Chapter 2 The Ugly Truth

Adelaide 

I can't believe what I'm looking at. 

I can't believe this is happening to me. 

Rick snaps his head in my direction. He's shirtless and barefoot, wearing just a pair of sweatpants. Sweatpants? He left the house in a suit.

That means he has clothes here. In her house.

"Adelaide," he says slowly, not taking his eyes away from me. "What are you doing here?"

I'm fuming now. Any bit of hurt I could've felt flies out the window and it's replaced by this bottomless rage that burns everything in its path. "You're really going to ask me that? What are you doing here!?"

Raquelle is backing away from him, and she isn't looking away from me. Her face is red. I tell her, "You have the audacity to be embarrassed? Where are you going, Raquelle?"

"I'm sorry, Addy-bear—"

"Don't call me that!" I yell, stepping toward her. "Don't you dare call me that!"

She slips right past me before I can reach her, grabs her car keys from the kitchen counter and heads toward the door. I go after her, yelling, "You're running? You can't face me now? You're a...you're a fucking coward, Raquelle!"

She slams the door shut and I back away, running my fingers through my hair. Everything hurts. I'm burning up like I have a fever. I turn my head to look at Rick and see how perfectly calm he is. 

I'm breathing harshly like I ran a marathon. "How could you? This is the work you were talking about? This is how busy you were?"

Anger flashes in his eyes. "Don't you dare question me. Who the hell do you think you are?"

"I'm your wife!" I yell, stepping toward him. "She's my best friend! How could you?"

"I would've married her if you hadn't begged your father to be my wife," he explains slowly, in a low voice. "And let's face it: I have more in common with Raquelle than I ever had with you, Adelaide. You're meek. You have the personality of a brick wall. You never say anything. I shit all over you and you rub it in, don't you?"

This hits me like a slap across the face. "What're you talking about? I never begged—"

"Oh, but you did," he cuts in, stepping so close to me that there are only a few inches between us. "You begged him. I know you did. You think I never saw how you looked at me with those puppy eyes of yours? Hm? You followed me around school, watching my every move like a fucking little stalker, and when you had your chance, you sabotaged everything and made me marry you!"

"I-I..." I stutter, backing away from him, tears filling my eyes. "I loved you, Rick. I always loved you. I didn't—"

He grabs my arms roughly and shakes me. "You only thought about yourself! Has anyone ever asked me what I want?"

"You're blaming this on me when you could've said no!" I yell as hot tears slide down my cheeks. "I didn't have a say in any of this, either! I only felt lucky because I was marrying the man I loved, and yes, Rick. I loved you! Since I was a girl. But I didn't know any better because you're rotten to the core!"

He smiles slowly, flashing me all his teeth, his green eyes glinting mischievously. "Now I'm rotten?"

I shake my arms to free myself. "Let go of me! Don't touch me!"

"I'll touch you if I want to. I'm your husband and you're my wife, so you'll have to endure my touches. What? You're going to pretend that you don't like it when I touch you? Hell, I don't even fuck you to give you pleasure, but you feel it anyway, don't you?"

Shame washes over me. I fight against him but his hold on me is strong. "Do you think Raquelle is the only woman I cheat on you with? I bury myself in a different woman every night so I can forget that I have to come home to you, Adelaide!"

His words stab like a knife. "If you were so disgusted by me, then why didn't you ask for a divorce!? Why did you stay married to me!?"

"Are you fucking stupid?" Rick yells. "You are, aren't you? Don't you know that I'm stuck with you now? That I'll lose everything if I don't put a fucking baby inside you?"

I shove him with all my strength and he budges. For a moment, I'm free. "Well, there's no chance of that happening anymore, not after this! I'm done with you!"

A mask of anger contorts his features and he's upon me once again, grabbing my arms and bruising me with his fingers. 

"You're done with me?" He chuckles. "You don't have the slightest clue in the world, Adelaide. You're not going to leave this marriage. Not ever. You're going to be stuck with me forever. You'll be as miserable as I am!"

"I won't! I don't want you to touch me anymore! You disgust me!"

"Do I?" he asks before pressing his lips to mine. "You're too fucking in love with me to truly believe that. All I have to do is touch you and you'll melt." 

