Tainted Freedom {Formerly Stalker} (Book 2) (Completed)

Chapter 5

"You tricked me." He said as he transformed from the hot, sexy man I once thought I loved to the man I fell in love with.

"I guess I was wrong. He's human, not Strigoi, but I did what I had to. I couldn't let you remain immortal." I said, backing away and wiping his blood off my lips.

Cory looked at me with slowly subsiding tears.

"So, you're not leaving me for him?" Cory asked, slightly confused.

"Of course I'm not! Why would you ever think that of me?" I said, giving him a hug, tearing up a little.

"That sounded awful real."

"It had to. If I didn't do all the things I did, he'd still be immortal right now. I thought Melanie had confirmed her plan with you. If I'd known she hadn't, I'd never have done it." I said, giving Melanie a look, a smirk forming on her face.

"Maybe I should have told him my idea." She said.

Just then Rachel and Melanie came running out of the house.

"Mom? Why is everyone... Dad? What's going on?" Rachel said.

"Mom? Who is this? He looks like dad but he's too old to be dad." Melanie said.

"Girls, this is your father. This how he looked when I fell in love with him. The other man you saw him to be was after I changed him to be like me. Boy, was that a mistake." I said.

"I vaguely remember how he used to look. That's about how I remember him from when I was little." Rachel said.

"Look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done what I did. It was stupid and wrong. I didn't see how well I actually had it. I screwed up and I did it good." My ex-husband said.

"Oh, you screwed up good alright. I'm not even sure whether or not I want to accept your apology. Do you have any clue as to the emotional toll I took? What you put your children through by abandoning all of us only for me to come home with all your stuff gone and a stack of divorce papers sitting on the counter? Did you mean to play me? Did you plan on all this happening? I found out about Marnie. I was watching the whole time as Melanie texted you asking if you'd cheated. I asked her to do it. If you think there is even the smallest chance of my taking you back, then you're sadly mistaken. I refuse to put myself and the girls through that again. Now, you need to leave. If you walked here from wherever you live, then walk back. I don't give a rat's ass how far it is." I said.

"I know how it feels. I know how it feels to be cheated on." He said.

"Then why the hell did you do it?" I said, on the verge of tears.

"I... I don't know."

"Leave. Now. Before I decide to hurt you in front of our children." I said, walking back inside.

"You took that well." Melanie said.

"How?"

"You stood your ground. You were forceful."

"This doesn't mean he's going to stop. He's not like that. He'll keep trying until he gets what he wants. I'm not that stupid. He's not going to just stop cold turkey because I took away his immortality. That right there was an act as good as mine. That's why I didn't except his apology. I knew it would just fuel his already burning bonfire."

"I know, believe me. I didn't expect him to stop."

"This isn't the last we'll see of him. He'll find some way to get at me. I'm sure of it. It's just a matter of time."

Melanie moved her family to my house. Melanie and I couldn't shake off the feeling of being watched, though. We knew he was back. Around two in the morning, I got up to find a glass of water and found her staring out the window.