Chapter 1 #2
Seeing that the living room is dark, I peek down the hallway that leads to Ma’s and my grandparents’ rooms, but everything is also dark. Sometimes Ma or Granny get insomnia and end up staying up until I get off shift. But tonight, sleep must have come easy for them.
Heading upstairs, I pause at the middle landing when I hear something.
A muffled voice.
I frown. I know we don’t have anyone staying in our guest rooms, so the only person that should be upstairs is Aiden.
Our plan was for him to stay over tonight since I don’t have to work tomorrow.
I know he’s here because I got the notification from the security cameras when he arrived and saw his car outside.
Thinking that maybe he’s on the phone since he has some overseas customers, I shake off my worries and continue up the stairs. But as I draw closer, the voice becomes clearer, and I notice that my bedroom door is slightly ajar.
Correction, voices.
Nerves swirl in my stomach, threatening to make the supper that I’d eaten a few hours ago rise as I hear a moan.
A feminine moan.
“Yes, Aiden, just like that,” a breathy voice cries out and my stomach bottoms out because I know that voice.
It belongs to my best friend, Kelly Brass.
Inching closer, I push the door open a little wider and feel my body go numb when I see Aiden’s bare ass pumping into Kelly at a furious rate as she lays naked, strewn out on my bed.
Her hands grasp at my bed sheets as she moans and cries out for him to go faster and deeper.
A few moments later, Aiden’s body goes taught and he moans deeply as he cums at the same time Kelly does.
Fury runs through my veins at both of their betrayals.
Quietly, I back up, open the closet that’s next to my room, and I unlock my gun case.
On instinct, I reach for Ol’ Faithful, a sawed-off double-barrel shotgun that Pappy handed down to me a few years ago.
I double check that the barrels are empty, because even as pissed as I am, I’m not going to actually shoot them.
But they don’t know that.
Then I hesitate and put a couple of shells in the barrels, plus a few more in my pocket in case I do need to threaten them off my land. I won’t shoot at them, but I can shoot at the ground once we’re outside to get my point across.
Striding back down the hall, I open my door and click the barrels closed.
The sound of the click makes both of them jolt and I wrinkle my nose in disgust when I hear a wet, sloppy sound as Aiden quickly withdraws his dick out of Kelly.
His eyes widen when he sees me, and when he sees the gun I’m pointing at him, they widen even further.
His hands fly down and he cover his cock.
“What the fuck is your problem? Put that away!” Kelly screeches as she backpedals across my bed. I snarl when I see a giant wet spot where she’d been.
She clutches my blankets to her chest as she tries to cover up her nakedness, but then I see something that has me feeling even more numb.
Her belly looks bigger than I remember…
Is that a baby bump?
Is she pregnant?
Is Aiden the father?
How had I never noticed it before?
I push away that thought for now and focus back on Kelly.
“What the fuck is my problem?” I ask, surprised at how level and calm my voice is, even though I feel anything but. “My fucking problem is that I just saw my fiancé fucking my now former best friend. That’s my fucking problem,” I seethe as I glare at her before turning my glare on Aiden.
“T-That’s really not necessary, Lark. Please put the gun down,” he pleads, but I cock my eyebrow in reply.
“Oh, I think it’s quite necessary until I get the information I want. How long has this been going on for?” Again, I’m surprised that I’m able to keep my voice as level as I am.
A guilty look crosses his face as he looks down.
“How long?” I demand again.
A prim little huff has my gaze sliding over to Kelly and my stomach rolls at the smug look on her face. “Since last May.”
My knees wobble and they threaten to buckle, but I force myself to stay exactly how I am. My gaze flicks back to Aiden and his face pales at the betrayal and fury that he’s no doubt seeing on my face.
A year.
He’s been fucking her behind my back for a year?
Numbness seeps in even further as I realize how close I came to marrying someone who doesn’t love or care about me.
“You never cared about me, did you? You’re just like your father. All you wanted was my land.”
His gaze lowers to the floor, and a shudder runs through me. I almost married a man who didn’t care one iota about me.
This time, a very un-prim scoff has my attention snapping to Kelly as she rolls her eyes and lets the covers drop as she crosses her arms under her bare breasts.
“Oh please, what do you even have to offer him? You’re boring as fuck.
All you care about is your family’s supper club and keeping your family’s legacy alive. ”
Anger surges through me as I turn my glare on her. “We’ve been best friends since you moved here. I know you’ve always been competitive with me, for some stupid reason, but to steal my fiancé? That’s beyond low. Why’d you do it?”
Her lip curls in disgust as her gaze roams over me and I bristle at the emptiness in her eyes. It’s like I don’t even know the person in front of me anymore. When did she become like this? Has she always hated me?
Her sneer deepens as she waves a hand up and down, gesturing at me.
“Why would he want to be with you? I mean look at you. You’re an overweight pig that still lives with your parents and grandparents.
” She pauses before she smirks. “I mean your mom. Your own dad couldn’t stand the thought of living with you, so why would any other guy? ”