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That ought to stir her up

As I hoped, Maddie shot to her feet in a huff She ran her fingers through her hair before shaking it loose and fixing a nasty gaze on me

“Grey!” she exclai to do with ‘bullshit excuses’ or ‘nonsensical behavior’”

I raised my brows in an expectant manner “Oh, no?”

Maddie’s lips thinned as she glared back at me “No!”

“Okay,” I deadpanned “Go on, I’"

“Uh!” she yelled “Well, it’s simple, Grey And it has to do with three little words you see to me”

Maddie’s voice trailed off as she finished her thought The space between us fell silent I edged closer to her and reaching up, I cradled her jaw in s of tears as I looked into them

“That’s what you want then is it?” I asked

Maddie nodded but didn’t speak I felt a hard lule tear trickled fro it as it dribbled doard

“All right,” I replied “Fine But, if I do this, I expect you to keep your end of the bargain”

The tears began to floith freedo her back to me

“G-Grey,” she gulped between sobs “I don’t knohat it is you want fro your child even though it nearly killed ive anything to be with you forever Can’t you see that?”

I chewed the inside of my lip as she spoke “Yes, Maddie Of course I do”

Maddie turned back towards me, her delicate features made dark by the sadness in her eyes

“How can you be so cruel?” she sobbed “If you feel so at all, why can’t you just tellwith me? If you don’t feel the sa keeping you here Our baby is gone I’ve given all of h I’h Am I Grey?”

Her reaction caught ue-in-cheekbut I thinned my lips as I watched the e, I stepped towards her and sed her with my arms Maddie’s torso convulsed with sadness as she wept What the fuck had I done? This wasn’t at all what I wanted I’dher away, I looked down into her tear-filled eyes

“Maddie, let’s be done with this fucking charade Once and for all”

MADDIE

Shakingabout this is a charade! How can you say that? Are you telling me you don’t believe me?”

Grey waved off my protest “Shut up, Maddie Just shut the hell up for five seconds would you?”

Despair wicked away froer, bordering on white hot rage, began to take its place In seconds, I felt the change infury The tips ofinto the flesh ofto be our finalbastard would hear every last word I had to say

No one ever made me hurt the way he had, spill the tears I did or love with such as a disregard for my own sanity Determined to make him realize it, I licked my lips and readied myself to tell Grey Sinclair the truth, once and for all

“Grey, no! I will not shut up!” I began A hard-edged tone sputtered fro my words with intent “And you will listen to what I have to say, whether you like it or not!”

But just as I started to spew an to shake his head back and forth with disapproval His eyes locked on aze like a snake char it from a strike As I watched him in a state of se himself on a bent knee

I felt my eyes widen in their sockets

Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God!

A wave of nervous energy pulsed thoughme into a state of utter focus with Grey at the center of it Goosebumps rippled across my skin, the hairs on the back of , it wasn’t real