BooksBarbecue
Back VICTOR Save as PDF
Chapters (44)
  1. Cover
  2. PART I
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. PART II
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. PART III
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. PART IV
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. PART V
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. PART VI
  39. 32
  40. 33
  41. 34
  42. 35
  43. ALSO BY THEODORA TAYLOR
  44. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

“I have to go to the bathroom,” I told them both, hitching my tote upon my arm. “I’ll be right back.”

I didn’t bother to wait for an answer before making my way back to the restrooms near the venue’s front door.

I’d been holding on. I’d been holding on to hope for so long. I didn’t realize how long until all hope completely disappeared.

But Victor had taken everything. The last ten years of my life. The MFA I’d worked so hard for. My father’s big night. My chance to start over again in Pittsburgh.

It was painful to walk, painful to breathe. Everything inside of me felt shattered and broken.

I crashed into the women’s bathroom and found the perfect hiding place. Plenty of stalls and no line since the event had just started.

I chose the stall furthest to the back. And once inside, I finally took out the item I’d bought from the campus bookstore.

A pregnancy test.

“As long as you don’t get pregnant, in ten years, on May 26th, you will be free, and your family will be safe. This I vow to you on my life.” Victor’s words to me before our wedding echoed in my head.

Yesterday, I had been too afraid to take the pregnancy test I’d bought. Too unsure of my next steps to know the possible answer it held. Yesterday, I’d still held hope that maybe, just maybe, Victor and I could make this work.

But all that hope was gone.

Victor was a monster. He did not love me…perhaps could never love me. I knew that for sure now, without a shadow of a doubt.

So there was only one question left.

Was I pregnant with the monster’s baby?

34

VICTOR

A mix of pride and final triumph filled Victor as he watched Dawn all but run away.

Yes, he had made an unnecessary enemy out of Kuang. Yes, the extraction process from their partnership would most likely bring consequences. Violent ones.

But he had finally won his ten-year war with Dawn. And he would win the upcoming one with Kuang. Of this, he was confident.

At least he felt confident for the first fifteen minutes after Dawn scurried away to the restroom, so obviously unable to withstand his latest bit of payback.

The ballroom filled up with more and more people, many of whom openly stared at him. But none of them were her. And eventually, her extended absence began to needle at him.

It was the Providence Town Hall all over again. She should've returned by now, but she hadn't.