Forged My Marriage, Stole My Baby—Now I’m the Judge You Kneel To - Chapter 40: Chapter 40
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Rowena's fingers tightened around her coffee mug for a beat, then went loose.
She thought she'd be terrified, maybe pissed as hell, but all she felt was this strange sense of calm.
Guess all that soul-crushing pain really was in the past now.
"Mr. Vellmore." She gave him this polite little nod, her tone as cold as talking to some rando on the street.
That formal address hit Shane like a gut punch. He stumbled forward. "I know I fucked everything up... please, just let me explain."
"Stop calling me like that..."
These past six months, Shane had been basically a ghost.
Days were spent obsessively hunting for any sign of Rowena, following every bullshit lead.
Nights he could only drink himself into oblivion. Booze was the only way he could pass out, the only way he could see her in his dreams.
Dream-Rowena would smile at him, would whisper "I forgive you."
But every brutal hangover brought him back to the same shitty reality.
Empty bedroom, calls that went straight to nothing.
"I dumped the kid in orphanage." His voice was all shaky. "Gina's getting destroyed in prison... everything you suffered, I made sure she got it ten times worse."
Rowena just watched him, totally flat expression.
"I know I'm a piece of shit," Shane reached out desperately, "just give me one more shot, please?"
"Shane." Rowena put down her cup, voice barely above a whisper. "I don't hate you anymore."
Those words cut through him like a rusty blade, slow and agonizing.
"No... fuck no!" He shook his head frantically. "You should hate me... you need to hate me!Please don't do this... don't act like I'm some stranger,please!"
"Hating you is too exhausting." She stared off at the snow-capped mountains. "I've moved on. You should too."
Shane suddenly grabbed her wrist. "It's because of him, isn't it?"
Rowena followed his stare and looked back.
Thorne was standing right behind her, his hand resting on her shoulder in this totally possessive way.
"Hey,man!" Thorne's voice could freeze hell over, "get your hands off my girlfriend."
Shane's face went twisted with rage.
"Girlfriend?" He locked eyes with Thorne. "How long have you even known her? Rowena, what the hell does this guy know about you? Does he know you always put exactly two sugars in your coffee? That thunderstorms scare the shit out of you? That you..."
"I know all of it." Thorne cut him off.
Then like he suddenly remembered something, he pulled out this necklace from his jacket.
It was the birthday present Rowena had given "missing Thorne" all those years back. "You should remember this, right?"
Shane went pale.
Of course he knew that damn necklace. Rowena used to wear it constantly, then one day it was gone. She'd said she gave it to someone special.
"You..." His voice was barely working. "You're that street punk from way back?"
Thorne's eyes went arctic.
From that point on, Shane stalked them like some deranged shadow.
Random street corners, he'd pop up with bouquets of roses;
Mountain sunrise spots, he'd show up with boxes of Rowena's old favorite chocolates;
Every morning at their hotels, fancy breakfast trays would appear outside their door.
Thorne handled it with zero subtlety.
Roses went straight in the dumpster, chocolates got handed to homeless guys, breakfast got sent back to the lobby untouched.
Shane ambushed them at the hotel elevator, shoving a diamond ring in Rowena's face. "This is the special style you picked years ago... I've been keeping it for you."
Thorne slapped his hand away and the ring pinged across the marble floor.
That's when shit hit the fan.
Shane grabbed Thorne by his shirt. "What the fuck gives you the right to mess with us!"
Thorne threw a clean right hook that sent Shane crashing into the wall.
"I'm the man who gave her a home when she had nowhere to go," Thorne said, every word like a bullet. "I'm the one who saved her when you had her tortured on that nail board..."
"And you!" he yanked Shane up by his collar, "you're just the asshole who almost killed her."
Rowena didn't try to break it up.
She just stood there watching this whole clusterfuck until Thorne let go, then said quietly"Shane, cut this pathetic shit out."
Shane had blood trickling from his mouth, but his eyes were scary determined. "I'm never giving up... Rowena, not in this fucking lifetime."
"Whatever." She walked into the elevator, Thorne right behind her.
The second those doors slid shut, Rowena exhaled hard and slumped against Thorne's shoulder.
"You okay?" He wrapped his arms around her.
"Yeah." She closed her eyes. "Where are we going next?"
Thorne kissed the top of her head. "Our home."
