Chapter Thirty-Nine
Romy
Six months later…
D ing.
I blink away my daze and quickly root myself in the present. The smell of savory meat, carrots, onions, and potatoes is a reminder of what the dinging sound was.
The timer.
Roast is done.
I whirl around in the kitchen and hunt down my oven mitt. The heat from the oven blasts my face when I open the door. I’ve been getting better at cooking lately and this roast is proof. I’m giddy with pride. I hope it tastes as good as it looks.
Once I set the roast on top of the stove, I close the oven and turn it off. It’s been too hot lately to use the oven and I wonder if I should switch my focus to crockpot cooking. I’ll have to think about it.
The dishes from the cake I’d made earlier sit in the sink. It’s getting close to five, which means I need to make sure everything’s cleaned up before then.
Taking care of my home and the people in it is my superpower. I feel true happiness when I put efforts into making a delicious meal or dusting every surface in the house. It’s such a fulfilling feeling.
Life is good.
When I see women at the grocery store, frowning as they drag their also frowning children behind them, I feel sorry for them. How did they get themselves into a situation where they’re not happy with their lives?
Mine is perfect.
It’s everything I’d hoped for.
A dog barks outside. I shake my head, feeling silly for daydreaming again, and make my way over to a window that overlooks the front yard. The tire swing moves as though having just been abandoned. I leave that window and head to the French doors that lead to the backyard. Our golden retriever, Sunshine, can be seen running circles around my daughter, who giggles at her dog’s antics.
I can’t help but grin at the two of them.
Pushing open the door, I call out to Kaitlyn. “Kait, sweetie, Daddy will be home soon. Time to come in and get washed up.”
She makes a cute pouting face, but I’m immune to it, unlike her father. I arch an eyebrow, giving her my most stern motherly look. Finally, she relents and starts for the door.
“Come here,” I say, pulling her to me when she enters the house. “You can play after dinner. Daddy can push you on the swing.”
She hugs me, clearly pleased with that answer. I send her along to the bathroom to wash off the dirt from outside while I set the table.
Sunshine barks, which makes my heart thunder inside my chest. Seconds later, the front door opens.
Heat floods over my skin and I fight a cheesy smile. Do other wives feel like this when their husband comes home from work? Are they obsessed with pleasing him however they can?
Perhaps I’m the only woman like that.
No one I’ve encountered seems to appreciate their family and marriage like I do. They certainly aren’t enamored with their husbands like I am.
Maybe our love is special.
Otherworldly.
Soulmates with hearts entwined.
God, I’m so lucky.
Kaitlyn, upon realizing Daddy is home, bursts from the bathroom and races over to him. She squeals with happiness. He’s ready for her, scoops her up, and spins her around. I laugh because this is their daily ritual.
He’s such a wonderful dad.
“You smell like a dog,” he teases her, kissing the top of her head.
Sunshine barks, tail wagging wildly.
Kaitlyn giggles at his ribbing.
“Why don’t you go and get the silverware on the table, squirt? Help your momma.”
He sets her down and she skips into the kitchen to do as she’s told. His eyes land on mine, drinking me in. I smile, suddenly feeling shy.
“You look radiant today, Romy,” he praises as he walks over to me. “So gorgeous.”
I can’t help but preen. He pulls me to him and I meet him for a deep kiss. I’ve missed him. I’ll be happy when the weekend gets here so we can spend more time together. Waiting around for him all day while he’s at work is difficult.
One of his hands finds my butt and he squeezes it while the other cradles my face. When he touches me, I feel cherished and wanted. It makes my chest warm and my nerves sing.
“Miss me?” I ask between kisses.
“Obviously.”
“Missed you too. Can you take off tomorrow?”
He chuckles, leaning his forehead to mine. “You know I have to work, love.”
The warmth flooding through me turns chilly, but I don’t understand why. Sometimes my mind tries to trick me. I hate when that happens.
Rather than focus on darkness that lurks on the edge of my subconscious, I pay attention to the way he holds me as though I’m his entire world.
“How are you feeling?” he asks, hand falling to my stomach. “Won’t be long until our little girl has a baby sister.”
For some reason, I can’t remember seeing him hold Kaitlyn as an infant. It bothers me, but I never say anything. When this one is born, I’ll make sure to sear every moment in my mind so I don’t forget.
“Kait, hurry, sis is kicking,” he says with excitement.
I chuckle as she runs over to place her small hand on my stomach. The baby growing inside me moves more and more each day. She’s familiar with both her sister’s and daddy’s voices and always reacts when they speak to her.
“Dinner will get cold if we don’t eat soon,” I say to them. “Little sis won’t be happy if we feed her cold food.”
Kaitlyn finds this amusing and giggles.
Dinner is a playful affair as per usual. Kaitlyn regales us with her summertime adventures outside. Her daddy tells her interesting stories about work that leave both me and Kaitlyn on the edge of our seats, rapt with attention. Within a few months, we’ll add another to the mix. I try to imagine holding my infant in my arms.
If only I could remember what it felt like to hold Kaitlyn.
I’d brought it up once, and I’d been met by my husband’s disappointment. He even took me in to see the doctor.
And then…
Well, I don’t remember what exactly happened, but I know it was something I shouldn’t bring up again.
I don’t like seeing disappointment on his handsome face.
I prefer to see pleasure at what a good wife and mother I am.
After dinner, we all clean the kitchen together and then eat the pineapple upside down cake I’d made earlier. They both praise me for my efforts and by the end of dessert, I’m beaming with pride.
Each day, our routine is essentially the same. I take care of bath time for Kaitlyn and then her daddy reads her several bedtime stories. And when she finally goes to sleep, it’s when I get to spend time with him, having him all to myself.
