Page 126 of Coercion

And yet when the situation had been reversed, when her life was in my hands, I’d not hesitated to pick up that knife and carve into her skin, like she’d meant nothing.

Nico murmurs something. I don’t listen. I don’t register it. I just stare at the woman I should have protected, hearing her screams, hearing her pleas, hearing every horrific moment that I inflicted on her.

When he leaves, I don’t know.

I’m only vaguely aware that it’s me and her. Alone again.

And slowly she starts to stir, she starts to wake.

I brace myself for whatever words come out of her mouth, whatever future she decides we have.

Because as much as I can’t bear the lose her, it’s her choice where we go from here.

She deserves at least that much from me.

Ruby

Iknow he’s there. I know he’s probably been sat, stewing, waiting for me to wake for hours.

As I shift enough to look at him, he meets my gaze and my stupid heart flips.

Even in his despair, he still takes my breath away.

“Preston,” I say, unsure if it’s a curse or a declaration of love.

“How are you feeling?” He asks, moving closer, though still obviously hesitant.

I blink, staring down at where a drip is embedded into my arm.

A machine beeps in the background.

A constant, annoying counter that marks every second that we fall to silence.

“How long was I out?” I ask, ignoring his question entirely.

“A while. They had to operate to remove the bullet.” He states. “But you’ll make a full recovery.”

I guess I should be grateful for that.

“And my mother?” I continue. I remember the sound of gunshots, the echo of it in my head. Preston pulled the trigger at the same time as she had.

Is she dead?

Did my husband murder my mother on top of everything else?

He narrows his eyes for a moment. “She’s alive.” He growls. “You can decide what we do with her. If you want her to be punished, or if you want us to let her go.”

My eyebrows raise. He’s giving me that? He’s letting me make such a decision?

“I want her dead.” I say before I can hesitate, before I can second guess it, before my stupid head tries to pretend that she deserves any different outcome.

He pauses, scanning my face like he thinks I might change my mind, only I won’t, I know I won’t.

“She’s the cause of this.” I state, “She betrayed my father, then she left me with Levi, she left her own child…” My voice catches but I fight back the emotion that threatens to takeover. “I want her dead.” I state again.

It’s the least he can give me, the least I deserve.

He nods, pulling out his phone, and he sends a message to god knows who. I know he won’t have her killed yet, he’ll give me the option of deciding how, but for now it doesn’t matter, the decision is made and that’s all I care about.