The Years Between Signing and Seeing novel Chapter 180

The room was dim, the lights unlit. Suzie stood frozen, her eyes fixed on the man before her, who seemed like an enraged lion. He had been angry many times before, but never like this.

The suffocating, smoke-filled air and his terrifying demeanor filled her with a sense of dread. A cold sweat quickly soaked the back of her shirt, and the thick stench of tobacco made it difficult to breathe.

Jamie just stood there, his bloodshot eyes locked on her. The hand gripping her arm tightened, squeezing with enough force to feel like it would shatter her bones. The pain intensified with his grip.

She frowned, her voice sharp with displeasure. “Jamie, what the hell is wrong with you? You’re hurting me.”

She struggled against his hold, her eyes searching his face for an explanation. Veins bulged on his forehead like twisted serpents, his jaw was clenched tight, and his brow was heavy with a rage so palpable it seemed every breath was a struggle to contain it.

What on earth had happened to make him this furious?

Just as the thought crossed her mind, he abruptly let her go. She watched as he strode to the office desk.

Suzie slowly looked away, rubbing her aching arm.

Suddenly, a sharp sting erupted across her cheek, instantly turning hot and painful. A rustle of paper followed as several sheets flew past her face and fluttered to the ground. In the brief moment they were in the air, she saw Jamie’s arm, which he had just lowered. He had actually slammed the sharp-edged papers into her face.

Her eyes caught the words “Paternity Test” in the headline, and she scanned the page for the conclusion. As she read, her grip on the papers tightened unconsciously, crumpling a corner.

“No! This is impossible! Absolutely impossible!” Suzie’s hands began to tremble uncontrollably as tears flooded her eyes. She shook her head, her voice a desperate, despairing whisper.

Then, Jamie’s voice sliced through the air from above her, as ice-cold and chilling as his words. “I’ve already scheduled the procedure. We’re ending the pregnancy today.”

Suzie felt all the warmth drain from her body, as if her very heart was contracting in on itself.