“I need you,” I tell him as soon as our bedroom door is closed. “I’ve missed you.”
His eyes turn feral as I strip out of my summer dress. Sometimes I feel fat, but he never sees me that way. It’s as if my carrying his child turns him on. I glance down at his chinos and note that his cock is bulging against the material.
I unhook my bra, toss it away, and then push down my underwear. He watches me like a lion watches a gazelle, eager to pounce. Since my belly is getting bigger, I have to gently lower myself onto the bed. I stretch out, waiting for him to come to me.
He wastes no time pulling off his sea-foam-colored Polo. I one time got confused when I didn’t see his tattoos. Another disappointing look.
My husband doesn’t have tattoos. He has an incredible amount of chest hair and a cute, rounded stomach. I like to tease him it’s from all my good cooking. He doesn’t argue.
He undoes his belt, unfastens his pants, and then pushes them down. His tight brief underwear shows the evidence of his arousal. Then he pushes that down as well. His cock bobs in front of him, nestled in a bush of overgrown hair.
Has it always been so…unkempt?
He’s a hairy man, so it’s inevitable, I suppose.
I pull him to me, wanting him to kiss me. My head is starting to throb and thoughts I don’t like are teasing the edges of my mind. His lips quickly make me forget.
“I’ve wanted to do this all damn day,” he murmurs against my mouth. “Ready for my big dick, Romy?”
He pokes at my entrance. It’s always rough at first. I think pregnancy makes me dry. Sometimes I bleed and cry until a few strokes begin to lubricate his cock. Then it’s okay.
“Hey,” he says, not entering me just yet. “I asked you a question.”
“Yes,” I murmur quickly. “I’m ready.”
It’s not big like he says. In fact, it often feels like it’s not enough. Like I’m not full like I ought to be. Something is missing. Again, I don’t dare say that to him. I don’t want to hurt his feelings.
Sharp pain burns my insides as he pushes his cock inside me. Once he gets all five inches inside me, I can breathe again.
“You’re so tight,” he growls. “My cock is so big, I know it hurts, but you like it, don’t you?”
I like when he talks dirty. It reminds me of… I don’t know what. I just like it.
“I love it,” I purr. “Kiss me.”
He kisses me while rutting against me. My mind drifts to a recurring dream I have. I’m in a hotel room with a dark, mysterious man. He ravishes me with desperation. His cock is enormous.
Pleasure builds in my core.
Whenever I think of this fantasy or dream or whatever it is, I’m turned on. I think of the man’s mouth between my thighs.
A quiver of need ripples through me.
“That’s it, love,” he rasps against my mouth. “Come all over my fat cock.”
He always speaks of my coming, but the only time I’ve been able to come is with my fingers in the shower. It’s a filthy secret of mine. Once, I tried to touch my clit during sex and he was crushed, even shed tears about how emasculating that was.
I’ve faked it ever since.
I don’t want to hurt him.
“Yes,” I moan. “Oh yes!”
I’m actually close. My legs tremble and my core tightens.
“God, you’re a dream come true,” he rumbles. “So close.”
“Don’t stop,” I whimper. “Please, Caius.”
As soon as the name is uttered from my lips, it causes us both to freeze.
“Dammit, Romy,” he snaps, spittle showering over my face. “We went so long this time. I’ll take you to see Doc Junior in the morning.”
Then his hand covers my mouth. Terror claws at me. Seth’s eyes burn with disgust as he continues thrusting. An oily, gross feeling slicks over my skin.
I don’t want this.
I don’t want him.
But he’s your husband, Romy.
Stop with the crazy!
Tears streak down from the corners of my eyes and I breathe heavily. His thrusting slows and then he groans in pleasure. I feel a spurt of cum pulse out of his cock into my body.
“So help me, if you wake our daughter, I’m going to be pissed. You traumatized her last time.”
He removes his hand from my mouth and I let out a choked sob. As if I disgust him, he wrenches out of my body and crawls away from me. Once off the bed, he glowers at me.
I curl against my swollen belly, unable to keep the tears at bay.
Memories begin trickling in one by one. I see the man as we have sex. The adoration in his eyes is mesmerizing. Then I see Kaitlyn in that same hotel, playing with her toys in front of the television.
She’s not my daughter.
It’s why I can’t remember giving birth to her or seeing Seth with her.
I have to get out of here.
Me and Kaitlyn aren’t safe.
Something’s wrong.
Seth scrambles for his pants on the floor. When he pulls out his phone, I know what’s coming. I have flashes of memories of this same thing happening before.
“Don’t do it,” I plead. “Seth, don’t.”
He ignores me, mashing buttons on the app I hate. The one that makes me comply.
A pulse works its way down my spine, numbing all my haywire thoughts. Still, I fight against it, hoping to hold onto any truth before I’m thrust into a numb, false existence.
White fuzziness is like a curtain falling down over my eyes. Before I completely disappear into oblivion, I feel my hand being pulled and the snap of handcuffs are my final nail in the coffin.
“Give it a few minutes,” Seth says in a terse tone. “You’ll be back to normal soon.”
I cry long after he leaves me to shower, praying that I can hold on this time. Closing my eyes, I do my best to conjure up any memories I can.
Don’t forget, Romy.
This isn’t your life and you can’t forget that.
Fight.
You’ve fought against your mind once before. You can do it again.
Caius’s dark eyes bore into mine as the effects of the app correction begin to take place. I cling to his dangerous gaze until he fades into nothing.
To be continued…
The final book in the trilogy is Cup of Lies up next!