Page 20 of Flashback for the Forward

Aiden grabbed my hand, shoving the ring onto my fourth finger so roughly that the metal band cut into my skin, and I cried out.

“City hall in two weeks. Understood?”

I gave a jerky nod. “Yes.”

“See? Was that so hard?” he cajoled, returning to his seat and digging into the meal I’d prepared for the two of us.

My eyes burned something fierce, but I managed to hold back the tears that threatened to fall.

My fate was sealed. There wasn’t any point in wasting energy crying over something I couldn’t change.

Aiden slipped out the back door for a smoke, which meant I had exactly ten minutes before he returned.

Hustling down the hallway toward the bedroom, I made a beeline for the tall dresser against the wall. It was an antique, the drawers heavy as hell. A grunt passed my lips while pulling the top one open. It contained all my bras and underwear, none of which were fancy.

I shoved the cotton garments aside to expose the back corner, only to have a nearly silent gasp tear up my throat when I found my hiding space empty. My movements turned frantic as I dug through the space in search of my most valuable possession—the one that offered me a modicum of protection and control over my own body.

“Looking for this?”

My heart leapt into my throat, and an involuntary scream was pulled from my chest as I spun around.

Aiden stood on the threshold, holding up the pink case containing my birth control pills.

Not trusting myself to speak—certain that if I did, I would only make this situation worse for myself—I shook my head.

He stalked toward me like a predator closing in on its prey. “No?” His eyebrow arched in challenge.

“I-I don’t even know what that is.”

Lips pressed together, he hummed. “Perhaps we should take a look inside, then. See if that helps jog your memory.”

The case was flipped open to reveal the brand-new blister pack of contraceptives I’d acquired at the pharmacy earlier today.

I frowned down at it before daring to peek back up at the man who held my only line of defense against an unwanted pregnancy in his hands. “Birth control? Why would I need birth control when we’re trying for a baby?”

“You know, I’ve been asking myself that same question.” His voice was strained, every tendon in his neck standing out as he crowded my space.

With his chest pressed against mine, I wondered if he could feel my heart beating in triple time as my mind worked overtime to conjure up a believable explanation.

But it quickly became apparent that no amount of lying was going to get me out of this one.

“There was a fleeting moment earlier today that I felt genuine concern for your well-being. When Harrison made an offhand remark that he hoped you felt better soon after spying you bundled up at the grocery store, picking up medication at the pharmacy counter. But it hit me that in order for you to be sick enough to need prescription meds, you wouldn’t have been right as rain when I left for work this morning.”

My gulp was audible. “I—”

A growl cut me off. “Don’t you dare speak unless you’re ready to explain why a search of your drawers led to me finding these.” He shook the case containing the birth control, making every pill rattle.

I opened my mouth again, but before I could utter a single word, five fingers wrapped around my throat, squeezing hard enough to cut off my air supply.

Getting right up in my face, Aiden snarled, “What’s his name?”

Black spots danced across my vision at the lack of oxygen, and my fingers clawed at his forearm in a futile attempt to get him to release his hold.

With my lungs burning, I wheezed, “Aiden, stop. You’re hurting me.”

“What’s his fucking name?!” he roared, spit hitting me square in the face.

His question didn’t make any sense.