Page 79 of The Billionaire's Runaway Bride

I can’t hold back a cringe as they hold it up.

“Isn’t it lovely?” My mother smiles and sighs dreamily.

It looks like a cloud barfed up lace and settled in a blob. And are those full-length sleeves of lace?

“Sure.” Jeremy shrugs and turns from the dress to face my mother. “You have such a good eye for design, Lacie.”

“You know, this time tomorrow, you’ll be calling me Mom.”

Bile rises in my throat.

“Lacie, we need to leave if we’re to make that appointment,” my father says.

She nods and stands. “Yes, we don’t want to be late.” She smiles at Jeremy. “Bye, hun. We’ll see you later.” She pauses long enough to smirk at me. “Security knows to keep you inside.”

I don’t speak, staring at the wall as they leave.

“Don’t think about trying to embarrass me again,” Jeremy warns. He smirks, looking me over. “I wish your dad would order a pregnancy check last minute.”

I narrow my eyes at him. “It’s not the 1950s, Jeremy,” I get out between clenched teeth.

He snorts. “So? I don’t want to marry you then have to deal with the embarrassment of you already being knocked up. Then again, your ‘boyfriend’ couldn’t have wanted you like that anyway. You’re trash.”

“Then aren’t you embarrassing yourself, marrying trash?”

He rolls his eyes. “I don’t give a shit about you. I just want that trust fund. Besides, you’ve never turned me on. At least I have ways around that.”

“I’m well aware.”

“All you have to do is try to be a pretty wife. Give me some damn kids and let me live with my girlfriends.”

Kids? I swallow hard at that.

What if he tries to do that right away? Before my trust fund. What if he tries to knock me up before I can leave? That would tie me to him even more and complicate divorcing him.

“You’ll go off birth control now,” he says. “The faster I knock you up, the less I’ll have to put up with sleeping with you.”

My stomach revolts. I’ll throw up if I don’t get out of here. He’s confirmed one huge and scary detail I haven’t considered.

He leaves without another word. Once I’m alone, I run back to the room I’ve been trapped in. The butler is surprised and follows me there, locking the door after I’ve thrown it open and slammed it shut behind me.

I hurry to my bed. My heart races. My fingers shake.

I can’t do this.

No. I can’t. I thought for once in my life I could be in charge of my life and play my parents and Jeremy. I thought I had a plan to get out of this and be happy one day.

But now…

I hold back a sob as I grab my phone from Colorado.

I hesitate, determined to solve all of this, but with Jeremy’s words about knocking me up as soon as he can, I can’t talk myself out of opening my contacts. I see Caleb’s name clearly, but after I blink, the letters blur under my tears.

Lauren: I’ve made a mistake.

Lauren: Please. Help me.

I press send. The simple tap feels final and terrifying, and as I fall into bed and cry into my pillow that is still damp from last night’s tears, I worry it’s too late.

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