King of Pain - Tasha Black Page 0,23

forgetting to put it in her bag before exploding out the front door to get into her car.

On the drive to the city, she pictures what motherhood will be like. She envisions long walks with a stroller, sunlight dappling the sidewalk as she watches tiny feet kicking. She can almost feel the baby, warm and tiny in her arms. She can hear Cullen’s laughter when the little one grabs for his face.

These happy fantasies warm her heart, and by the time she arrives at Cullen’s office, she feels like she could float away.

The secretaries usher her into his office. He waves for her to sit, but he doesn’t get off the phone.

He is angry, screaming at whoever is on the other side of the call. Whatever is going on with the union workers on his job site is not what he expected, and Cullen Ward doesn’t like surprises.

Suddenly, the room feels too warm and her news feels hollow.

As Cullen’s face grows red, Jessica feels she is shrinking.

Something is said that ignites more of his fury, and he stands so violently that his chair topples over behind him.

Jessica flinches. She stands and prepares to leave.

Cullen holds up a finger in her direction, then jots something down, pressing so hard the pen nearly rips the paper. He holds it up. It says, “Come back for coffee? 2pm?”

She nods and slips out of the room.

Jessica opened her eyes just as Cullen disappeared into the woods beyond the mansion.

It has come back to her, all her memories of her life before.

She did go back to Cullen for coffee that day, or at least she tried. That was when the assistant got screamed at, and Jessica decided to leave for good.

She had rented a room in Springton, without letting him know where she had gone. With his resources, he could have tracked her down. She expected him to turn up every day at first. But then it became clear he had more important things to worry about.

She had made arrangements with the adoption agency, asking the nice lady there to choose a family for her. Looking through the book of hopeful couples left her feeling empty and missing Cullen like he was her actual beating heart.

But she knew she couldn’t bring a baby into a relationship with a father who had such a frightening temper.

As much as she liked to think of Cullen as the sweet man who brought her flowers and went for hikes with her in the woods, he was just as much the ruthless businessman. He owned a pharmaceutical company that literally profited from other people’s pain.

Right then, in the first bloom of their love, he treated her like an angel. But she had seen her own parents’ marriage dissolve into anger.

And she did not want to be on the wrong side of Cullen’s anger, not ever. The idea of having a family with a man like that frightened her.

She knew she should be grateful that she had seen his true colors before it was too late. But at the time, it was hard to feel anything but regret.

So she had gone through with her plan. She had been strong and not called him at any stage of the pregnancy. She had endured her labor alone. She had let the baby go, even though it meant losing a part of her soul when the nurse carried the baby away.

But she had made one fatal error.

When she was recovered from the birth, she planned to go to Glacier City. She hoped to start a new life out west, where she wouldn’t be tempted every day to go to Cullen or try to find the baby.

She had shipped her possessions to be held in storage out there, and even bought her plane ticket.

But the night before she was to leave, her resolve broke.

She found herself walking the woods near Cullen’s home in Rosethorn Valley, soaking in the remnants of what could have been, one last time.

I’ll just stand in the trees and see his silhouette in the window. That’s all I need. Then I’ll move on.

She knew she might see him with another woman. But even that would be a good thing. It would galvanize her, make her feel steady in her decision.

The night air had been cool and damp, the stars burning with a particular fury.

She had just reached the grassy circle from which she could see the light of the big house’s windows when she felt a shiver in the air.

A beautiful