annoyance resounded in his question. Amelie straightened to her full height, which still left her far shorter than Roan. “I think you should be on your way.”
He snatched at her shirt and yanked it up, then paled before flushing an unattractive shade of red. “I’m married, Amelie! You can’t still be pregnant.”
Amelie roughly jerked free of his hold and backed up another step. “Leave me be, Roan. You ended things and I haven’t bothered you.”
“You’re going to ruin everything,” he mumbled, driving a hand through his hair and pacing away.
Amelie didn’t like the crazed look in his eyes and took another cautious step back. “I don’t want to ruin anything for you, Roan. In fact, I wish you well.”
“All you had to do was listen and do what you were told,” he continued as if she hadn’t spoken. His back and forth pacing grew more forceful with each stride.
Amelie’s pulse leaped as she glanced around. Usually, her neighborhood was full of passersby. Today there was no one about.
“When will you realize I don’t want you back?” His voice rose in agitation.
Wait. What? She’d been minding her business at her home on a world far away from where he’d abandoned her. What part of wishing him well meant she wanted him back?
“It’s not too late,” he said, stopping in front of her. “You can still get rid of it.”
He must have lost his mind. She didn’t have time for this. Amelie turned on her bare feet and headed confidently for her front door.
“Amelie!”
She looked over her shoulder and Roan’s gaze narrowed on her retreating figure. “Don’t walk away. We’re not finished.”
They were very much finished. Holding her stomach with one hand, Amelie raced up her short walkway. Panting, she shoved the door open and went to slam it behind her but Roan pushed his way in behind her and closed it.
He spun Amelie toward the wall, his chest to her back and rammed her face forward.
“Get off me, Roan. What are you doing?!” The cold of the wall chilled her cheek on one side of her face.
Roan leaned low over her shoulder to peer down into her face. “Aviana loves me. There’s a strong chance my marriage to her will make me the ambassador’s right hand next time there’s an opening. I can’t let you ruin my opportunity because you’re too stupid and jealous to follow direction.”
Amelie had no idea what he was talking about. She wasn’t jealous. She pushed back against his chest but as wiry and lean as he was, he still had her by fifty pounds and five inches.
“Let me go,” she whispered as her heart pounded. Amelie hated the quiver of fear in her tone.
The baby started to kick wildly, picking up on her increased stress levels. Roan was scaring her with his erratic behavior. He flung her away from him suddenly and Amelie missed a step and stumbled. She caught herself with a hand to the end table she’d planned to set the flowers on.
“I’ll take care of it myself,” he declared, heading toward her with a dark look.
Her living room wasn’t large to begin with and left little room to maneuver. With her back against the small table, Amelie had nowhere to run. “What are you going to do, Roan?”
His grin bore no resemblance to humor. How had she ever thought she loved him? The question had no sooner entered her mind when he punched her right in the stomach. The pain blasted through her a second later and Amelie folded forward on a groan.
“You should have listened, Amelie.” He kicked her in the side and she fell to the floor, her knees cracking on the refurbished floors she’d taken such pride in.
“Maybe.”
Kick.
“This.”
Kick.
“Will teach you.”
Kick. Kick.
Roan kicked her in her side, her back and wherever he could reach. It was as if he’d slipped into a trance wholly focused on hurting her. Amelie curled into a ball, her arms about her stomach to protect her baby as much as possible.
The abuse seemed to last forever. Roan was breathing heavily when he finished the assault. He grabbed Amelie by the hair at the back of her head and jerked her head up. Amelie couldn’t help the tears flowing over her eyelids.
Sweat ran down the sides of Roan’s face, his features bright red. Between her legs something wet splashed on the floor. He noted it and looked oddly pleased. “You brought this on yourself.”
He shoved her head back down before his heavy steps strode away. Amelie lay