âBrian, this is son!â Natalie fathom what had into him, showing up in the of night to pick fight. She her brows and tried push him away
It was the wee hours the morning, and dawn had yet to break. Her cramps were so they even her dreams.
He was abroad and it was inconvenient to deal with Nateâs issues so Natalie kept Nate while he got with Madelyn there. Natalie promptly hung up the phone, sensibly stepping back. She believed she hadnât done anything wrong
âYes! Heâs mine!â Brian was through gritted teeth.
âSo what gives you the right to come here and yell at me?â Natalie shot back without hesitation.
Out of the corner her eye she noticed Nate stir seemingly roused by their argument.
Natalie immediately clamped her mouth shut and glanced over.
Thankfully, Nate was just uncomfortable in his sleep and had turned to hug his fluffy pillow, mumbling something before drifting back to dreamland. Until Nate was sound asleep again, neither of them made a sound.
After a while, Brian let go of Natalie and walked towards the living room.
Natalie watched his retreating figure, feeling a lump in her throat that made it hard to breathe.
Then, Brian turned back around, something in his hand, and sat down beside the bed.
Natalie couldnât make out what he was holding in the pitchâdark room.
He reached out again, grabbing her wrist. Natalie instinctively pulled away, but he held on, not letting her retreat.
âLet go of me!â she couldnât help but resist.
Brian looked ashen, lifting his eyes to meet hers.
The next second, Natalie felt something wet touch her fingertip, followed by a piercing pain.
She didnât even know when sheâd gotten a cut, maybe when she was at the daycare.
Silence filled the room once more.
Brianâs movements as he disinfected and applied a bandâaid were gentle, reminiscent of the day he attended the parentâteacher conference.
A slight tremor went through Natalie. She pressed her lips tightly together, enduring the pain, and didnât try to pull away.
In her memory, it was that day when she felt so utterly wretched and helpless that her fondness for Brian solidified.
When she had quieted down, Brian raised his eyes to hers.
They locked eyes for a moment, and then his gaze dropped to her slightly parted lips.
Natalieâs inner alarms off, but it was too late to dodge. She watched helplessly as he leaned in and kissed her. His domineering presence was overwhelming and his hand cradled the back of her neck, fingers entwined in her thick hair, leaving her no chance to escape.
Natalieâs mind went blank.
Brianâs hand was firm on her delicate chin.
She had no chance to dodge, with her lower lip throbbing under his bite. Suddenly, she remembered that Brian might have kissed Madelyn just a while ago. Now he was using those same lips to kiss her, which made her feel sick to her stomach.
âLet goâ¦â Her words were muffled against his lips.
But her feeble attempts at resistance seemed like a tiny insect shaking a mighty tree to him.
He cornered her against the bed and left her no escape, pressing down his hand on hers.
âLet me go!â Natalie was nearly suffocating from his kiss. In a moment of his distraction, she desperately tried to dodge his lips, âBrian, you jerk!â
âIsnât this what you wanted?â His voice was a low and cold sneer, throwing her words back at her.
Natalie froze. She thought heâd let it go since he hadnât brought it up again and his words were spoken in anger. She didnât realize heâd taken her seriously.