Mine Now (The Phantom Vipers MC)

4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Blake

Charlie falls asleep in her car seat twenty minutes into our ride back. The silence in the car leaves me little room to think of anything other than what awaits me when I get home. I am now two hours late, and I see that Craig has attempted to call me multiple times. But even though Hunter is no longer holding a gun to me or my child, I still can’t bring myself to answer the phone when it rings.

He will just yell at me and call me names. He won’t be worried about me. Hell, he will be more upset that his dinner wasn’t done than the fact that his wife and child got into a car accident and then were kidnapped.

He’ll probably think I’m a liar anyway. I turn onto our street and see that all the lights are on inside the house. This means he is waiting for me to walk in the door.

Putting the car in park in the driveway, I slowly get Charlie out of her seat and carry her to the front door. Before I even have a chance to unlock the front door, Craig swings it open wide with a scowl on his face. He looks between me and our child and bites his tongue.

I walk past him to Charlie’s room and kiss her goodnight after tucking her into bed. Then, I sluggishly make my way back to the living room, where I know my hell is about to begin.

Before I even get through the living room to head toward the kitchen, he pounces. “Where the fuck have you been?”

I let out a breath. “I was in a car accident.”

He scoffs. “You don’t look like you were in an accident. You drove your car home.” He looks out the front window. “How about trying to tell me the truth this time?”

I turn around slowly to stare at him. “That is the truth, Craig. It was a guy on a motorcycle and then—” I stop mid-sentence. For some reason, I feel like I shouldn’t disclose any other information, as if I am trying to keep the biker safe from my husband. Or the law. I shouldn’t want that, though.

He fucking kidnapped me and Charlie and forced me at gunpoint to bring him where he needed to go. But he was just desperate, right? He also listened to me when I talked and looked like he was interested in what I had to say. Maybe he shouldn’t suffer for kidnapping me. Besides, he let me go, so I should just leave it alone.

Craig raises his brow. “Then what? Why did you stop?”

I shake my head. “It’s nothing. I got into an accident. The police showed up for the report, and we had to wait for EMS to get there for the guy I hit. That's all. Then I came straight home after that.”

“Well, go make me some fucking dinner. You know I don’t like to come home to no food. There is no reason that I should have to work all day in the heat and then come home to no food while you have been sitting on your fat ass all day doing nothing.”

His words sting because he knows exactly what to say to hurt me. He knows my weight is a hard button to press, and he knows the fact that I am a stay-at-home mom is another one I can’t stand him pressing. I love spending all my time with Charlie, but this is not what I wanted for my life. Craig forced me to quit my job as a nurse to take over full responsibility of our child and the house. He often tells me that the woman cares for the house, the children, and the husband. But the thing is, it should be an equal-opportunity household. It is 2024, for Christ's sake. He should help around the house and show Charlie some damn attention for once in his life.

I nod to stop the argument I can feel brewing from here and walk into the kitchen to figure out something quick I can make for dinner.

I have a package of ground beef in the fridge, and I grab a box of hamburger helper from the closet. Once the meal is complete, I plate it and bring it over to Craig, who is sitting on the couch. “Here, baby,” I coo just to appease him.

“Thanks,” he grumbles, taking the plate from me.

As I walk back to the kitchen to make myself something to eat, I hear Craig spit his food back on his plate. “This is fucking terrible, Blake! You can’t fucking do anything right, can you? Fucking worthless. Can’t be home on time. Hell, you can’t even fucking cook good enough.” He tosses the plate of food onto the floor, and our German shepherd hops down from the couch to lick the plate. “I wish I had a better fucking wife. Someone not so fucking useless.”

I watch him pull out his phone and order food from a delivery service. What the hell was the point of me making him anything if he was just going to order food anyway? “You’re not going to ask if me or your child wants anything?”

He scoffs. “You don’t have any fucking money, and besides, eat the slop you just tried to feed me. It’s fit for a pig like yourself.”

I let out a soft sigh and walk into the kitchen. If it wasn’t for Charlie, I would have ended my life long ago. I have been with Craig since I was sixteen. It was love at first sight. But over the years, he has changed into the man who just called me a pig and was more worried about food than his wife's well-being.

He used to be so loving and kind. He was funny when I first met him, which is what drew me to him in the first place. But now, he is so mean that I can barely breathe around him without him lashing out at me.

I just feel so fucking defeated all the time. I know it is just his mental health talking. We have a back story that is a mile long. I used to think things were going to get better over time, but it's been three years now, and he is still treating me this way.

I have loved him for so long, though, and I don't know if I am capable of feeling a different way toward him.

Is it really love at this point?

“What are you thinking about?” His voice comes from behind me as he walks into the kitchen.

I look over my shoulder at him and smile softly. “Nothing. I was just putting some food on my plate.”

Craig walks up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. “I am sorry for my words, baby. You know I don’t mean them.” He nuzzles my neck. “I bought you some food, too, by the way. It should be here in a few minutes.”

Maybe he does actually love me still. “Thank you,” I mumble before grabbing some Tupperware from the cabinet.

He scoffs, stepping back and throwing his hands in the air. “You don’t seem very grateful. You can’t seem to wait to get away from me.”

Panic rises as I quickly turn around to catch him before he leaves me. “Wait!” I grab him by the arm to stop him. “I am thankful, babe. I was just going to put away the food.” That old feeling of not being enough, not being able to take someone’s anger or disdain, comes back to haunt me. He knows exactly which buttons to press to get me to bend to his will.

He smirks at me and steps into me, wrapping his hand around the back of my neck. “Good. You can show me just how thankful you are later tonight.”

My eyes widen, and a scowl grows on his face. His grip tightens in my hair, making me wince. “Maybe, I should just push you to your knees right now and force you to swallow my cock.”

I slightly shake my head. A part of me wants him to do it. At least then, I would feel like he loved me. I am only worthy of someone's love if I can please them. I know I can please him if he forces me to do this right now. Then maybe he will be nicer tonight. But I don’t want Charlie to wake up and catch us in the act.

I bite my lip. “Not now, husband.” I trail my finger down the front of his chest until I get to the top of his pants. “I promise I will make your wait worthwhile.”

He leans forward and pulls my bottom lip into his mouth, biting me hard. “You are going to take every inch I give you, and I want your tears.”

I nod, and he releases me with a squeeze of my chin, leaving the kitchen.

I let out a sigh of relief. I held him off for now. But I know I will be used and abused later tonight. I know deep down I need to leave. I need to show Charlie that we as women deserve a better life than what my husband is showing us. But I have been with him for so long, I don’t know if I am capable of surviving on my own. Plus, am I really even worth anything without him? I have no job or money. What even is my worth if I am not Craig’s wife?

He will get better. I just know it in my heart that things will change for the better. It has to…

Plus, I can suffer through anything for Charlie to have both her parents in her life.