SEVER

organize the paperwork and drive back to the house where Shawn waits in the kitchen, leaning against the counter, arms folded tightly across his chest.
“You’re home,” I say, weakly pointing out the obvious.
His jaw twitches, and I feel his icy demeanor. “Why are there boxes full of your belongings lining the hall?”
Is he serious?
“Shawn, what part of me saying I’m leaving do you not understand? I pleaded with you not to go on the business trip and you treated me like an insolent child. I told you we needed to work this out and you walked out on us. That’s why there are boxes full of my belongings lining the hall.”
“And I told you we’d work it out when I got home.”
“I’m sick of waiting, Shawn. You checked out of this marriage a year ago, so don’t imply I’m walking out on us, because we both know that’s not the case.”
“I need you to be patient, Blythe. I needed—”
“Patient about what? You’ve never once even hinted about why I need to be patient.”
Shawn’s nostrils flare, his own patience running thin.
“Are you having an affair, Shawn?” I ask with a force that surprises me. When he doesn’t answer straight away, I continue, “Is this what it’s all about? Have you been fucking someone else this whole time and you’re simply waiting to see if it works out between you two before you finally send me packing?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” he scolds, looking disgusted at the mere mention of the word.
“It’s an easy conclusion to come to when you haven’t so much as looked at me in three hundred and sixty-five days. We went from having crazy sex every day to not even kissing. It happened literally overnight, Shawn, so you tell me again why I shouldn’t jump to those natural conclusions.”
“Because you’re my wife,” he seethes.
“That means shit. You’ve proven that much already.”
“Says my wife who’s seen at a club getting extremely personal with Kane Alexander.”
I recoil like he’s slapped me. “I don’t even care how you came to find that out, but it certainly wasn’t done in secret or to deceive. Samantha actually took me there as a way to cheer me up because, if you haven’t noticed, our marriage has reached crisis point, and Kane just happened to be there later on.”
“You danced with him?”
“Yeah, I did, while we discussed work.”
“You let him put his hands on you?”
“Jesus, Shawn, why are you being so petty?” I snap. “Why are you making it sound like I’ve done something illicit? I’ve danced with plenty of guys before, while you watched, and it was never a problem. So why now? Or is this a way to deflect off you and what you’ve done?”
He steps forward until his warm breath hits my face. “Unlike you, I can actually say with a hundred percent certainty that I have not cheated on our marriage.”
I inch that much closer, refusing to back down. “How dare you insinuate that I have. And for the record, neither have I.”
When his eyes narrow and a small smirk plays on his lips, I swivel on my heel and take to the stairs. I hear Shawn following me, and when I reach the top, I turn on him, but not before he has me against the wall, his broad shoulders engulfing me. With his body against mine, groin against groin, familiar feelings of desire flood back. I see it in his eyes too, as they become hooded, watching my chest rise and fall heavily. He pins my hands above my head, and the harder I pull against him, the firmer his grip becomes.
“You may think this is all a joke, Blythe. A way of getting back at me for whatever you think it is I’ve done, but when I say stay away from Kane Alexander, I fucking well mean it.”
I turn my head because if I look at him a second longer, my knee will meet his dick. Having none of it, he grips my chin and holds me still, one hand now wrapped around both wrists.
“You’re entering a very cruel, twisted game, Blythe. And the further you fall, the harder it will be for me to pull you out.”
“Firstly, I don’t understand what the hell you’re going on about with words like cruel and twisted. Secondly, I’m not entering anything. Kane simply wants to use me for business, nothing else.”
“Bullshit.”
“And thirdly, I don’t need you to save me from anything. You’ve already proven to be unreliable in that department, so save your obnoxious warnings because they mean shit to me.”
He squeezes his fingers tighter causing me to wince in pain. “If you let that man in your life, he will fuck you over and spit you out. He’ll humiliate you. He’ll crush you. And he’ll do it with a smile. You are my wife, and you will listen to me.”
“Don’t try that macho bullshit on me, Shawn. I’m not going to be a pawn in whatever game either of you have going on. And as far as being your wife goes, I actually need a husband for me to be considered a wife.”
A low growl reverberates in his throat, his rock-hard cock pressing against me.
“Is that because you want to fuck your wife, or does getting heavy-handed simply turn you on?”
Shawn pulls away, releasing me from his hold. “I’d never hit you.”
I rub my wrists and step away from the wall. “We’re done, Shawn,” I say evenly, although it feels like someone is taking an axe to my heart.
“Stay away from him, Blythe,” he warns once more.
“I’m not interested in your jealousy. So, stay out of my business.”
“Remember what I said,” he reiterates, ensuring I hear him loud and clear. “The further you fall, the harder it will be for me to pull