She thought she'd be terrified, maybe pissed as hell, but all she felt was this strange sense of calm.
Guess all that soul-crushing pain really was in the past now.
"Mr. Vellmore." She gave him this polite little nod, her tone as cold as talking to some rando on the street.
That formal address hit Shane like a gut punch. He stumbled forward. "I know I fucked everything up... please, just let me explain."
"Stop calling me like that..."
These past six months, Shane had been basically a ghost.
Days were spent obsessively hunting for any sign of Rowena, following every bullshit lead.
Nights he could only drink himself into oblivion. Booze was the only way he could pass out, the only way he could see her in his dreams.
Dream-Rowena would smile at him, would whisper "I forgive you."
But every brutal hangover brought him back to the same shitty reality.
Empty bedroom, calls that went straight to nothing.
"I dumped the kid in orphanage." His voice was all shaky. "Gina's getting destroyed in prison... everything you suffered, I made sure she got it ten times worse."
Rowena just watched him, totally flat expression.
"I know I'm a piece of shit," Shane reached out desperately, "just give me one more shot, please?"
"Shane." Rowena put down her cup, voice barely above a whisper. "I don't hate you anymore."
Those words cut through him like a rusty blade, slow and agonizing.
"No... fuck no!" He shook his head frantically. "You should hate me... you need to hate me!Please don't do this... don't act like I'm some stranger,please!"
"Hating you is too exhausting." She stared off at the snow-capped mountains. "I've moved on. You should too."
Shane suddenly grabbed her wrist. "It's because of him, isn't it?"
Rowena followed his stare and looked back.
Thorne was standing right behind her, his hand resting on her shoulder in this totally possessive way.
"Hey,man!" Thorne's voice could freeze hell over, "get your hands off my girlfriend."
Shane's face went twisted with rage.
"Girlfriend?" He locked eyes with Thorne. "How long have you even known her? Rowena, what the hell does this guy know about you? Does he know you always put exactly two sugars in your coffee? That thunderstorms scare the shit out of you? That you..."
"I know all of it." Thorne cut him off.
Then like he suddenly remembered something, he pulled out this necklace from his jacket.
It was the birthday present Rowena had given "missing Thorne" all those years back. "You should remember this, right?"
Shane went pale.
Of course he knew that damn necklace. Rowena used to wear it constantly, then one day it was gone. She'd said she gave it to someone special.
"You..." His voice was barely working. "You're that street punk from way back?"
Thorne's eyes went arctic.
From that point on, Shane stalked them like some deranged shadow.
Random street corners, he'd pop up with bouquets of roses;
Mountain sunrise spots, he'd show up with boxes of Rowena's old favorite chocolates;
Every morning at their hotels, fancy breakfast trays would appear outside their door.
Thorne handled it with zero subtlety.
Roses went straight in the dumpster, chocolates got handed to homeless guys, breakfast got sent back to the lobby untouched.
Shane ambushed them at the hotel elevator, shoving a diamond ring in Rowena's face. "This is the special style you picked years ago... I've been keeping it for you."
Thorne slapped his hand away and the ring pinged across the marble floor.
That's when shit hit the fan.
Shane grabbed Thorne by his shirt. "What the fuck gives you the right to mess with us!"
Thorne threw a clean right hook that sent Shane crashing into the wall.
"I'm the man who gave her a home when she had nowhere to go," Thorne said, every word like a bullet. "I'm the one who saved her when you had her tortured on that nail board..."
"And you!" he yanked Shane up by his collar, "you're just the asshole who almost killed her."
Rowena didn't try to break it up.
She just stood there watching this whole clusterfuck until Thorne let go, then said quietly"Shane, cut this pathetic shit out."
Shane had blood trickling from his mouth, but his eyes were scary determined. "I'm never giving up... Rowena, not in this fucking lifetime."
"Whatever." She walked into the elevator, Thorne right behind her.
The second those doors slid shut, Rowena exhaled hard and slumped against Thorne's shoulder.
"You okay?" He wrapped his arms around her.
"Yeah." She closed her eyes. "Where are we going next?"
Thorne kissed the top of her head. "Our home."
End of Forged My Marriage, Stole My Baby—Now I’m the Judge You Kneel To Chapter 40. Continue reading Chapter 41 or return to Forged My Marriage, Stole My Baby—Now I’m the Judge You Kneel To book page.