Page 11 of Monster Bully
“What will it take for you to grant me a divorce?” she asked.
He knew she wouldn’t let it go, and he couldn’t blame her. “You’ve got to stop thinking of divorce.”
“I don’t know how we’re going to continue. Do you honestly believe we can have a marriage with this?” She pointed her hand between them.
“Yes.”
“Are you delusional?”
“Eve, we were married for six months and our life was fine. You loved coming home to me. Loved cooking with me. Loved going out with me. Our life was not affected by what I did.”
“Until the cabin,” Eve said.
“Yes, and that was unfortunate, but that is not going to happen again.”
“You killed him.”
“Eve, I will not lie to you, so any question you ask, you have to be prepared for the answer.” He stared at her.
“You killed him.”
“Yes, I killed that man as well as the men who sent him.” He took a bite out of the meatball. Until Eve came into his world, he was more of a steak-and-potatoes kind of man. He didn’t care for much of anything else, but when she started to cook for him, she did open his world to the endless possibilities of food.
Eve had been so flabbergasted by his statement that he hated meatballs. It had been one of their many dates where she had stayed over. No sex. Nothing inappropriate. She had cooked for him. Grim had been quite shocked about having a woman in his home without demanding sex.
Eve had told him straight that she wasn’t in the market for a good time. She was saving herself for marriage. At first, Grim had thought it was stupid. However, his need for her kept him coming back for more. And then, one day, out of the blue, he had found himself at a jewelry store, looking at engagement rings. From there, he had proposed and Eve had said yes.
Their wedding night had been their first night. It had been magical, at least he had made it so, after hurting her. He had promised himself that would be the only time he hurt her.
“How can you think we’re going to make it work when you say stuff like that?” Eve asked. “We’re two completely different people.”
“We made it work before.”
“That was before. This is now.” She held her knife and fork in a death grip. He saw she was holding on by a thread.
“Then we take it one day at a time. That’s all we have to do,” he said.
She let out a little laugh. “One day at a time?”
“Yes.”
“And you think that will … what?” she asked.
Grim stared at her. “It will give you time to adjust. I love you, Eve. That has not changed. Unless you’re telling me now that you don’t love me. That you can’t stand me, and you want nothing to do with me?” He thought about it, and changed tactic. “Is that what you’re saying to me, Eve? Your love means so little, that within the space of a few days, you have fallen out of love with me? That you don’t want to be with me. You can’t stand my touch. That you want me out of your life?”
He saw the tears in her eyes and he felt like an asshole. He knew Eve was struggling with the truth.
Grim was desperate.
“I can’t believe you would say that,” Eve said.
“Tell me there’s no hope. Tell me you don’t love me.”
The tears that had been glistening in her eyes slowly fell down her cheeks. She looked down at her food and it was only half-finished. “I can’t eat anymore.”
“Eve…”
She pushed her chair out. “Please, just give me a minute.”