PROLOGUE
My feet gently swing back and forth in the darkness.
I know what Hell looks like because I’ve seen it.
I’ve spent my fair share of days and nights in the abyss.
A new one.
One that he had me dig out of the ground with my very own hands, all because he wanted to start over... away from his very own personal Hell.
The reminder of his constant failures was too much, and so we found somewhere new to call home.
And while I know I shouldn’t be here with him, I am.
A cool breeze wafts lazily by as I turn my eyes up toward the dark, blue sky, and I smile when I see a white, fluffy cloud go by.
I can’t remember the last time everything looked so clear.
But, life happens the way it’s meant to, and when I saw him for the first time, I knew he would help me as much as I wanted him to.
It took some doing, but when he finally realized who I was, he claimed me.
Me.
A nobody.
An unwanted girl who worked in her grandparents’ store, stocking shelves and greeting strangers with an empty smile; all the while wishing for something better.
The days are going by much too quickly and he’s becoming sicker with every passing moment. I don’t know what I can do to help him anymore.
A soft sigh escapes through my semi-parted lips as I place a hand on my swollen belly.
I promised him I would ensure his legacy lived on, and I think so far, I’ve proven it by carrying his child.
Just two more months and the baby will be born, I remind myself tediously.
I don’t want to lose something this goddamn precious; this pure. I’ve done my best to take it easy since it’s my first child and I don’t know what my chances of carrying it to term are.
He helps around the house as best as he can for how sick he is, and sometimes, he leaves to go check on the other two.
My mouth forms a tight line of envy as I think of how much time I lose with him each time he leaves.
He tells me that he has to go home to make sure his other children are abiding by his rules and the lessons he’s taught them—the same ones he wants me to teach to our child.
There has to be more than one. I can feel it.
Another tear rolls down my cheek as I turn my attention back to what really matters.
While I hate watching him leave, it’s when he comes back to me that I feel the most alive I’ve ever been.
But I know all too well that one of these days, he won’t come back.
Not because he can’t, rather because he’ll more than likely be sick of how much I adore him.
Luke Greene is a man of stern intellect and even harsher morals. He doesn’t like to be doted on, and often mumbles about someone named Darby and how he’ll never allow himself to truly love anyone ever again.
Whoever she is, she took the one thing from me that I never had the chance to fight for.
Perhaps now I do, I think as a gentle sadness washes over me when the baby in my belly softly moves.
My eyes rise from the bump my hand is resting on, back to the world outside.
I watch as the rear lights of his truck come on, listening as the engine roars to life, and then do my best not to let tears spill down my cheeks again as I watch him drive away.
Something in my heart tells me that this time, it will be the last time I ever see him.
I love you, I mouth desperately as the vehicle disappears from sight. And I promise to make you proud.