by Sam Crescent
Lily nodded. “I wanted to talk to you about the prenuptial agreement I signed.”
He looked visually uncomfortable. Lily knew in her heart she wasn’t going to like what was about to be discussed.
“I think this is something for you to discuss with Wayne,” he suggested, edging closer to the door.
“Please, Richard, I’m asking you.”
“I don’t think I should tell you in your condition.”
“You know I’m pregnant?”
“Wayne couldn’t keep it to himself. He’s very much in love with you.” Lily snorted at the comment. She knew she shouldn’t, but with all the revelations unravelling, she thought it was necessary to take facts head on.
“Just tell me what is going on.” Lily rubbed a hand over her face, trying to clear her groggy thoughts. They stared at each other for several seconds before he nodded and looked everywhere but at her. Richard paced the small room.
“The prenuptial agreement is something Wayne has been drawing up for some time. I don’t even know if I can tell you everything, but I’ll try to give you the facts and the basics.” He was nervous. Lily was sure of it now more than ever.
“Please, just tell me.”
“Okay. Erm...right, the basis is the usual stuff—money, and securing his wealth in case of divorce, and settlement figures for you and your family in case of any long term problems that can’t be fixed.”
“He was going to pay me and my family off?”
“If this marriage didn’t work out, you, in your own right would become a very wealthy woman but with the understanding you wouldn’t use it on your family.”
Lily smiled, touched by the sentiment of his caring.
“There’s more. Wayne wanted you so badly....”
“Don’t make excuses, just tell me.”
“If there was a baby born during this union then Wayne automatically has sole custody and responsibility for the child and, indeed, for any other child born from this union.”
“But I’m the mother.”
“You signed your right away on the day you were married.”
Lily lost her breath. The wind knocked out of her. Placing a hand against her neck, she tried to calm her nerves.
“Anything else,” she asked.
Wayne would take her baby away.
“If at any time you wished to end your marriage, the child would stay with him, and you’d have supervised visits once a month for an hour. Also, if you divorced, you would remain attending to his wishes for the near future.” Richard bit his lip, and Lily wiped the tears from her eyes.
“What do you mean?”
“The polite term would be remaining as his companion,” he said.
“I’d be forced to be his whore!”
“I think that is a horrid term.”
“Is there any way out of this contract?”
Richard shook his head. “I did warn you to get another lawyer to read it.”
“And suffer the humiliation of what you’ve told me. Can a prenuptial agreement even contain stuff like this?” Her cheeks shined red from the shame.
“It’s worded appropriately, and I believe Wayne never intended for it to get that far but as for it being possible, anything that can be written and verified can be placed in an agreement. I mean I think I read somewhere it was even illegal to eat a mince pie on Christmas day, somewhere.” Lily knew he tried to make light of the situation, but it didn’t help.
“Please leave me alone. Thank you.” She rolled over staring at the bland cream wall, wondering how many people had lain in the very same bed, broken-hearted and alone.
The tears fell, and she held her stomach.
“Wayne does love you.”
The words failed to help. She didn’t need anyone. She’d lived most of her life alone and she could continue to live for the sake of her child.
Chapter Nineteen
Wayne watched Richard enter his wife’s room and thought about what she could want from the good man to discuss. He followed Tony to the waiting room. A nurse stood guarding a man.
“Mr. Brown, this gentleman refuses to leave.”
He nodded for her to leave him, and he gave his full attention to George Jones, Lily’s father.
The man looked pale and older since the last time he’d seen him, but after having Lily in his life, he didn’t see the need getting in touch with the man who’d hurt her and risked thousands of people’s jobs from his carelessness.
“What are you doing here, George?” He had no time to deal with spiteful families.
“I’ve just heard about Lily. Is she all right?” The older man pulled off his cap to reveal a full head of grey hair.
“As good as can be expected in her current condition.”
Wayne was guarded. Her father, for the first time in all of her life, was taking notice of Lily.
“Thank God. I couldn’t believe they wouldn’t give me any information,” he said exasperated, pointing at the reception desk.
“I’m her next of kin. I get to know everything.”
“Can I see her?”
“You’re responsible for making her life a fucking misery, and you expect me to let you see my wife who’s been through enough already?” Wayne knew they were attracting attention but he no longer cared.
Fear and panic at the possibility of losing the woman he loved surfaced, and now, her snivelling shit of a father decided he wanted to be concerned, which just didn’t cut it with him any longer. He was fucking sick of the falseness of dealing with it all.
“I love my daughter.”
“Fuck you. You didn’t love her. You practically threw her at me when the debt collectors started calling. Your family hate my fucking wife, and she’s the nicest person to ever be born to shit like you. Now tell me why I shouldn’t have you thrown on the street.” Wayne knew how to deal. He may have been born around money, but he sure as shit made sure he could handle himself.
“Maybe we could go somewhere more privately to talk?”
“Come on, Wayne, you’re really pushing it now,” Tony said, taking his arm.
Wayne pulled out of his grip, squaring up to the older man.
