Page 152 of Cold As Ice

Something I didn’t take lightly.

“Things moved pretty quickly,” she went on. “I was infatuated, and he was obsessed with me. We were inseparable.”

My fist curled underneath the table, rubbing against my thigh. But I managed to get out, “Go on.”

“My parents weren’t all too happy. Warren hung around with an older crowd. They partied a lot. Got high. Did things teenagers have no business doing. But I was young and in love and nothing could make me see sense.”

“What happened?” I asked, hoping I didn’t sound as jealous as I felt.

“A few weeks into senior year, I found out I was pregnant. My mom didn’t speak to me for almost a month. Warren wanted me to get an abortion. I was a mess. Fawn and Jeremiah held me together while I decided what I was going to do.

“But honestly, there was never any doubt in my mind. I was young, yes. But the second I found out, something clicked inside me. I was going to be a mom and I was determined to make it work.”

“And you wonder where Imogen gets her headstrong attitude from.” I tried to make light of the situation. Thankfully, it made Madison laugh but her smile didn’t reach her eyes.

I knew why.

She hadn’t reached the worst part of her story yet.

“Our parents set us up in a small apartment. I managed to take enough classes to graduate early, and Warren got a job on the weekend, and for a while, things were good.

“Until they weren’t.”

I drained the rest of my beer, bracing myself for whatever was coming.

Madison noticed my worsening mood and let out a steady breath. “Austin, we don’t have to do this.”

“Yeah, we do. I need you to know, I will never look at you differently, no matter what you tell me. But the idea that anyone hurt you…”

“Warren never physically hurt me,” she rushed out. “It wasn’t like… that. But he hurt me in other ways.” Madison’s gaze shifted away from me, anguish rolling off her in palpable waves.

During our time together, I’d picked up the odd clue here or there that she had secrets. But hearing her lay it all out for me made me want to rage at the world.

I was a coldhearted bastard at times. But I didn’t ever set out with the intention of hurting someone. It was one of the reasons I kept people at arm’s length.

“Warren cheated on me when I was six months pregnant. I was fat and swollen and miserable, and he was an eighteen-year-old guy obsessed with sex. I’m sure you can fill in the blanks.” Devastation crept into her expression. “My self-esteem took a huge hit, but I was determined to hold our little family together. So I forgave him. By the time Imogen arrived, I was so relieved, so besotted with her that it was easy to turn a blind eye to his ways.”

“Fucking asshole,” I muttered.

“Oh, it gets worse.” She gave me a sad, defeated smile. “I couldn’t do anything right. He constantly put me down. Said that I wasn’t attractive anymore. Said that I’d become ugly and boring. But when I finally worked up the courage to leave, he completely lost it.

“I thought he’d turned over a new leaf. Realized that he couldn’t live without us. I didn’t realize until later that he was manipulating me. Using my own vulnerabilities against me.” Madison took a sip of her drink. “Things only got worse after that. I’d threaten to leave, and he would spew all of these vile, hateful things at me. Then, the next day, he would be sorry, smothering me with love and attention.

“I had no identity. No life outside of being a new mom. He was like a totally different person whenever our parents visited. I think my mom always saw past his act, but she was still angry at me for ruining my life. As far as she was concerned, I’d made my bed.” She sucked in a shuddering breath, swiping the tears out of her eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get upset.”

“You have nothing to apologize for. Not a damn thing.” I locked down the storm raging inside me. “I’m so fucking sorry you had to go through all that.”

“Don’t get me wrong, I love my mom, and she and my dad have been there for both of us since I got away from Warren. But things are still strained…”

The wordsgot awayplayed on a loop in my head. She could have said left or walked away from or any number of other phrases.

But she hadn’t.

And those two words told me all I needed to know about the kind of man Imogen’s father was.

“Does she still see him?”

“No.” The change in Madison was almost instant. “There was… an incident. He lost it and smashed up the apartment while Imogen and I were there. It was the final straw. I moved back home, and my dad helped me get a restraining order.”

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