Page 71 of The Call She Made That He Never Answered
"Lucas, you said you just wanted to talk!" Ella's eyes were red, voice thick with tears. "What do you think I am? Some tool you can use whenever you want? You're... you're too much!"
The pain in my cheek kept spreading.
I stared at her, somewhat dazed, my heart feeling like someone had grabbed it tight. For the past two years, I'd always assumed Ella liked this pace, because I'd never shown her real tenderness or care. Except for our wedding night, when I'd briefly restrained myself after realizing she was a virgin, every time since had been my selfish plundering. I was addicted to that storm-like possession. I selfishly thought her acceptance meant we fit together.
But I never imagined she'd be this unhappy. That she'd hate my touch this much.
Watching her curl into the corner of the couch, shoulders heaving with fear, Mrs. Hughes's anxious voice suddenly echoed in my head, "She's hospitalized... It's serious."
She'd just been discharged, her body so weak she could barely stand, and all I could think about was violating her body to claim ownership. I looked at my hand braced beside her, suddenly feeling like an irredeemable bastard.
Chapter Nineteen
Ella
I couldn't control my instincts around Lucas.
When he dropped to his knees and buried his face in my lap, whispering apologies over and over, I heard something inside me—the dam I'd called reason—start to crack.
This man, who was always cold, always untouchable, was showing me his love in the most vulnerable way possible.
"I'm sorry, Ella." His voice came muffled against my skirt. "I know I haven't been good enough. But please, give me one more chance. I swear I'll change."
My body went rigid as a board. I'd gotten used to him looking at me like I was merchandise. Used to him barking orders like a tyrant. But I'd never seen him this fragile. Never seen him need me.
"Since you left, my family's falling apart." His breath seeped hot through the fabric to my thigh. "Grandfather doesn't even yell at me anymore. He just sits in his study in silence. Without you, the manor's just a fancy tomb."
I sat on the couch, watching Lucas in the dim glow from the streetlight outside. Rain had started—when, I didn't know. Thelight was murky as the bottom of a well, making Lucas look like a cornered animal. His hair was messy, his shirt collar open. He looked up at me with those gray-blue eyes gone red and raw with pain.
It hit me like a punch. My voice came out hoarse. "Why didn't you ever tell me any of this?"
"Because I was a hopeless asshole." Lucas cupped my face, confessing, "I didn't know how to tell you how much you mattered. Didn't know how to show it. But these past weeks made it crystal clear—how important you are to me."
My heart slammed against my ribs. I'd told myself to hate him, to run far away. But when he bent to kiss the tears from my lashes, my body betrayed my brain. My resolve melted in his warm palms that smelled faintly of tobacco.
Lucas felt me give in. He'd always known how my body responded. He scooped me up and carried me toward the cramped bedroom. Smaller than his walk-in closet back at the Manhattan manor, but right now the air was thick enough to choke on.
He laid me on the narrow bed like I was fragile porcelain.
As our clothes peeled away, as my skin pressed against his burning body, I shivered.
He kissed every inch of me, careful to avoid the IV mark on my hand.
He'd never cared about my feelings before. He used to love barging into the bedroom at night, venting his work stress by practically drilling through me.
But this Lucas was different.
He didn't rush. Instead, his fingers caressed with unbearable gentleness, turning my nerves to putty. I almost drowned in his tenderness.
Until a faint cramp twisted through my lower abdomen. I jolted awake.
"No, Lucas." I gripped his shoulders, breathless but firm. "Stop."
I thought of last night's bleeding.
Fear slammed into me. I pushed against his chest, terrified he'd lose control again.
His Adam's apple bobbed hard. Something flickered in those gray-blue eyes—struggle.
