A Highland Wedding

Wrong, Everything is Wrong

Claire

Maddox betrayed me, but I still needed him. I hated the fact that I needed him. My baby and I needed him. We were getting Anna back in a few hours and then we needed to leave the country.

I didn’t know where we were going to run next.

“Claire, can you please just give up? We can’t keep running.” I glared at him and he flinched. He was handcuffed to the radiator and looked pretty beaten up.

“Poor Maddox, whatever happened to you?” He continued to stare at me as I let out a small chuckle, he looked so defiant even though he was broken.

“You know damn well you crazy cow. Undo these cuffs!” He rattled them and I shook my head.

“Sorry dear, until you start behaving, I’m going to have to keep you here like this. Besides our sweet Anna is coming back.” He looked pale and then turned away from me. Did he fall for her too?

I knelt down in front of him and pinched his chin between my fingers. I dug my nails into the stubble of his chin and he winced in pain. Good, I want him to feel pain. He deserves to feel pain.

“What is that look for sweetie? I thought you said you loved me and this is how you repay me?” He looked like he wanted to hit me.

“You know I would do anything for you Claire but you have gone too far and you know it.” I slapped him and he looked away from me.

“I have not gone too far; in fact, I don’t think I have gone far enough. I did have her temporarily committed though.” I let out another giggle and he just gave me a disgusted look.

“Claire, I’m warning you that you should just let it go. The Nikolaev family has mafia connections. I don’t want to see you get hurt.” I snorted and wondered where he was getting his information from. That was all just silly lies.

“Isn’t it a little stereotypical of you to assume that just because he is Russian, he is automatically linked to the mafia? He is a lawyer that is all.” My stomach growled and I knew that I had to feed myself and my baby.

I rubbed my stomach and hummed to the little life growing in me. Maddox was shaking his head and I rolled my eyes at him.

“Next you are going to go on about how I lost my baby. You really are a killjoy Maddox. I’m going to feed myself and the little one now.” I locked the door behind me and heard him sobbing. I wondered where the killer I knew went.

Maybe falling for that slut Anna made him soft. I know he said he was loyal to me but if he was so loyal he wouldn’t have let her go. I slammed the knife down on the counter and looked at it. He was going to be a problem if he doesn’t start behaving.

“What are we going to do my little bean?” I stared out the window at the terrace across from me. An older woman was sitting there sipping out of a mug and petting her cat. She looked so calm and serene.

I bet she didn’t have to worry about some homewrecker ruining her life. I felt something warm and sticky run down my wrist. Blinking I looked at my hand and didn’t realize I was gripping the blade.

Running the hand under the water I sighed and realized I was probably going to have to get stitches. Wrapping it up, I punched information into my phone for nearby clinics. There was one that was fifteen minutes away and in the opposite direction of the hospital.

Grabbing my keys I poked my head into the dim room where Maddox was and saw him curled up in a fetal position.

“I need to go get stitched up. I had an oopsie.” He didn’t stir and that irritated me.

“Did you hear me, Maddox? I am injured say something!” I pouted and he looked at me, all the fight in his eyes was dimmed.

“Just tell me what you want me to say then, Claire? You probably did it to yourself and will blame someone else for it. Who else are you going to drag into your web of lies?” I gasped and leaned heavily on the door.

No this was all wrong, he was supposed to beg and plead for me to uncuff him so he could hold me and comfort me. Have I truly lost another man to that enchantress? I slammed my head into the door and cried out at the pain that radiated up the side of my skull.

“What the hell are you doing Claire.” I knew I had lost Maddox and now I was on my own to deal with Anna when she is out of the hospital, but first, I needed to get rid of Maddox.

“I’m doing what I should have done long ago. I’m getting rid of you.” I slammed the door on my bloodied hand and bit back my scream of pain. I flung myself at the door again and knew I will probably have the wounds I need to say he beat me.

“You’re crazy, I should have listened to everyone when they said you were going to drag me down.” I laughed and winced at the pain.

“Oh honey, you have no idea how crazy I can be.” I hobbled out the door and stumbled down the steps of our apartment. I lay on the sidewalk gasping as people gathered around me.

Looks like I was going to the hospital after all. Lifting my head, I gasped and pointed at my apartment.

“He attacked me and threw me down the stairs.” I passed out as someone was calling the police and an ambulance. If Maddox was smart, he would take the keys I left and run. However, I knew he wasn’t smart, he would stay.

He would be caught. Some part of me, a very small part was still yelling at me that this was all wrong.