Page 35 of Rafe

“I can’t put him in danger. His son would have no qualms about hurting his father to get to me. I’m better off in my apartment.”

“You can’t stay cooped up in it all day. What about your job?”

“He would never cause a scene at my job. He wants people to think he’s such a good man. A man who stole his own father’s horses and raped me—”

Rafe grasped her arms and held her in front of him.

“He did what?” he growled.

“I-I didn’t mean to say that.”

“But you did. Maggie, did he rape you?”

“I’d never want Fred to know.”

“Come with me.” Rafe took her arm and led her into his office, closed the door, then pushed her onto the chair, and took the one beside her. “It’s time you told me everything.”

“You know he used to hit me…”

“Yes. What else?”

“He forced me into marriage. When we first met, he was working as a banker. I went to the bank with my father one day when he was trying to save our home from foreclosure. As we sat across from Frederick, he wouldn’t stop looking at me. He gave me the creeps. He told my dad there was nothing he could do to help us; I knew my dad had lost all hope. In desperation, I offered anything to save our home. Little did I know what kind of person that prick truly was. He said he would only help if I agreed to marry him and he would erase our debt.”

“And you did it?”Rafe shouted as he sat forward in the chair.

“I had no choice! You don’t know how devastated my father was at the thought of us losing our home! Do you think I wanted to marry a man I didn’t know? A man who scared me just by looking at me?” Maggie shook her head. “I had no other choice. We would have been homeless.”

Rafe shook his head. “I always wondered what you saw in him.”

“All I see is evil.” Maggie took a deep breath. “My father immediately stood up and told him to go to hell.”

“As he should.”

“But I convinced my dad to accept the offer. I told him I’d just divorce Frederick after he got on his feet again because Frederick couldn’t take the house if it was current. Looking back now, I know it was a mistake, but at the time my father was devastated about losing the house that held so many memories for him and my late mother. So, I felt like there was no other way. After Frederick lost his job at the bank, which I still don’t know why, he decided to open a car dealership. Then the last time he hit me; I ran. This ranch is so beautiful, but Frederick hates it and can’t wait for his father to die so he can sell it. God, I hate that man.”

“You’re still not telling me everything, Maggie.”

Maggie took a deep breath before continuing. “He forced himself on me on our wedding night and there was nothing I could do about it because I knew he’d make mine and my father’s life miserable. He wanted children but I lied and said I couldn’t have them. But the truth is, there was no way I was going to bring a child into the world with such a horrible man. I blocked it out every time he touched me.” Maggie let out a heavy sigh. “I know it’s not right to hate anyone, but I truly despise him.”

Rafe got to his feet and paced. “I wasn’t too fond of him before, but I swear if he stood in front of me now, I’d choke him with my bare hands.” He looked at her. “Does Fred know any of this?”

“Not about the rape, but I did tell him how his son forced me into marriage. My father was so disappointed that I agreed to it.”

“How did you get away from him?” Rafe sat back down.

“A couple of friends. When I called the police about him hitting me, they arrested him and put him in jail. That’s when I left. I took my maiden name back because I wanted nothing to do with that evil person.” She shook her head. “I don’t know how he got out of jail for that either. He was put on probation for a year. One damn year. I knew he’d look for me, but my friends hid me well. When Luke called me about him, I was scared at first to tell him where Frederick was, but I realized the only chance I had to truly be free of him was to help Luke. I knew when Luke asked me about him that he had taken those horses. He has a serious gambling problem.”

“He’s a prick. Why didn’t you ever confide any of this in me?” Rafe stared at her. “You’ve been putting it off. Anytime I’d ask you, you’d tell me not now. Well, you should have told me a long fucking time ago,” he snapped.

“Are you serious? I was ashamed!” Maggie shouted.

“I get it, but this is something you should have told me. I saidI didn’t want secrets between us, and you sure kept a big one,” he said, his tone heavy with anger.

“I’m sorry. I know I should have told you, but it’s not something easy to say to someone.” Her confession spilled out like a secret long kept hidden as tears rolled down her face. “I’ve always been drawn to you, Rafe. But I knew I could never allow you to see it because of Frederick. If he ever suspected even the slightest hint of my feelings, he’d kill me, and honestly, that might have been preferable to enduring life with him.”

Rafe’s eyes darkened. “I may not have had the best upbringing, but Fred gave me everything he could – guidance and morals. I wouldn’t stand for any man laying a hand on a woman, child, or animal.” He paused, leaning forward so that his intense gaze locked onto hers. “I never understood what you saw in him. I remember teasing him once that he’d forced you into that marriage, and judging by the look on his face, I knew it wasn’t farfetched.”

Maggie’s voice dropped to a soft whisper as she shook her head in painful reminiscence. “I didn’t have a choice. Losing the house would’ve shattered my father. That house was all he had left after buying it for my mother, who adored it. When she passed, he struggled to hold onto it during those hard times. We went to the bank, desperate for an extension or any sort of reprieve, and that’s when Frederick presented his solution. The moment I set eyes on him, I felt queasy. He wouldn’t stop staring at me. I despised him instantly, but I couldn’t allow my father to lose our home. I had myself convinced that once Dad got back on his feet, I’d divorce him.”

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