“Tell me whatever I need to hear and then leave.”
George stood floundering for a few minutes, finally nodding. Some years ago, twenty-two years to be precise, I had an affair with a sweet woman who came and worked as a cleaner for me in my London office at the time. You want all this. You can have it. A pretty woman only out of her teens. She smiled at me and cleaned my desk, and one evening I took it upon myself to ask her out. I couldn’t stop thinking about her—”
“Maybe we should take this somewhere private,” Wayne interrupted. He spun round and moved to a private waiting area. “Continue.”
“I’ve not thought about her in so long. I just shut it all out. Anyway, one thing led to another, and I slept with her, and we started a relationship. I know this sounds bad, but she thought I was just a manager of one of the departments. She didn’t know I owned the place. It was a great business then, and I ruined it.”
“Just get to it, George.”
“She found out about my real name and my marriage, and everything blew up in my face. I loved her, not for her youth, or anything, I loved her. She was my heart and soul. I decided to screw the protocol of our standing and marry her. She was also pregnant with my child. I told Jessica I was leaving her, and everything was in place. Anyway, at some point, there were complications with her pregnancy, and I ended up taking her back home to where Jessica and Stephanie lived. I needed extra stuff to help care for her.”
Wayne watched as George relived his moment of grief and unveiled the largest secret of the Jones’s family.
“She gave birth in January. It was complicated, and we couldn’t get her to the hospital. Snow and everything that comes with that shit. Lily was born, and her true mother bled out with no way of stopping. I can’t remember what the doctors said. I was in shock. My Lily was gone.”
“Her name, the love of my life was called Lily. It was the only thing I fought Jessica on with her upbringing. She had to have the name Lily.”
“Why did she live a shit life?”
“Because, Mr. Brown, I ceased to care about anything but the woman I lost. I stayed married to Jessica, and she cared for Lily but now I look back I see I was a horrid person. When Jessica told me to punish her, I did and I took my loss out on her. She didn’t deserve the life I gave, but I was too blind.” George allowed twenty-two years of contained tears to spill over.
“What happened for this change of heart?”
“I stood by the fire, burning some pictures from my wallet, and I picked one Jessica hadn’t found of my Lily. I saw her adoring face so much like young Lily, and I woke up for the first time. My wife came in and handed me a sandwich and sneered my whore’s daughter was in hospital, and I finally snapped.”
Wayne listened, understanding what he must have gone through. He only had to think of losing Lily, and it brought him to his knees.
“Let’s just say I’m done. I don’t want to be the monster of a man anymore. I loved Lily with all my heart, and instead of cutting it up and dealing, I should have loved the one thing that had been present of our love for each other—our child.”
Wayne had two choices. Number one, send the man off and never allow him near his wife, or let Lily have something she truly needed.
“I want to warn you I love Lily with all my heart and soul. You do anything to fucking hurt her, and I’ll fucking kill you.”
George nodded and followed him to the spare room. Richard stood outside pacing and glanced at him as he walked closer.
Wayne let him go in and watched the scene unfold. Lily reached out for her father, and George went to her with open arms. He heard them talking and knew he’d made the right decision.
“She knows about the pre-nup, doesn’t she?” Wayne asked a nervous Richard at his side.
“How do you know?”
“I know Lily, and I’ve fucked up. I want you to get every single copy of that...contract and bring it to me.”
“All of it?”
“Everything.”
Richard left him. Tony went to get more coffee, and Wayne got everything ready so he could take his wife home. Looking at the date on his watch, he noticed it was a week until Christmas. He wanted to make her first year with him special, but with all the ramifications rolling around, he truly believed everything he tried to do would be a lost cause.
Wayne watched the love of his life and prayed to the gods above to give him something to take away the Beast and bring her the man she deserved.
Chapter Twenty
They scattered around each other on tender hooks. Lily worked at home, refusing to bring anyone else in to do the washing and the cooking. The two jobs she got pleasure from: cooking food and making her clothes clean. It was almost therapeutic.
Wayne stayed at home in either his office or following her around somewhere. He wouldn’t leave her side no matter what she asked of him.
Her father came around as much as he could. He was working for Wayne, trying to build his life back up after the disaster of losing so much of his life already. George has given her a few diaries and keepsakes he kept hidden from her evil stepmother. The name still made her giggle. Knowing Jessica wasn’t any relative of hers made her sleep easier at night and having Stephanie as a half-sister was easier to handle.
For a short while, she truly thought she’d end up like the spiteful duo who got pleasure out of tormenting her.
The question she’d had for so long was answered: why everyone hated her. She was living proof of her father’s love and the infidelity with another woman. Lily took another item of clothing out and saw the lipstick mark on the neck of one of Wayne’s shirts. After so long of being empty, the mark jolted something inside her. Closing her eyes, she tried to calm her nerves. It had been a few weeks since she’d done the washing. Disgusting, but after everything she hadn’t got round to cleaning.
Screwing up the shirt, she put it on top of the machine and tried to blank out everything, to process her thoughts.
