Page 52 of The Rancher's Vengeful Heart

All she could do was shake her head.No. No. No.

"Damn you, damn you, Tassina—"

She looked at him pleadingly. "We b-broke up—"

Lucius punched the car door again, and Tassy suddenly had a feeling that it was her he wished he could punch.

"I know you fucking broke up," her husband lashed out. "And I also know that you broke up a fucking day before you met me. So what the fuck do you think that says?"

The fury in his gaze frightened her, but what had her own eyes stinging with tears was realizing that it was not anger but pain—so much pain, oh God—that had been fueling all of his hurtful words.

"I'm sorry," she whispered brokenly. "I'm sorry for hurting you—"

"Shut up, damn you."

"Please just listen—" She could only cry out as Lucius swore viciously under his breath before grabbing her arm in a grip that would leave bruises.

"S-Stop—"

Tassy tried to resist, but he was too strong, and in mere moments, her husband had managed to bodily haul her out of his car. The frozen gravel bit into her bare feet through her thin dress shoes as she stumbled.

"L-Lucius, p-please—"

But seeing that he was already turning to get back inside the vehicle, Tassy lunged forward and clutched the back of his shirt."P-Please—"

"Get your fucking hands off me." Lucius spun around, copper eyes blazing with rage as he pried her fingers loose.

"Please let me explain—"

"I'll only say this once." Lucius' voice was cold. "Don't let me see your face again if you want what's good for you."

It was the look on his face, more than his words, that had her frozen and trembling at the same time, and all Tassy could do was watch him disappear, the door slamming shut behind him like the final nail being pounded on her coffin.

An icy wind slapped her face, but pain had made her numb.

How do I fix things, God?

Please help me.

Please.

Back inside the car, Jacob was unable to sit still, his worried gaze darting back to the rearview mirror again and again. "We can't leave her in the middle of nowhere, sir."

Lucius' lips tightened as he fought against the urge to look back.

"At least ask for someone to drive her somewhere safe, sir. No matter what happened between the two of you, I wouldn't think you'd want your wife to come into any kind of harm."

He remembered today's weather report about San Antonio being a lot colder than usual.

Fuck.

Lucius' jaw clenched as he took his phone out and made a call.

Tassy was still standing where her husband had abandoned her, arms wrapped around her shivering form, when she saw a pair of headlights in the distance. Her breath came in visible puffs as she waited, her body trembling uncontrollably now from both emotion and cold.

A car pulled up beside her, Lucius' youngest brother stepping out, his handsome face uncharacteristically sober.

He draped his jacket over her shoulders without a word and guided her to the passenger seat. The warmth of the car's heater was like a physical blow after the freezing air outside, making her skin tingle painfully as circulation returned.

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