Page 37 of Novice Girlfriend

Fine, it was enough for today, and maybe soon we could land some hits on Hughes.

9

Maddie

The slap came fast and out of nowhere. Father always prided himself on not being like other men who resorted to violence like savages. Even Mother looked shocked and it cut through her anger at me.

“Is that what you’re seriously whining about?” he mocked me. “That your fiancé does that?”

“Yes,” I rasped, holding my cheek. “In public, Father. Even if you don’t care about me, you have to understand how that looks for our family.”

“She’s right on that,” Mother said carefully. “He hit her in full view of other students at Morrigan. People are talking, dear.” She hurried on when he turned towards her. “He’s disrespecting you when he treats her that way. Especially in public.”

That was the right way to phrase it, and I was mad at myself for not having been smarter. Yes, silly me for thinking that my father would care that my fiancé hit me, his own child.

Father huffed. “You’re not wrong and I will handle that with his father. This is a scandal and people are talking.” He turned back to me. “How could you let this happen? What did you do to make him so mad?”

“I couldn’t lie because of the magic,” I whispered. “He’s lost his head, Father. His ego is—please hear me. This won’t be the last time he embarrasses you or this family.” I shot a glance at my mother and realized she’d given me the answer. “I know I said it emotionally because I think it’s wrong to use violence ever—something you taught me—but this is bigger than me.”

“Damn emotional women expecting too much like they matter,” he snapped, shocking my mother again.

Things had taken a turn in our house—in many of the top-tier families’ homes. Many were pushing back at this new wave of “independence” us breeder women wanted and more. It was beyond ridiculous.

“You want out of this mating, then you find something better. Otherwise, it goes ahead as planned,” Father declared. “I’ll handle him striking you in public.” He stormed off and that was it.

“In public,” I breathed, my heart breaking.

“This is what it means to be at the top, Madeline Dotson,” Mother snapped.

I faced her and gestured to my cheek. “It’s not worth it when they’re savages and treat us like animals, Mother.” I walked away while she was still talking to me, pausing when she demanded I come back and glancing at her over my shoulder. “Why show you any respect when you don’t have any for yourself and let him treat us both this way? You’re just a breeder.”

I’d never seen her so angry and hurt in the same moment, but I was completely right… And she knew it.

My fiancé never hit me again in public, but things got worse behind closed doors because he was “humiliated” by our fathers for what I’d done. I realized there was no getting out of it and just wanted to die, I really did.

I finally told him that I wouldn’t go through with the mating no matter what they promised. That he was trash and I wouldn’t give children to someone who didn’t deserve me.

He beat me so bad that someone on the staff finally intervened and called for a healer before things went too far. Went too far?

How pathetic was it that him killing me was going too far?

“You are an embarrassment and I’m disgusted,” Father seethed when I woke up in my bed.

“He was going to kill me and that’s what you say? To me?” My sanity broke. “I won’t mate him.”

“You will do as you’re told, you bitch!” he bellowed.

“No, I’d rather die than this be my future and become as pathetic as Mother who lets her children suffer this way. So kill me. I don’t care anymore.”

Rage unlike I’d seen filled his eyes. “I will do worse than that, Madeline Dotson, if you don’t start behaving.”

I met his gaze and let him see that he’d broken me. “All I’ve ever done is behave. I’ve done everything you’ve ever asked of me. Studied as you wanted. The parties you told me to go to. The friends. All of it. Every single thing. This is the first thing I’ve ever asked. A mate who doesn’t beat me. I won’t live that way. I won’t say it at the mating ceremony.”

He believed me and played the last card he had. “I will kill your familiar if you don’t comply.”

I swallowed loudly and apologized to her and the gods. “If you would, don’t you think he would too? That’s the future you’re sentencing me to.” I didn’t have hope when he flinched as if he hadn’t thought of it. “I won’t mate someone who’s lost his mind. He almost killed me before we’re mated. It will only get worse.”

“She’s not wrong,” Mother said quietly. “He is out of control. Think of the humiliation if we have a murdered daughter? We allowed her to mate someone who killed her.”