OUR BROKEN BEGINNINGS

CHAPTER TWENTY

Aching. There was a deep ache in my head as I came back into consciousness. I groaned and lifted a hand up to my head when I felt something warm run down my forehead. The tile was cold and cabinets surrounded me. I realized I was still in my kitchen.

What the hell happened?

My question was answered when a voice filled my ears.

"I've always wondered what that would feel like. Never got the chance to do it when you most deserved it."

Samuel.

What the actual fuck?

I pushed myself up and looked over to where I heard the voice. I willed my voice to remain calm, "Sam. What are you doing?"

He walked closer and crouched down to where I was on the floor. "You know, you should really lock your doors when no one is in the house. I saw you and your husband outside. Dancing and laughing. Who knew you were capable, Cassandra."

There was nothing on my body besides my bathrobe, so I had to keep him talking long enough that Emerson would notice that I'd been gone for too long. "Capable of what?"

He forced his hand into my damp hair and tugged back, causing my head wound to throb. Thankfully, it had clotted and stopped spilling blood. His words were so angry as he said through his teeth, "Capable of human emotion. I didn't know you were capable of actually caring."

I had to think. There had to be a way that I could get away and up the stair fast enough that Emerson would hear me. If I kicked him somehow or was able to hit him, it would buy just enough time.

"Be careful, Samuel. She is a clever one. She is most definitely planning a way to get back to that husband of hers."

The sound of that voice made my blood go cold. My mother came walking around the island and entered my view. This wouldn't be good. I focused on breathing in and out. My words exposed none of my fear, "You really don't know how to leave me the fuck alone."

Janette and Samuel exchanged a look and before I could say anything, Samuel was kicking me. All the air in my body escaped me. I wheezed and let the floor ground me. There'd been worse. This was nothing.

My mother's venomous, pleased tone made my blood boil, but I let the anger ground me as well. "She's always had a mouth on her. This one."

There was no reasoning with my mother, but maybe Sam could be persuaded to stop whatever was going on. I looked up at him from the floor, and I hated how small I felt compared to them.

"Sam, why are you doing this? What did she offer you?" I tried to add sweetness to my voice to gain some pity from him, but his face didn't change. It was cold and detached.

"You deserve everything that is coming to you for humiliating me the way you did. I gave you everything, and you gave me nothing in return," he said coldly.

He was serious. He genuinely thought he gave me everything. The only thing he gave me was more fucking trauma. I didn't deserve what was happening. I deserved to be warm in bed in my husband's arms.

Samuel continued, leaning down and grabbing my face so hard that it stung my cheeks, "All those lies you spewed about not wanting to get married or not wanting anything serious. Then you turn around and marry him. Not only that, but you forget about me after everything I did for you. Now, I get to teach you a lesson."

My eyes moved to my mother to see her smiling. She hadn't told him the truth—that my marriage was forged because of anything but love. My mother was using Samuel's anger as a tool. She was keeping the truth from him on purpose.