Mr Reluctant Billionaire || BWWM

Sixty-two

Whether he likes it or not, the man is a murderer and the law should take its course.

“Are you listening to yourself?” he screams at me and I flinch. Instead of apologising, he lowers his voice. “That bastard molested his child, his daughter,” he says while slapping the back of his hand over his palm like I am not getting his point. But I get it. “Jail would have been too good for that bastard, we saw how he was planning to bribe his way into a smaller sentence.” My eyes close, I let out a shaky breath, he’s hollering. “What is your problem? How can you not see that his wife did the right thing? Are you kidding me?”

When my eyes fly open, they are blazing with the same amount of rage swimming in his. I count to ten to kill my anger, he scoffs. Blinding fury spills over me and I lose control.

“Okay. The man is dead, now what?” I shout at him. My voice matches his, a high pitch sound I am unfamiliar with and he lifts a brow I am tempted to slap down. “Does it take away the pain he caused the girl? Or the trauma she has to live with?” I poke a finger into his chest. “You are the one who has a problem thinking it okay to commit murder.”

Silence rings out in the room after my explosion, I bring my quaking hands to my sides, inhale and exhale until my breathing is under control. He is stressing me and our baby. I need to remember the baby. We are having a futile argument over a fictional movie.

Anger simmers inside me, he thinks I have a problem because I didn’t support a killer.

“Murder?” he says in a voice I have to strain my ears to hear. My chest deflates, I make a mental decision to keep shut. This topic is sensitive for him. “Speaking hypothetically, if a paedophile molests Brianna, do you expect me to sit still and let the law do its thing?”

“Yes.” I should have remained quiet but I can’t stop talking now. “Maybe. I don’t know.” I throw my hands in the air and let out an audible sigh. “Brandon, the law is the law.”

“Even for our baby?” Emotions dash across his face, making it harder for me to identify his current mood. He points a finger to my stomach, I wrap my arms over my bump.

“The girl in your womb.” My eyes widen, bile rises to my throat and I am sickened by the sight of him. He admits she is a girl to make his point. I scoff. “Do I also sit back and let some judge slap a few years sentence on the paedophile’s wrist? Knowing he will be out soon as a free man while our baby bears the scar. You expect me to sit back, be calm?”

I shrug. Brandon’s expression falls and I can almost hear the sound of his heart breaking into a million pieces. What does he expect me to say? If the law will take its course, we should allow it. He is not being fair with his question and he knows it. I try to bridge the distance between us but he shakes his head and my heart thumps so hard against my rib cage, I wheeze. We should have gone to bed, I should have picked sleep over a movie.

“Wow,” he says, genuinely surprised at my choice. “I am disappointed in you.”

His sincerity prickles my skin, drives a blunt knife straight to my chest, I will the tears attempting to make an appearance to stay away. He is the one with the twisted logic, not me, I shouldn’t feel guilty. Squaring my shoulders, I stick my chin in the air and cross my arms.

“I’m disappointed in you more, Brandon. Two wrongs can never make a right.” Pressing a finger to my temple, I release a sigh. “I might have understood if your anger is about your birthday but a stupid movie with characters living their best lives out there while we argue?” I shake my head slowly. “On your birthday night? If you are still upset with me because I mentioned your birthday, say it. Don’t hide under hypothetical questions.”