is going to burst as soon as we leave the hospital.

While the nurse gets my discharge papers ready, Rafe and I sit in peaceful quiet. As much as I want to ask Rafe questions, I’m exhausted. The clock on the wall shows that it’s almost ten a.m. I can’t believe that it hasn't even been twenty-four hours since Adrian abducted me. So many questions are twisting and turning around in my head.

Why did he do it?

What were his plans?

And where is he now?

A shiver runs down my spine at the thought, and Rafe must notice, because he trails his fingers down my arm, creating a heated friction.

“Cold?” he asks, finally breaking the silence.

I shake my head. “Just thinking,” I answer simply.

His brow furrows, and a slight frown forms on his lips. “Would it be too much for me to ask you not to do that?” he asks softly.

“I don’t really think you have the right to ask me for anything right now.”

Hurt fills his eyes at my clipped tone. He nods and pushes up from the bed, running a hand through his already tousled hair. I imagine he’s done much of the same over the past twelve hours. My heart tells my brain to back off, to leave him alone.

This is the father of your child, Gabriella, my heart chastises.

Yes, the man you know nothing about, my brain responds.

It’s a classic push-pull, and tug-of-war has always been my least favorite game. It’s exhausting and humiliating, and in the end, there is no winner. Either you’re covered in mud or you can’t feel your arms for days. Instead of playing, I was always content to watch from the sidelines.

Right now, the last thing I want to do is fight with Rafe. The second-to-last thing I want to do is give him false hope that things are okay when they’re anything but. I don't know if anything will ever be okay again. I want to trust him. Nearly every fiber of my being tells me I can trust him. Yet, I can’t just forgive him the second he flashes his devastatingly handsome smile and penetrating blue eyes at me. He can’t just drop this bomb on me and expect me to rationalize it instantly. I need time. And a hell of a lot more answers before things between us can get anywhere near remotely normal again.

When I look back up, he’s leaning against the wall opposite of me. His head is slightly bowed, his eyes closed, and his chest heaving as if he's struggling with each breath. His hands are balled into fists at his side. He appears as if he’s trying to maintain control, and I’m not sure he’s succeeding.

Say something, Brie, I tell myself. My heart aches, yet this time, my brain remains silent.

I release a heavy sigh. Just as I’m about to call out to him, his head ascends and his eyes open, burrowing into my own. Fury swirls in them, an expression he doesn’t even try to mask. I shrink into myself, hating the way he’s looking at me, even though it’s his fault.

I wince at the thought. Because, in reality, all of this is because of what he's done. Rafe Matthews is not the man I thought he was. Even though he’s the only person I have, he’s essentially a stranger. With Adrian possibly still out there, I have nowhere else to go, even if