Page 77 of Branded
I’ve been using the contract, my power, her lack of options, to control her completely. “I don’t want to be like him,” I say quietly. “I swore I’d never treat a woman the way he treated Mom all those years. And here I am, doing exactly that.”
“Then stop.”
“It’s not that simple, Len.”
“Yes, it is.” She crosses to me, and I see exhaustion in her eyes now. Not just from today, but from everything since the auction. “You make the choice. You decide if you’re going to be the monster or be the man. It really is that simple.”
“And if I choose wrong? If I fuck up?”
“Then I call you on it, and you try again. That’s what a partnership looks like, Sebastian. It’s not perfect, you’re not going to get it right every time. Just keep trying, and choose to be the better version of yourself more often than the worse one.”
I look at her—this woman I bought, who worked her way into my everyday without even trying. Who’s standing here offering me a path forward when she had every right to just walk away and never look back.
“Why?” I ask. “Why give me another chance after this morning? After I proved I’m exactly the monster you feared?”
“Because I got to see the other version. The one who took me to town and showed me the ranch with pride. Who trusted me to recover the cattle. Who fucked me in the barn but still made me feel important.” She pauses.
She moves closer. “I’m not asking for love, Sebastian. I’m not asking for romance or fairy tales. I’m just asking that you treat me like a human being. Like someone whose thoughts and feelings matter. Can you do that? Or should I start looking for a lawyer now?”
The ultimatum is clear. Change or lose her. Become something better or watch her destroy herself trying to escape.
And despite everything, despite the contract, despite the money, despite the ownership I’ve claimed, I realize I don’t want to lose her.
Not because she’s my property. But because somewhere in the last few weeks, she’s become someone I actually respect. Someone who challenges me, impresses me, makes me want to be better than I was raised to be. Lennox was more than just a wife; she proved that she was a helpmate, someone who was willing to be by my side, to make us be successful, so why was I unable to accept that help?
“I’ll try,” I say finally. “I can’t promise I’ll get it right. Can’t promise the monster won’t come out when I’m scared or angry. But I’ll try to choose the better version more often than not.”
“That’s all I’m asking.”
We stand there for a long moment, neither moving, both exhausted from the day’s battle.
“I’m sorry,” I say quietly. “For this morning, for not defending you and for being an asshole.”
“I don’t want apologies. I want actions.” But her voice softens slightly. “Show me you can be better. Prove it through your choices.”
“Starting when?”
“Starting now.” She moves past me toward the bedroom. “I’m going to take a shower and then sleep for twelve hours. You can join me or not, it’s your choice. But if you do, you sleep beside me like a supportive husband, not like I’m just a body you take from. Can you do that?”
It goes against every instinct I have. The urge to claim her, to assert dominance, to remind her body who it belongs to is overwhelming. And I think about Lennox’s ultimatum. Change or lose her.
“Yes,” I say. “I can do that.”
“Good.” She disappears into the bathroom, and I hear the shower start. I stand in the kitchen, staring at nothing, trying to process what has just happened.
I pull out my phone and text Mom.
Me
You told her about the contract loopholes.
Three dots appear almost immediately, before the phone rings.
“Yes. And I’d do it again. Someone needs to give that girl weapons to fight back with,” she says without saying hello; it’s just down to business.
“You’re supposed to be on my side,” I grumble, fully aware I sound like a child.
“I’m on the side of not watching my son destroy his marriage the way your father almost destroyed ours. Learn from his mistakes, Sebastian. Or lose everything like he nearly did.” And as suddenly as she called, she hangs up on me.
