The pain in my cheek throbbed, but it was nothing compared to the panic that gripped my heart as I faced Lucas's unrelenting fury. My mind raced, trying to find the words that could pierce through the haze of his anger, that could make him see reason. But every time I opened my mouth, I saw nothing but contempt in his eyes, a coldness that sent chills down my spine.
"Lucas, please," I tried again, my voice shaking. "You have to believe me. I would never do something like this. Richard—he's been coming onto me for months. I've always pushed him away. This isn't what it looks like, I swear!"
But my words only seemed to inflame him further. He grabbed my arm, yanking me up from the floor with a force that made me wince. His grip was like a vise, his fingers digging painfully into my flesh as he leaned in close, his breath hot and harsh against my face.
"Do you really think I'm that stupid, Peyton?" he hissed, his eyes burning with rage. "You think you can just lie your way out of this? I've seen the pictures. I know what you are."
"I'm telling the truth!" I cried, my voice cracking as tears streamed down my face. I was desperate, so desperate for him to believe me, but there was no trace of the man I had loved in the cold, hard face before me. "I'm your wife, Lucas. I love you. I would never—"
"Love?" He laughed, a cruel, bitter sound that sent a shiver of dread down my spine. "Don't talk to me about love, Peyton. You don't know the first thing about it. You've been nothing but a disappointment, a worthless whore who can't even keep her legs closed."
His words cut deeper than any blow could. I felt my heart shatter, the last remnants of hope crumbling into dust as I realized that the man I had once loved was gone. In his place was a monster, a cruel, vindictive man who had nothing but hatred left for me.
"Lucas, please…" I sobbed, the strength in my legs giving out as I collapsed to the floor. I felt so small, so helpless beneath his towering frame. "I'm carrying your child."
For a moment, I thought I saw something flicker in his eyes, a brief pause in the relentless onslaught of his anger. But it was gone as quickly as it had appeared, replaced by a sneer that twisted his handsome features into something grotesque.
"A child?" he repeated, his voice dripping with scorn. "And I'm supposed to believe that it's mine? After what you've been doing behind my back?"
"It is yours, Lucas," I whispered, clutching my stomach protectively, the instinct to shield the life inside me stronger than the fear that gripped my heart. "I would never lie about that. Please, just listen to me…"
But he wasn't listening. His eyes were cold, filled with an unyielding fury that terrified me to my core. He took a step back, his chest heaving with the effort to contain the rage that was clearly threatening to explode. I should have taken that moment to run, to get away from him, but I was frozen, paralyzed by fear, by the crushing weight of disappointment and betrayal.
"Stand up," he ordered, his voice low and dangerous. "Stand up and face me like the whore you are."
My body trembled, but I forced myself to obey, my movements slow and shaky as I pushed myself to my feet. My vision blurred with tears, but I refused to let them fall. I refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing me break completely.
But the moment I was upright, his leg swung out, connecting with my stomach with brutal force. The impact was like a sledgehammer, driving the air from my lungs and sending me crashing back to the floor with a scream of agony. The pain was instant, sharp, and overwhelming, radiating from my abdomen in waves that made my vision go black at the edges.
"Lucas!" I gasped, curling in on myself, my arms instinctively wrapping around my stomach. The physical pain was unbearable, but it was nothing compared to the pain in my heart. How could he do this? How could the man I had loved with all my heart turn into this monster? What had happened to the Lucas who had once held me so gently, who had promised to protect me always?
"Shut up!" he roared, kicking me again, his boot connecting with my ribs this time. I felt something crack, a sharp burst of pain that stole what little breath I had left. The taste of blood filled my mouth, and I coughed, my body convulsing with the effort.
"Please…" I whispered, my voice barely audible. I could feel the blood seeping between my legs, a warm, sticky sensation that sent a new wave of panic crashing over me. "Please, Lucas… the baby…"
But he didn't care. He kicked me again, and again, each blow more vicious than the last. I tried to shield my stomach, tried to protect the tiny life growing inside me, but I was too weak. The pain was too much. My body betrayed me, curling into a ball on the floor as I sobbed, each breath a struggle, each movement sending fresh waves of agony through me.
I couldn't believe this was happening. I couldn't believe that this was the man I had once loved, the man I had married. How had I been so blind? How had I let myself fall in love with a monster? My heart ached with a pain that was far deeper than the physical injuries he was inflicting on me. It was the pain of betrayal, of shattered dreams, of a future that had once seemed so bright now crumbling into darkness.
I felt myself growing weaker, the edges of my vision growing darker with each passing second. My body was going numb, the pain fading into a dull throb as I felt my consciousness slipping away. Blood pooled beneath me, warm and sticky, a stark reminder of the life I was losing. The baby—our baby—was slipping away, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.
As the darkness closed in, I was filled with a deep, overwhelming regret. I had loved him, truly loved him, and for what? For this? For him to destroy me, to take everything from me? I had been so foolish, so naïve to believe that he could change, that there was still a shred of humanity left in him.
The last thing I saw before everything went black was Lucas's face, twisted with anger and hatred, a face that I no longer recognized.
And in that final moment, as my consciousness faded away, I realized the horrible truth.
I had loved a monster. And it had destroyed me.