ACCIDENTALLY MARRIED TO THE BILLIONAIRE SINGLE DAD (Gabrielle and Damon) novel Chapter 78

CHAPTER SEVENTY EIGHT

GABRIELLE’S POV

Selene was standing by the door, her bikini wet and water dripping down from her hair.

A different kind of chill settled into me as I remembered why I came here. How could I have forgotten? I wiggled in his arms so he’d put me down but he didn’t.

My heart was hammering as my chest tightened. I couldn’t tell if I should be afraid of Selene or of what Damon might do next.

“Screw that,” he said to her. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

Her lips parted but she didn’t respond. Her eyes were on me, hard and vicious. I could feel the animosity from where she was standing

“I asked you a question, Selene,” Damon said.

Her eyes fell on him and I saw them soften. “I’ve been staying here. You told me I could, remember?”

“You’re staying in the tenth penthouse, and this is the first,” he said, dropping me on my feet slowly. “What are you doing here?”

I stumbled slightly as my legs readjusted to the floor, my pulse still racing from being caught in the middle of us making out.

“I came… to see you but I couldn’t find you,” she said softly. “So I went for a swim in your pool.”

“I don’t care what you think you’re doing,” he spat, his voice low and dangerous. “You don’t just walk into my house uninvited and ask me what the fuck I’m doing with my wife.”

Relief flooded through me.

Without even asking, I’d already gotten my answer. Damon had no idea Selene was here because he had been in his private room for hours.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” she said, her eyes tearing up. “It’s fine. I’m sorry for intruding on you. I’ll go.”

Then she walked away without another word.

A moment of silence passed between us and I wished Selene hadn’t interrupted us because the moment we had was gone.

I kept my eyes on Damon, trying to read him, but his expression was impossible to decipher. It was unreadable and full of something I didn’t want to name.

He finally broke the silence, his voice low and jagged. “You okay?”

I swallowed hard, my chest still hammering. “I… I’m fine,” I said, though my words felt small and weak compared to the storm in my heart.

He nodded and ran a hand over his face. I stared at his back, the red marks and the bloodstains that were running down the

drain.

Before I could stop myself, I reached out and touched them. He stiffened and pulled away slightly but when he glanced back and met my eyes, he stayed still.

I rinsed his back slowly, taking my time so it wouldn’t hurt him but something told me it was nothing to him. It was nothing compared to the sting of the whip.

“Are you ever going to tell me why you keep doing this to yourself?” I asked, breaking the silence.

His voice came out rough. “No.”

CHAPTER SEVENTY EIGHT

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I wasn’t even surprised the slightest. When the blood was completely gone, I wiped his back gently and opened the cabinet for any ointment I could find.

Luckily, there was one.

I smoothed the aloe vera over the red, angry lines of his back, my fingers lingering on the warmth of his skin.

He tensed for a moment, then relaxed, letting me care for him, even if it was just for a few seconds.

“Do you intend on getting back together with Selene?” I asked suddenly.

“No.”

“Back to your favorite word, huh?” I asked again, pressing the cream a little harder than necessary to make it sting but he didn’t budge. “Why do you talk to little?”

“Why do you talk so much?” He retorted.

I slapped his back without thinking but that only made him shrug.

“It’s not as painful as the whip,” he replied nonchalantly. “Good try though. I’ll give you a cookie later.”

I wanted to throw something at him but there was nothing around that I could easily lift. So I had to let it go.

He turned slightly. “Are you done?”

“Are there going to be more women from your past interrupting our lives?” I asked, folding my arms across my chest.

He finally turned around. “I don’t know.”

I frowned. “That’s not an answer, Damon.”

“I don’t owe you my past, Gabrielle. You’re my wife and that’s it,” he said coldly. “I don’t have to tell you anything else that doesn’t concern you.”

“This concerns me,” I retorted. “Don’t pretend like you don’t know why Beatrice brought Selene back.”

He exhaled. “I do. I just don’t care.”

My jaw dropped at his audacity to

act like my concerns were disturbing him. “But I care. I don’t want to have thoughts that you could be reuniting with your first love behind my back.”

He reached for a fresh towel. “I said I won’t. What else do you want me to do?”

I didn’t have a response so I stomped out of the bathroom in my wet clothes, water dripping down to the floor as I walked to the living area.

“Gabrielle,” he called after me but I didn’t stop.

His voice faded as I walked out of the room. My plan wasn’t to drink, but the bar was right there, gleaming under the soft lights like it was calling for me.

I reached for a glass anyway, my hands still trembling as I poured myself something strong.

The burn hit my throat and I welcomed it wholeheartedly. It was easier than feeling frustrated because I didn’t like having Selene around.

I couldn’t tell him that though.

I didn’t want to admit that I was jealous of the fact that he had loved her at some point in his life.

I leaned against the counter, staring at nothing, replaying Selene’s face, Damon’s words, and the way his tone had shut me out

CHAPTER SEVENTY EIGHT

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so cleanly. It hurt worse than if he had shouted.

You’re my wife and that’s it.

It echoed in my head, heavy and hollow.

Footsteps approached behind me but I didn’t turn.

“Don’t,” I said quietly, lifting the glass to my lips again. “Just… don’t.”

Silence stretched between us for a bit.

Then his voice came, lower and restrained. “There’s water all over the place and the cleaner doesn’t come until tomorrow.”

“I noticed,” I replied, bitterness slipping in despite myself. “I don’t care either.”

Before I could pour my third drink, he snatched the glass from my

“Enough, you drunk.”

I could have sworn I saw red. “Fuck you.”

hand.

I grabbed the bottle and took a swing, but he ripped that from my grip too.

“I should have known I was marrying a raging alcoholic,” he said, his calm tone only fueling the fire burning inside me. “You should change into something dry before you catch a cold.”

“Like hell I will,” I snapped–then paused and sneezed.

It felt like he and the universe were ganging up on me. It hadn’t even been a full second, and somehow, he’d already been proven right.

He set the glass and bottle down on the table before pulling me into his arms.

“What is wrong with you, Gabrielle?” he demanded. “I kicked her out. Why are you mad?”

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