The Entitled (The Entitled Duet #1) - Cassandra Robbins Page 0,140

in the mirror. Then my fist shatters my image. Looking down, I’m standing in a pool of shattered glass, the mirror splintered all around me. Tiny shards like falling snow surround me. Splintered pieces, with drops of crimson red. My hand is bleeding, but I feel nothing. Dead! Dead like my whole fucked-up life. Dead like our baby will soon be. I reach for my heart. My tattoo, it’s instinctual, it will calm me. I rub and rub. Blood covers the area where my heart is, where my tattoo is. This is a lie; my fingernails scrape my skin. I should have gotten rid of it a long time ago. I can get rid of it now. My pain isn’t because I’m cutting up my tattoo. It’s the pain of my heart dying. The pain of Reed dying. Finally, I drop the shard of glass. My chest is in ribbons where the name Tess used to be. What the fuck am I doing? Absently figuring out what I’ve done, I hear nothing, which is strange since New York is never silent. No horns, no screaming, just silence. Opening the door, I face her. Her beautiful ashen face. So beautiful. Her big eyes horrified at my appearance. Her cheeks wet with her tears, her lips red and swollen. Her mouth is moving, but I hear nothing. I push her hands aside, and she frantically latches her nails into my arm. With her other hand, she tries to check my chest.

“Don’t touch me,” I snarl. She does anyway, her hand crimson.

“I’m leaving.”

“Reed, what have you done?” It’s like a bullhorn going off in my head and I can hear again. Noises pound at me from all directions. The horns, the yelling, and the sobbing hysterics of the shell of the woman I loved.

“I’m leaving you.”

TESS

Present day – twenty-five years old

New York, NY

“Mommy… Mommy? Wake up.” My eyes blink open as I stare at my secret. My reason for living, that and my other bundle of trouble.

“Uncie Bwance, sas we here.” My soon-to-be three-year-old son climbs onto my lap.

“We’re here,” I correct him. He turns and snuggles into my neck, taking a deep breath, and sighs.

“Yow smell goowd, Mommy.”

He’s such a little charmer. “Thanks, baby.” I smile. “You smell good too.” I ruffle his dark curls. One of his fat cheeks is rosier than the other. He must have slept on it.

“Where’s your sister?” I ask, looking around the plane.

“With Uncie Bwance.” He smiles, and my heart skips a beat. Out pop two dimples, one on each side, just like his father’s.

“Mommy?” I wipe away a tear that escaped despite my rapid blinking.

He places both his chubby hands on my cheeks, his cute nose wrinkled. “Mommy sad?” His eyes fill with big fat tears too.

“No, Mommy’s fine.” I smile as another tear slides down my cheek.

“Then why are yow cwying?”

“So, smart.” I take a calming breath. “Mommy’s a little sad about Great-Grandpa Ian passing.” I give him a tight hug, my nose stuck in his warm cheek.

“Um... Mommy?”

I pull away and smile. “I love you so much. You be my good boy while we are visiting, okay?” He nods, happily snuggling in my arms and playing with my watch.

“We get to see Gwandma, Gwandpa, and Uncie Jax.” I cringe. This is so bad. How are my children ever going to understand this?

I stare at my perfect son, the exact replica of his father. Except that Reed has turquoise eyes. Luke and Lilly, have deep green eyes. Other than that, there is no denying who the father is. At least Lilly looks a little like me. She has my lips and nose.

“Luke…?” Snapping my mouth closed, my mind spins. What am I going to tell him? I have been keeping you and your sister from your father. He thought I aborted you, so he deserted us?

He’s not even three yet, won’t be for another two weeks.

Leaning my head back, Luke snuggles in my lap, my guilt eating at me. I kiss the top of his head, and I almost hear the phone ringing again.

“Hello?”

“Tess, honey, it’s Dr. Miller. I’ve been trying to reach you all morning. Everything all right?” I almost start laughing. I have to bite my tongue not to scream out that Reed has left me because I don’t want his baby.

“Tess?”

Clearing my voice, I try to speak. It’s hoarse with all the screaming and crying I’ve been doing. “I’m here.”

Silence. “Well… you are indeed pregnant and according to your HCG levels,