Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 99500 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 498(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 332(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99500 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 498(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 332(@300wpm)
Dani knocks on a door and then announces herself before motioning me in. Neena is still a picture of perfection, sitting up in a hospital bed. The hatred burning in her eyes is powerful enough to have me falter on my feet.
“Mrs. Park, do you want to hold your baby?” Dani asks, voice light and friendly. “I know he’s eager to meet his momma.”
Neena glowers at her. “I’d like a moment with my husband. Alone.”
Dani shoots me a questioning look and I nod. As soon as she’s gone, I brace myself for whatever Neena has to say.
“You want to hold him?”
Her lip curls up when I scoop our baby into my arms. “No, I don’t want to hold him. Are you insane?”
Anger burns hot in my gut. This woman has been nothing but a thorn in my side since she took my last name. I should have divorced her after Aubrey left because she became unbearable to live with.
“What did you want to name him?” I ask, ignoring her nasty words. “Surely you had a name picked out.”
“You think I was sitting around thinking of a name for that abomination?” she snaps, making the baby jump at the harsh tone. “Fuck no, Hugo. I plotted how I would ruin you in divorce. God, there are so many ways.”
“Neena—”
“Don’t Neena me. I had the paperwork drawn up. Me and Drew were going to go to New York on your dime, Hugo. We were going to drain you for every penny you had.” She winces and gently touches her stomach. “But your goddamn son lured me to that room and trapped me there. He took my life away from me and now I’ve been butchered.”
My heart hammers in my chest. “What did you say to him to make him lure you away? Were you spouting that same shit about killing our baby? Or taking all our money? Spencer was only trying to protect me.”
“You live with blinders on, dearest husband. I was fucking our pool boy right under your nose and you didn’t care. I did a lot right under your nose. And your precious Spencer? Do you honestly believe he was some angel?”
Spencer is a lot of things but definitely not an angel.
“I need to get a hold of Drew. I refuse to go back to our house. Not with that monster living there.”
“And your daughter,” I snap out. “You haven’t even asked about her. She’s back. Did you know that?”
She rolls her eyes. “Of course I know. Who do you think had to console your son when she first came back?”
A trickle of unease drags its way through my veins.
“Console? I thought he was your captor. Neena, you’re not making any sense.” I kiss the baby’s fuzzy dark head. “I think all the drugs have gotten into your head.”
“Oh,” she sneers, eyes glittering evilly. “He was a lot more than my captor. Aubrey broke his little heart and he freaked when she came back. Aubrey has never liked me and the feeling is mutual.” She snaps her head toward the door. “I want to see Drew. Find me Drew, so help me, or I’ll call every reporter on this side of the Pacific and tell them just how fucked-up the Park family is.”
“Neena.” I grit my teeth and look away from her. “There’s something you should know.”
The room goes quiet except for the suckling sounds of my son as he tries to suck on his fist.
“What?” she whispers, voice cracking with emotion. Then she starts to cry. “No. No, no, no. No!”
Her outburst causes the baby to start to cry. I gently bounce him, trying to comfort him. My eyes find hers that have filled with fat tears.
“Drew is dead, Neena. He was killed after the kidnapping and attempted rape of your fucking daughter.”
A strangled howl—one mixed with pain and betrayal—belts out of her. Our entire marriage she was an icy bitch and yet she breaks over the birth of her son and then again at the knowledge of the death of her lover.
“He hurt her,” I croak out, hating the memories that assault me from that day. “He hurt her so fucking bad.”
The baby continues to cry and I try to calm him. “It’s okay, little guy. Daddy’s got you.”
Her wails stop abruptly, and her features transform into something monstrous and cruel. She points a manicured finger at me and flashes me a vicious smile. “Stop calling that baby your son. He’s your grandson, Hugo. That abomination is the seed of the devil himself—your son.”
Spencer
She had the baby.
I knew this day would come and that it’d blow the fuck up in my face.
It did.
The explosion was spectacular, far more impressive than I could have imagined.
“You okay?” Pops asks as we pull into his driveway. “You’ve been awfully quiet.”
I rub at the achy muscles in my neck at having spent a night in a concrete cell. Knowing Sloane didn’t get me any special treatment either. I was left to stew over the realization of what my life has become.