The Moment I Realized I Can't Lose You novel Chapter 17

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Chapter 17

This was the first time Joaquin had ever been rejected by Audrey in bed. Even on their wedding night a year ago, she hadn’t had the heart to push him away. But tonight, her rejection was absolute and devoid of hesitation.

A flash of annoyance crossed his desire-clouded eyes. “Stop making a fuss.”

He hovered over her again, his hands roaming down to her waist. Audrey frowned and struggled, but having been shoved away once, he was prepared for it. To him, her resistance was just foreplay.

As the familiar heat rushed back, Audrey began to panic. The baby inside her was only two months old, right in the most fragile stage of pregnancy.

While violently fighting him off, she desperately tried to distract him. “Where is Rainey?”

The man didn’t stop kissing her for a second. “Chase took her back to the hospital.”

He nipped at her skin. “Her health is poor. I was worried.”

Even with their bodies intimately tangled together, Audrey felt her heart turn to solid ice. She had been wondering why, if he had already kissed Rainey downstairs, he hadn’t just taken things to the next level with her. Turns out, it was because he was worried her delicate body couldn’t handle it.

Suddenly, her eyes widened as reality crashed down on her. “Get off me!”

Like she had been struck by lightning, Audrey started thrashing wildly against him. Perhaps driven by the primal urge to protect her unborn child, a fierce maternal instinct erupted from within her.

Forcefully shoved away, Joaquin’s face darkened, his brow furrowing deeply. He straightened his shirt and flicked on the bedroom lights. “Are you crazy?”

The first time she pushed him, he thought she was playing hard to get. But now, he was thoroughly worked up, and she had effectively thrown a bucket of ice water over him!

The sudden bright light made Audrey instinctively squeeze her eyes shut. A moment later, she opened them, meeting his furious glare with chilling calmness. “Joaquin, I didn’t get to finish what I was saying at the hospital today.”

“What I wanted to say is.” She took a deep breath. “Let’s get a divorce.”

Dead silence fell over the room.

Joaquin was instantly sober, the lust completely draining from his eyes. His gaze swept over her face like a blizzard. “Why? Just because I asked you to donate marrow to Rainey?”

“That’s not the only reason.” Audrey met his stare without flinching. “Our marriage was only ever meant to save dignity for our two families. It’s been a year. The crisis is over, Rainey is back, and whatever misunderstandings you two had are cleared up…”

She swallowed the bitter taste in her throat and forced a stiff smile. “My mission is accomplished. Ending this early is the best thing for both of us.”

“A mission?” Joaquin stepped forward, his large hand gripping her jaw, his eyes dangerously cold. “So this marriage was nothing more than a mission to you?”

Audrey let out a soft laugh. “Yes. If it wasn’t a mission, why do you think I spent the past year playing the perfect, devoted wife?”

Joaquin’s eyes narrowed into slits as he stared her down. Audrey looked up, smiling back at him without a shred of fear. They stayed locked in a tense standoff for what felt like an eternity.