Page 60 of Between Regrets and Promises

He runs his fingers through my hair and wads my strands in his fist. As he forces me to look into his eyes, pain rushes from my scalp straight to my heart.

“If you ever leave me, I’ll end you, Soph. If I can’t have you, no one can.Ever.”

I swallow hard and force a smile, though I’m trembling down to the bone.

“I’m not going anywhere, Weston. I’m with you for life.” The words fall out of my mouth like poison, and all I know is that I have to get the fuck out of here, out of his grasp as soon as possible, because I don’t doubt him or his words.

One thing’s for certain—when it comes to his possession of me, he’s not a liar.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

SOPHIE

I checkthe text from Lennon and ignore it, but I won’t be able to stall all evening. When she told me she’d call the cops, I knew she would do it. Having them show up here with the way that he is and after his admission would only make things worse for me. I need a solid plan without all of that.

After I put on a dress, I go to the bathroom and try to figure out what I’m going to do. I apply enough heavy makeup so it’s not as noticeable, but if anyone stares too long, I’ll have to figure out what to say, especially since Weston will be with me and he’s not going to let me out of his sight.

After I apply heavy makeup and fix my hair, I walk into the living room where he’s sitting with the bottle in his grasp.

“I can’t go to this alone, babe. I want you there by my side,” I plead, knowing damn well he won’t let me leave without him.

“Fine,” he huffs, slamming the bottle on the coffee table, swaying as he walks past me toward the bedroom.

Weston returns dressed, dangling his keys in one hand and mine in the other. There is no way in hell I’m getting in a car with him in this state, but he probably won’t let me drive my car either. He’ll kill us both and possibly someone else too.

“Sorry about your keys,” he says, handing them over. He sounds genuine, but from experience, it’ll be short-lived.

“Honey, you should let me drive.” I try to reach for his keys, but Weston jerks his hand away.

“No. You aren’t driving my truck.” His booming voice sends an uneasy shiver down my spine.

“I’ll drive my car,” I quickly say.

“No, I’m driving mine.” His gaze burns into me, letting me know he won’t budge.

Instead of arguing with him, I try to reason with him. “Okay. Let’s have some coffee then. It’ll help you sober up a bit before we leave.”

He hesitates, but then thankfully agrees. After an hour of waiting, his eyes don’t seem nearly as glassy. I check the time again, and when I notice Lennon called, I know I have to respond before she gets even more worried.

Sophie

Sorry, running late. On our way now.

Lennon

Okay, I’ll meet you in the hallway. I have big news!

She seems overly excited and I fear I’ll rain on her parade with how shitty things are going with Weston.

As I follow him to his truck, I have a bad feeling that maybe we shouldn’t go and almost ask if we can cancel. But staying here with him in his current mindset could be even more dangerous. I need to tell Lennon and Maddie the truth, though it’ll be obvious as soon as they see me. Nothing gets past them—surely, another black eye won’t—and they won’t let it slide this time.

After I buckle in, Weston speeds down the road. I want to ask him to slow down but don’t want to risk setting him off again. He grabs my hand and forcefully interlocks his fingers with mine, holding me so tight it hurts.

“You’re mine, Sophie. You’llalwaysbe mine,” he says with a threatening grin that sends a chill up my spine.

“I know.” It’s all I can say as he speeds recklessly down the highway in a vehicle that could easily be used as a weapon.

When the reception hall comes into view, I release a sigh of relief. He zooms into the parking lot and nearly hits a pedestrian. I cover my mouth with my hand to hold back my scream, and he laughs while veering around the old man trying to enter the hall.

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