HIS DOE, HIS DAMNATION (An Erotic Billionaire Romance) novel Chapter 60

60 /167

Meadow’s POV:

“The woman I thought would bear my grandchildren.”

That was what Ingrid had announced in front of everybody. In front of Alaric’s own wife. In front of me.

Guests were clinking their glasses together, laughing at Ingrid’s words all while cheering for and welcoming Yvonne.

“Meadow.”

I could hear Alaric next to me, but his voice sounded so far away. It wasn’t just him. Yvonne had lied to me too, telling me they had just a one–night stand when it was obviously more than that.

Yvonne scanned the crowd, and when her eyes zoned on me, she smirked.

Smirked.

This time, when Alaric pulled me away, I didn’t stop him. I followed him mindlessly to the car. I was too stunned to say a word, still trying to process this.

Before the incident happened with my parents, Yvonne was practically non–existent. We only knew that our mother had a sister but we hadn’t met her before. She lived with her parents–our grandparents, until all of a sudden, she showed up at twenty–one and said she was going to take care of us

She was born here in Seattle. Made sense that she knew Alaric, but-

Alaric’s scent infiltrated my nostrils, snapping me back to the reality I had no idea I’d zoned out of. I was sitting on the passenger’s seat and he was currently leaning over to fasten my seatbelt.

“I got it,” I muttered, blocking his hand as I waited for him to leave.

He didn’t argue or order me to let him do it for me, which was surprising, but I let out a breath of relief once he moved away from me.

Was this… a coincidence?

Alaric already seemed to know a lot about me before we met, and I suspected he knew about my family, but there was no way… No way that he would’ve still wanted me if he knew who I really was.

Alaric slid into his seat, and his hand moved to switch on the engine, but he stopped halfway, letting out a sharp breath. “Meadow.”

I swallowed. “Yeah.”

“I understand how this looks,” he started in a low, unsure tone.

For the first time since I met him, Alaric sounded unsure. Wow. Yvonne had really shaken him. “But I-”

“We didn’t say goodbye,” I cut in, looking out the window.

“What?”

“Your mother. You didn’t tell her we were leaving.”

I was trying to change the subject, because I didn’t want to talk about this. Didn’t want to admit that I was hurt

I didn’t have any right to feel hurt. Alaric wasn’t mine. He never was.

“I’ll speak to her later,” he murmured after a full minute had passed. “Hey, look at me.”

I shook my head, still looking out the window at the other cars that were parked around. I wanted nothing but to get home and rest my head, because right now, it was pounding.

I felt Alaric’s hand on my jaw, and a soft gasp escaped my lips as he turned me to face him. The expression on his face was indifferent, his tone exactly the same. “Talk to me.”

“I don’t… I don’t have anything to say, Alaric,” I whispered.

“Sure, you do,” he said firmly. “And you’re going to tell me the first thing on your mind so we can work things out from there.” His brows drew together. “I don’t want you giving me the silent treatment, Meadow.”