It doesn’t mean anything.
Wayne is cheating on you!
It doesn’t matter. I don’t love him. I never have.
Oh really, so you call mourning his loss in bed at night and craving his attention and wishing just once he’d turn around and tell you how he felt, hating him?
This was ridiculous. Grabbing the shirt, she charged down to his office. The door was shut, as usual before lunch.
Turn back around and pretend it doesn’t mean anything.
Nonsense, go in and confront him. Be a woman and take matters in your own hands.
Two voices were arguing amongst themselves. The child and the adult.
A child would skulk off and let it be. A woman would fight for her love.
Did she love him?
Do I have to do everything for you? Why do you think it hurts so damn much? You’re breaking inside, pregnant with his child and all you want is to be loved. Go in there and get him, tiger.
Nodding, she put her hand on the doorknob and froze.
More pain, is that what you want? Voice number two whispered along her brain.
Lily prayed. Other women had these moments, otherwise, she was putting herself in a sealed room with lots of fucking padding.
Lily jumped back as she opened the door. She screamed and tripped over, landing on her back.
“Lily!” Wayne took her in his arms and escorted her into his study, placing her gently down on the sofa she’d put in for his comfort. “I don’t want you hurting yourself. Why didn’t you just come in?”
“Hurting myself or the baby?” she growled.
Wayne jerked as if she’d burnt him with her words.
“Never mind, forget I ever said anything.” Lily moved out from under him. Having him so close and not thinking about touching him was too difficult to process.
“Lily, wait.”
“You know I don’t want to do this.” She flapped her hands above her head and moved away.
“Lily?”
“Actually, you know what I think. I’m sick, Wayne. I’m sick of you and everything you stand for.” Lily had no idea what she was saying, but she kept on. “You blackmail me with family that isn’t even mine to become your wife. I don’t even know you all that well! I have no honeymoon besides the cottage trip, which was lovely, but then you blurt out about the baby and that heavy contract and now all this and...and....” Lily took the shirt, stormed over to him, slapped him on the cheek, and pressed the lipstick mark right up in his face.
“What’s this? Another one of your floozies?”
“Lily, you’re not making sense.”
“Don’t give me one of your excuses. The shirt has lipstick on it. I don’t wear make-up, shithead.”
“You just called me shithead?”
“Yeah, and I’ll call you worse before the end of the day. I won’t have you....” Whatever she was about to say stopped as his lips took possession of her mouth, melting the coldness and shooting a spark to her heat.
Lily moaned and dropped the shirt to the floor. Her breasts ached, and her cunt was swimming for more of this man and his hard cock.
She stopped. Shit, she’d given in too soon. Pulling out of his arms, she shot him a fierce look, wiping her mouth.
Wayne picked his shit from the floor and looked at the lipstick. “It’s your sister’s.”
Lily saw red. How many other women would brush off a statement like that?
She charged at him, lashing out, and punching his chest. Her hormones were out of whack.
“Listen to me,” Wayne ordered. He grabbed her hands and thrust her up against the nearest wall. “Your sister came to my office and tried to seduce me. Do you think for the world I would fuck a bag of bones when I have you here and wanting me?”
Lily struggled against
his hold. His leg inserted between her thighs rubbing the folds of her sensitive flesh.
Biting off a moan, she tried to concentrate on what he was saying.
“But she got lipstick on you.”
“The woman practically attacked me, but don’t worry, my cock only gets hard for one woman, and she’s squirming under me right now.”
In one swift move, he tore her dress from tit to waist. Her breasts bare, as the bras she used to wear hurt too damn much.
Wayne cupped her breasts, and she moaned. The cool air delightful on the heated nubs.
“This is the woman I want. I love you, Lily.” He growled as he took a nipple with his lips.
Lily jolted. “What? What did you say?”
“I love you, Lily, always have and always will.”
He didn’t give her time to think about what he’d said, instead he showed her. Their clothes went in a heap on the floor. He took her up against the wall, his cock thrusting inside her, taking her to newfound heights of completion. Next on the sofa, where she rode him, their climax fast and furious. Lily couldn’t get enough of his cock, and they lay panting in a mass on the sofa.
“I love you, Lily,” he said again, kissing her shoulder and moving her hair out of the way.
“How do you know?” She shivered from his touch, her body tingling all over from an afternoon of rigorous sex.
“Some time ago you were at a ball, nineteen, one of the few times I’d seen you attend. I knew back then.”
“But you’re older than me.”
“Do you really think this has anything to do with age?” He touched his heart and touched her breast.
“You’re trying to distract me.” Lily arched up to his touch.
“Lily, I love you with all my heart.” He went serious on her, and she knew in that moment, he was telling the truth.
“But everything you’ve done?”
“Look. I’ve got shitloads to tell you about my life.”
“Then tell me.”
Wayne glanced at her, and Lily sent him a smile.
“Okay. For some time, I’ve been on my own. My family are monsters, Lily. I was born to two people who are more selfish than the whole world put together.”