Page 84 of Loved By You

I push past him and head towards the door to the main room and he grabs my arm, slamming me against the wall, my headbouncing off it. In all our years together, Alex has done many things, but getting physical with me has never been one of them, until now. He presses himself up against me and puts his mouth close to my ear, cupping my jaw.

“Maybe I didn’t make myself fucking clear. We are married, and if you think I am signing those divorce papers you must be fucking crazy like your mother, who by the way called me last week to say she was sorry to hear about the divorce and that you had shacked up with some fucker from high school, so who is he?”

“Alex, please, you are hurting me. Let me go.” The fear is evident in my voice as I try to free myself from his firm grip.

“Alex, please,” I plead, trying to push him off me, but his body is crushing me. Suddenly I feel like I can breathe as Alex is ripped off me and I see Jack with Harry and Brad behind him. He holds Alex by the back of his neck.

“Get your fucking hands off her,” he growls.

Harry puts a protective arm around me as I begin to shake.

“Get the fuck off me, you asshole. She’s my wife. We were talking.”

He gets up close to his face.

“She’s not your fucking wife anymore. You lost the privilege of calling her that the minute you disrespected her. You can either leave by yourself or I will throw you out,” he yells, baring his teeth, his face reddening.

“Is this him? Is this the asshole you’re fucking? Alex shouts.

“Alex please, just go,” I beg, tears now falling from shame. Embarrassed that this was the man I married.

"Fuck you, Maria. I'm not going anywhere," he slurs.

Jack slams him into the wall, and his eyes dilate. "You're done. Get the fuck out."

"I'll take him," Brad calls from behind Jack and drags him to the back exit.

Jack is on me, wrapping me in his protective arms.

“I’ll go help Brad,” Harry states softly and leaves me and Jack alone in the corridor to process what just happened.

“Sweetheart, I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner. Are you okay?”

I cry into his chest. How can the night go from one extreme to the other? How did my life end up being this? Just when I start to feel like I’ve moved on and found some happiness, my past choices have to come back and screw it all up.

“How did you know I was here with him?”

“Harry and Brad were watching the CCTV and saw you both, and came and got me. Ri, please don’t ever go anywhere alone with him again, okay? Please, promise me. I don't even wanna think about what he would've done to you if Harry hadn't seen.”

“He didn't hurt me,” I interrupt. “Just shocked me. He's never been like that with me.” I’m lying. He hurt me. My head is throbbing, but I don’t want to make Jack worry any more than he is.

“I don't care. He doesn’t get to put his hands on you like that or speak to you like that,” he replies, his breathing ragged.

I rub my hand in soothing strokes up and down his back. “Jack, I’m okay. I promise.”

“You don't deserve to be treated like that, sweetheart.”

I lean into his touch and enjoy the feeling of being protected. A feeling I had never experienced till Jack, and yet here he was again, saving me, again, and again and again and I hope he never stops wanting to save me, because here, in Jack's arms feels like the safest place on earth.

Chapter Thirty-Six

Ria

Jack didn't allow me to finish my shift. I’m in a daze, trying to process what’s just happened.How did my life become this? Where did I go wrong?Part of me wishes I never met Alex, but then I wouldn't have my girls and if having them meant I had to do the past ten years over again, I would, because a life without them would be no life at all.

But how I wish things were different. That Alex could have been the man he claimed to be when I first met him. Or if I was being truthful, I wish it had been Jack from the very start and that the girls were his. That thought keeps me awake at night, but I am slowly accepting that life doesn't always end up how we thought it would, and sometimes that’s for the best.

Jack might not biologically be the girls’ dad, but for the past nine months, he has been there for them like a dad should be.I have this constant battle of feeling so angry and disappointed that Alex can’t be the dad the girls deserve and thankful Jack has shown up for them, for me.

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