Page 43 of Haunted
“You would think, but don’t blame ole’ Dane. The fumes from the plastic at night probably has caused issues and his brain is malfunctioning.”
“That’s it. If you’re not willing to act like an adult and a mother, you’ll hear from my attorney.”
I exhale, letting him hear my annoyance. “Fine, we can speak out on the porch. I feel the need to get you out of my house before it starts stinking.”
“I’m not sure it’s a good idea to go outside with him alone,” Crank points out.
“I’ll be fine. I know how to take care of myself. You can stay in here, if I need you I’ll call.”
“For God’s sake, Serena. I’m not going to hurt you.”
“Once upon a time, I would have believed you. That was before your dick couldn’t stay in your pants, you didn’t take every opportunity to belittle me, and maybe you need to be reminded of the times you left bruises on my body.” When he just stands there looking at me, I huff. I should’ve known he wasn’t man enough to admit to everything he’s done. Dane leanson the porch, staring at me. “I have stuff to do, Dane. Can you just spit it out?”
“Fine. It’s about the men you’re letting in your house.”
“Which man would that be? Is it the contractor I had to get to fix the plug ends in the bathroom you never got around to doing? Maybe it was that pesky mailman who was nice enough to carry my boxes inside? Oh, wait! I know. It was the pizza delivery guy.”
“Stop joking around. You know exactly who I’m talking about Daphne,” he growls. “I want you to know I know who that criminal is you’re dating.”
“Oh, come on, Dane?—”
“You need to listen, Daphne. If you don’t break it off right now, I’m going to push hard for full custody of our daughter.”
“That’s rich. You can’t even go out of your way to see our child, but you’re going to fight me for full custody.”
“I love Cammie, despite you getting pregnant without my permission.”
“You asshole. You say that like I planned on getting pregnant. I suppose you think I had divine powers and willed the damn condom to break!”
“You should have been on birth control, or agreed to have the tubal, I demanded.”
“Too bad you didn’t tell your whore to have a tubal,” I respond snidely.
“I needed a child to impress my boss. He’s opening a new firm and is looking to appoint someone to oversee it,” he says with a shrug.
“You already had a child, you asshole—and a wife.”
“I’ll be taking Cammie in the divorce. If you’re nice to me, I will allow you to visit.”
“You hated taking care of our daughter, even for a minute. Serena sure as hell isn’t the kind to take care of a kid,” I growl.
“We have a live-in nanny now. We let her start early, since mine and Serena’s child is coming soon. She can take care of Cammie too. She’ll be better with them than a mother who has no income and a thug with a felony record living with her. The court will definitely agree with me.”
I frown at him. “What are you talking about?”
He lets out a cynical laugh. “I see you don’t know everything about your lover. He killed a man and was charged with reckless homicide. He killed someone by his own hand and that’s the kind of man you’re letting near our daughter. When I’m done introducing my evidence, there’s no way any judge in America will give you custody of our daughter.”
“Dane—”
“Or, if you agree to stop seeing this man and kick him out of your life. I’ll let you keep Cammie. I’ll come by here and there and the three of us can be happy. I won’t be able to be here full time, but enough that I can make sure all your needs are met.”
My stomach rolls. I can tell exactly what he means and the urge to vomit all over him is a real thing. “You can’t be serious,” I whisper hoarsely.
“You have until tomorrow morning to let me know what you decide,” he informs me oozing confidence. He’s positive he’s won and is going to get what he wants. I won’t lie. I’m scared, but I refuse to show him that he’s getting to me.
“You knocked up my best friend, have never been faithful, why the hell are you so intent on making me miserable, Dane? What’s the real reason behind all of this bullshit?”
“You’re my wife, Daphne. Just because we’re divorced, doesn’t mean you’re still not my property. You’d do well to remember that.”
