Open Marriage, Broken Promises: When Love Turns to Ashes novel Chapter 18

He threw Emily onto the bed.

Emily tried to escape, but he pinned her legs down.

"James, let me go!"

He yanked at the buttons on his shirt, grabbing her wrists and holding them above her head.

"Let you go? So you can run off with Alex? Dream on."

Emily trembled, the nightmare from that night crawling back like a relentless shadow.

She screamed at the top of her lungs, "Don't touch me! Don't touch me!"

Her clothes were torn, her skin exposed to the cold air.

Emily looked up and saw James' furious face, which somehow overlapped with the face of her attacker that night.

"Ah—"

She couldn't help but scream.

James leaned down to kiss her, but she twisted away.

He let out a cold laugh, tearing at the little fabric left on her.

Despair wrapped around her like an invisible net, every struggle only proving her helplessness and fragility.

Emily stared at the man assaulting her, her heart aching as if cut by a knife, her delicate face filled with hatred.

What did she mean by not loving him anymore?

What did she mean by being done with love and hate?

Done? Bullshit!

She hated him, wished he were dead.

Feeling her stop struggling, James paused.

He looked up and saw Emily staring at him.

Her gaze was full of hatred, full of disgust.

His throat felt like it was clogged, making it hard to breathe.

No...

This wasn't how it was supposed to be.