“Sounds a little cliché to me,” Richard joked.
Both men had experienced love themselves, but neither was willing to talk about it. Watching Wayne almost lose his wife made them open their eyes to the bitterness within their own worlds. Maybe it was time for them to start finding love for themselves before ending up alone and bitter.
Chapter Eighteen
Someone was stroking her hair and whispering words of love in her ear. The sound kept fading, and she didn’t know if she was imagining the sound.
“Come on, baby. Wake up. I love you.” She knew that voice, but the fogginess in her mind couldn’t place the soothing sound, or at least, she didn’t accept what that particular voice was saying to her.
Her whole body ached and the pain in her chest the worst.
“Please, baby, come back to me.”
No, I don’t want to come with someone who doesn’t love me.
Lily couldn’t pretend any more. She opened her eyes and was immediately pulled to Wayne. Shaking, she allowed him to kiss and touch her but her heart wasn’t there, but completely empty inside.
“They said you’d wake up eventually.” He kissed her on the head, lips.
“Please stop,” she asked, her voice hard.
Instantly, he withdrew from her. He lay on the bed wrapped around her. The heat radiated off him. Closing her eyes to contain herself, she took a deep breath before opening them. Lily needed the extra time to compose herself.
“I thought I’d lost you,” he whispered.
His words and tenderness hurt even more, now he knew about the baby inside her, about the future heir she was carrying. All she ever wanted to do was get through this world with someone to love her. Her family hated her. Once she’d love to be someone’s number one, to be the first thought on their mind.
“What happened?” she asked. Lily knew she lay in a hospital bed. She remembered the betrayal of his trust and her running out but everything after was a little fuzzy.
“After you left, you must have travelled through one of the roughest parts of the city. You were attacked, and witnesses said you were punched to the ground for your car. I should have been there.”
Punched to the ground? It explained the massive headache she got. Why should he have been there? Wayne was the reason for her leaving the house in the first place.
“My turkey was in that car.” She sobbed, the tears welling up from the uselessness of it all.
“We’ll get another turkey.” He stroked her face. All she wanted to do was lean toward his strength and take what he had to offer.
How pitiful was she? She was in love with a man who blackmailed her and hurt her by trying to force her to become something she didn’t want. What was wrong with wanting to have a family?
“I don’t want another turkey.”
“What about our family? The baby?”
Lily closed her eyes remembering the pregnancy test she’d taken that morning, her gift for him. Her intention had been to have a lovely romantic meal before making love, and she planned to tell him her feelings about the new life growing inside her.
Instead, she came home to hell. It wasn’t her home, not really. It was his.
“Wayne, I’m sorry to interrupt but someone’s here.” Lily turned toward the door to see Tony leaning around the private room. “Hi, Lily, how are you feeling?”
“Fine, like I’ve been punched,” she said not bothering to smile.
“I’m going to go and see about this. Will you be okay on your own for a little while?” he asked.
“Of course, could you send Richard in? I want to ask him something.” Lily couldn’t look at him in case he knew what was in her mind.
“Yes, I’d do anything for you, baby. You should know that.” He left seconds later, and Lily watched him go.
Why should she know that? Why should she even think he cared for her at all?
Lily pulled herself up into a sitting position, ran her fingers through her knotted hair. She wanted a shower and a toothbrush. She felt like absolute shit.
“You wanted to see me?” Richard came through the door and closed it behind him. She went to mess with her hair but stopped and glanced over at him.
Lily nodded. “I wanted to talk to you about the prenuptial agreement I signed.”
He looked visually uncomfortable. Lily knew in her heart she wasn’t going to like what was about to be discussed.
“I think this is something for you to discuss with Wayne,” he suggested, edging closer to the door.
“Please, Richard, I’m asking you.”
“I don’t think I should tell you in your condition.”
“You know I’m pregnant?”
“Wayne couldn’t keep it to himself. He’s very much in love with you.” Lily snorted at the comment. She knew she shouldn’t, but with all the revelations unravelling, she thought it was necessary to take facts head on.
“Just tell me what is going on.” Lily rubbed a hand over her face, trying to clear her groggy thoughts. They stared at each other for several seconds before he nodded and looked everywhere but at her. Richard paced the small room.
“The prenuptial agreement is something Wayne has been drawing up for some time. I don’t even know if I can tell you everything, but I’ll try to give you the facts and the basics.” He was nervous. Lily was sure of it now more than ever.
“Please, just tell me.”
“Okay. Erm...right, the basis is the usual stuff—money, and securing his wealth in case of divorce, and settlement figures for you and your family in case of any long term problems that can’t be fixed.”
“He was going to pay me and my family off?”
“If this marriage didn’t work out, you, in your own right would become a very wealthy woman but with the understanding you wouldn’t use it on your family.”
Lily smiled, touched by the sentiment of his caring.
“There’s more. Wayne wanted you so badly....”
“Don’t make excuses, just tell me.”
“If there was a baby born during this union then Wayne automatically has sole custody and responsibility for the child and, indeed, for any other child born from this union.”
“But I’m the mother.”
“You signed your right away on the day you were married.”
Lily lost her breath. The wind knocked out of her. Placing a hand against her neck, she tried to calm her nerves.
“Anything else,” she asked.
Wayne would take her baby away.