He flips me around, pressing me against his hard front. I feel his erection digging into my lower back. Panic washes over me, but it's not as strong as the wave of desire that takes over my body, turning my nipples to stone and causing arousal to pool between my legs. 

"You're not strong enough to walk away from this," he says against my skin as his hands move down my body, settling over my mound. "You want me right now, the same way you'll want me tomorrow. And the day after. Isn't that right, Addy-bear?"

"Don't call me that," I grit out weakly, fighting him as he guides us to the couch, where he settles behind me. He pulls the soft material of my pants down my legs, leaving me in just my panties and my button-down shirt, which he tears open, sending the buttons flying. 

"I'll call you whatever I want," he lets out before fisting my hair and pulling my head back. He licks a trail along the curve of my neck while his hand moves under my panties, fingers rubbing over my clit. "And you? You'll eat it up every time. See how wet you are? See how you still want me?"

Tears race down my cheeks. Rick roughly shoves my panties down my legs and I feel him pressing his engorged tip against my entrance. "You're nothing without me, Adelaide. Nothing."

He pushes into me slowly, tearing a moan from me. He chuckles, and shame washes over me again. He groans as he buries himself all the way inside of me. He still has one hand in my hair, and the other is roughly rubbing my clit. 

He bites my ear hard, grunting as he pulls out and thrusts into me once again. "You know what makes this marriage worthwhile? This tight little pussy of yours. That's it. That's all you are. A hole. A hole I need to impregnate to get what I want. You think you're going to walk away from me? I won't let you. Not in a million fucking years."

Hot tears trail down my cheeks. I decide I've had enough—I don't know how it happens, it just does. Something washes over me, and I turn my head to the side and crash my lips into his before sinking my teeth into his lips hard enough for him to release my hair. 

I then step off the couch and push him so he's sitting on it instead. Then, I kick my panties off and straddle his waist. 

Why should sex always be on his terms? 

What makes him think that this is all about what he can get and not what I can take?

What makes him think a fuck will leave me clinging onto him despite everything he said to me? 

Rick looks at me with mild surprise in his eyes, and it's all the encouragement I need. I've never been on top; I understand now that this was his way of keeping me beneath him. I fist his hair hard, the same way he did to me, and lower myself on his cock. 

"You're not the boss of me, Rick." I ride him hard, bouncing up and down his cock until my thighs burn. "I'm leaving you and this marriage, and there's nothing you can do about it!"

His hands go on my hips, guiding me. He fights the grimace of pleasure that takes over his face. I stare at his face, asking myself if this is what I was so in love with that I lost all my self-respect for. 

He's right. He shit all over me and I rubbed it in. 

I never even told him what I wanted in bed. 

I just took whatever he gave me because I was so glad to be there. So happy that I got a chance to marry him. 

I gyrate my hips. Rick cries out, teasing one of my nipples between his fingers. I move faster, clenching around his cock. The pleasure I felt moments ago is gone. I'm only doing this for one reason and one reason only—to show him how wrong he is. 

I won't melt when he touches me. Not anymore. 

I'm perfectly capable of fucking him and not feeling a thing. 

Just like he is. 

"Adelaide," he grunts, sinking his fingers into my flesh as he throws his head back. His eyes meet mine, and for a moment, I see a flash of desire and lust in them I've never seen before. A growl escapes him as he comes, pouring his seed into me, flexing his hips so that he's buried deep inside of me. I watch him the entire time, feeling nothing but hatred in the pit of my stomach. 

He rests his forehead against my chest, breathing deeply. I stare at him in disgust. His blonde hair. Pale skin. Green eyes. All of this feels so meaningless now. 

It's like the blindfold I had over my eyes has fallen, and now I see him for what he truly is. 

And I hate myself for loving him. For staying. For feeling pleasure earlier and letting him touch me. 

Not anymore. 

I climb off his lap and he tries to reach for me, but I'm already gathering my clothes and heading to the bathroom. 

"Adelaide," he calls loudly while still trying to catch his breath. 

I slam the door and lock it. I turn around to face the full-length mirror, and a wave of dizziness hits me out of nowhere. 

I can't believe this just happened.