Page 151 of Downfall

“Yes she is.” Darius replies louder. “Yours and Roman’s to be exact. Both Montague and Capulet. Imagine my surprise when I found out that little titbit from your father.”

“Let her go.” I say gritting my teeth, unable to take my eyes from Lara’s petrified face.

Darius jerks his head and Sampson steps back pulling her with him.

“No.” I scream fighting harder but it does nothing but tighten Darius’s grip on me.

“Momma.” Lara cries as she’s dragged from the room.

It’s the first time she’s called me that and if anything it makes my heart crush more because a parent is meant to protect their child and yet that’s the one thing I’ve never done. I’ve failed her from the moment she was born.

My stomach knots worse than ever but I can’t let myself fall into this, I need to be focused, I need to stay in control of myself for Lara’s sake. But it’s taking all I have right now not to cry, not to sob, not to crumble into the grief that is twisting worse than ever.

Roman is gone. Roman is dead.

“I’m going to offer you a deal Rose.” He says brushing my hair back. “It’s a good deal.”

“I don’t give a shit…”

“Rose.” He tuts. “Listen to me. Hear me out.”

I bite my tongue. Like hell I’ll agree to anything. He takes my silence as acquiescence.

“You’ll marry me. Be the perfect wife to me just like you were for Paris and in exchange I’m willing to let you keep your daughter with us, to let her live with us.”

I shut my eyes. “No.” I say.

“You don’t have any other options.” He replies as he gently caresses my cheek with his finger.

“Why do you even want me?” I snap.

He smirks. “Because Rose, I’ve watched you carefully, watched the way you tolerated my nephew, the way you smiled for the cameras. This city loves you. You’re exactly what I need, you’ll be the perfect Governor’s wife.”

“I won’t marry you.” I growl.

“Yes you will. You’re obedient when you need to be and I’m far more congenial than my nephew was. I’ll treat you right and in time you’ll learn to love me.” His hand moves to grab my stomach and I tense even more. “And once I put a baby in you that’ll be enough.”

“Enough what?”

“To give you purpose. That’s why you’ve been so restless. I saw it when you were with Paris, you had no focus. Children are a woman’s focus. Their purpose. I’ll make sure you have enough of mine to be content.”

“I have a child already.” I snap. Lara. The child he’s right now holding to ransom.

“Yes but publicly we’ll have to say she’s adopted. A distant relative or some shit. We can’t let people know who she is.”

“I won’t do it.” I state.

He tuts, pushing me back with his weight now holding me down. His hand moves to gather the ends of the shirt up as my entire thighs are exposed. “You will Rose.” He says. “You’ll grow to love me.”

As his hand skims over my panties I whimper. I already know where this is headed. What he’s about to do.

Roman is gone. Roman is dead.

There’s nothing to stop him now. Nothing to stop any of this.

His face presses into my neck and I try to fight him but his one hand grips me too tightly to do anything. I can’t even kick my legs out.

“Such a beautiful body.” He murmurs. “You deserved to be treated better than what Paris did. Better than Roman too. I can show you that. I can show you what it means to be with a good man.”

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