Wrapped by Him

Chapter 8

Neolani's P.O.V

I felt so disgusted with myself as I drove home. I couldn't believe Uncle Pierce actually asked for something like that, and worst of all, I agreed to it.

Tears streamed down my face the entire drive, and I felt like I had betrayed Carter.

When I got home, I headed straight for our room, but Grace came out of the kitchen and stopped me.

"Ma'am, Sir came home early today and..."

"Oh my God, oh my God..." I pulled at my hair and paced around the room.

"What did he say?" I asked, my heart racing as the weight of my guilt became heavier.

"I told him you wanted to see Uncle Pierce, and he told me to let him know when you got back."

"You what?" My heart pounded harder, realizing the gravity of what I had done.

"I'm sorry, ma'am... I just didn't know what to say..." Grace started crying.

"It's fine," I said, trying to sound calm as I walked into my room.

Why am I so scared about going out? It's a normal thing to do... "Not after what you agreed to at Uncle Pierce's place," my mind judged harshly.

"Ahhhh!" I groaned as the memories of what happened at Uncle Pierce's kept haunting me.

I broke down again, overwhelmed by self-disgust.

"He caused this," I yelled in frustration, trying to pull myself together.

Later that night, as I waited for Carter, the door to our room suddenly swung open.

"You whore..." Carter slurred as he pointed his finger at me.

I rushed to help him as he stumbled on his wobbly feet.

"You're so drunk..." I said, trying to ignore the sharp stench of alcohol on his breath as I helped him up.

"Don't touch me." He shoved me roughly, and I hit my head against the wooden bed frame.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I looked at him in disbelief.

"I told you not to leave this place," Carter cried through his drunkenness. "I told you not to work or do anything. I've given you everything most people wish for, and you still do this to me?"

"You gave me what most wish for, but did you give me what I wished for? You caused this, Carter." I cried as we stared at each other.

"I've made plans for our trip already." Carter laughed bitterly as he pulled a torn-up brochure from his pocket.

"It's torn up..." he said, staring at the pieces with a blank expression. "Doesn't matter, because we won't be needing it..."

He threw the scraps of paper at me and then staggered closer, as if his drunkenness was fading.

Grabbing my shoulder from the floor, he brought my face close to his.

"What did you do at that bastard's house?"

My heart pounded as the memories flashed through my mind.

"Answer me!" he yelled, tightening his grip on my shoulder.

"You're hurting me, Carter..." I managed to say between my tears and the painful hold on my shoulder.

"I... I... I went to... to... ask if he..." I choked on my tears, struggling to explain.

Carter didn't want to hear my stammering and kept insisting I speak properly.

He let me go, and I fell to the floor, my tears flowing freely as Carter stood over me, his anger like a storm.

"Why did you go to Uncle Pierce?" he demanded, his voice sharp. "What did you do?"

I could barely speak through my sobs. "I didn't do anything wrong. I just wanted to understand why you've changed. Uncle Pierce was nice to me, and I came home as soon as I could."

His eyes narrowed, filled with suspicion. "Nice? What does that mean?"

"I just asked him about you and how things were before. I didn't know it would make things worse," I tried to explain through my tears.

Carter's anger flared even more. "You went behind my back! You should have trusted me instead of seeking out answers from him!"

"I didn't know it would turn out like this," I said, struggling to hold back more tears. "I was just trying to figure out what's wrong between us."

His face twisted with a mix of rage and sorrow. "You should have stayed out of it. You should have trusted me."

"But you've been shutting me out," I shouted, my voice breaking. "You've been so different since we got married. I needed to know what's happening."

A heavy silence settled between us. Carter sat down on the edge of the bed, holding a torn-up brochure, looking lost.

"I had plans for us," he said quietly, his voice almost breaking. "Dreams for our future. But now it feels like it's all falling apart."

I wiped my tears, trying to stay strong. "I didn't want to ruin anything. I just wanted to fix what was broken."

He shook his head, a bitter smile on his lips. "It's too late for that now. Everything is already ruined."

My heart ached as I tried to find the right words. "Please, Carter, just tell me what's going on. Why are you acting like this?"

He looked at me with a mix of anger and sadness. "You should have trusted me."

Tears filled my eyes again. "I want to understand. I need to know why you're pushing me away."

He turned away from me, his shoulders slumped under the weight of his own choices. "Maybe one day you'll understand. But for now, we have nothing left."

The room was silent except for my quiet sobs and the occasional shuffle of Carter's steps.

He moved to the window, looking out into the darkness, while I sat on the floor, fully aware I am about to shatter the small hope we have for our marriage.

A/N

I'm so sorry for the late update. I just felt like I had to make this chapter nearly perfect because it will determine the flow of the story.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it.

As always, if you liked what you read, please leave a vote or comment.

Chapter 9 drops this evening.❤