All characters are over eighteen. While all present-day sex is consensual, it will include flashbacks/references to nonconsensual sex in the past.
I have a story I want to tell: that of a loyal young woman who eventually finds that the man her husband forced her to have sex with proves to be more trustworthy than her own family. That is unrealistic in real life. If any of this offends you, please leave now.
Please try to leave feedback in the comments section. Constructive criticism is invaluable to every author. I encourage everyone to vote and leave ideas for future stories as well. Finally, I would like to thank my editors for their time and help.
*****
RECAP: After Cody and his wife, Melody, accidentally trespassed on the property of Logan West, Cody offered her to Logan to avoid any charges. Although Melody loved her husband, Logan did his best to make sure she enjoyed it. Three months later, she appeared on his doorstep, nearly frozen to death.
"
I'm pregnant.
"
Logan didn't even remember what happened after that. The next thing he knew, he was carrying a stack of towels while Melody waited in the living room. The poor girl was soaked to the bone and looked at them like they were a gift from heaven.
He didn't want to think about how long she'd been out there, or what would've happened if he hadn't been home.
Even with her coat, she was still drenched from the frigid rain outside. Logan took it and did his best to dry her off before wrapping her in multiple layers of blankets.
"You okay?" Logan asked once he finished.
Melody nodded, but Logan guessed it was little more than a rote response. When she didn't offer anything more, he left to collect her coat, shoes, and what little else she had brought and placed them in front of the heater to help them dry faster. When he returned, Melody was still as cold as ice, staring into space.
Sitting, Logan couldn't help but think, on the exact same couch where they could've made this baby.
"Are you warm enough?" he asked.
Once again, she answered with little more than a nod and a sound.
The longer he watched her, the more concerned he was. Melody had been shy when he first met her three months ago, but nothing like this. Her face was blank. Emotionless. She barely reacted, and she seemed disturbingly unconcerned about her own safety.
Whatever happened to her these last three months, it hadn't been pretty.
Logan did his best to wait patiently while Melody gradually warmed up. She was no longer shaking, but her gaze was still vacant.
"I suppose you want to know why I'm here?"
Her voice sounded hollow and lifeless. She didn't even turn her head to face him.
"Melody?" he asked. "What's wrong?"
She sighed. "I'm sorry, Logan. I didn't mean to take that out on you."
"What happened after you guys left?" he asked.
"After we got home, Cody said he wanted to forget it ever happened. But he... he started changing. He started getting more possessive, more controlling, even vβ"
She shook her head as if to clear an unwanted thought. "Ugh, he started drinking more. A lot more. And he started yelling at me. When he was drunk, he started blaming me for what had happened. So did my dad and brothers. I did my best to just ignore them and wait for things to go back to normal. I loved them. But it never happened."
Melody had to pause because her lip was trembling. "It got worse after I found out I was pregnant. Cody was furious. He said he had a vasectomy while I was taking care of my mother when she had breast cancer."
Despite her shocking words and the sadness written all over her face, some part of Logan's heart couldn't help fluttering like a teenager again. She'd confirmed what he'd barely allowed himself to hope: Melody was pregnant with his child!
Her next words, though, froze his blood.
"Even though he and my family had always been pro-life, they all expected me to get an abortion. But I just couldn't do it. I'd waited so long to be a mother, and this was going to be the only chance I would get.
"Cody and my dad and brothers got worse after that. I tried everything. I even offered to give up the baby, even though I thought that would've killed me, but they didn't care.
"Then, a few weeks ago, I came home and found our apartment was nearly empty. Cody took the car and most of the furniture and emptied most of our bank accounts. All he left was a note saying he'd transferred to a different department and warned me not to contact him.
"Dad was furious. He and my brothers always loved Cody like he was family. Dad fired me, and none of my friends would help me after that. I used what little money I had left to cancel the rent and pay the rest of the bills. I had to beg for enough spare change just to buy a cab ride over here."
Melody couldn't continue after that. Her face showed anguish as she silently sobbed for several moments. Logan's heart felt like it was being ripped to shreds as he started to understand everything the poor woman had gone through.
"Please," she implored. "I don't have anywhere else to go. I just need a place to stay for a few months until the baby's born. Then I canβ"
"Melody, Melody," Logan finally interrupted. "Shhh..." he gently placed a finger over her lips to silence her. "It's okay. Honestly? I'm a little hurt if you thought I was going to just throw you out on the streets."
Melody's eyes shined with hope for the first time since she'd entered his house. "So I can stay?"
"Of course you can stay!" he told her as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Oh, thank you, Logan," she said, reaching over to hug him.
Logan held her in return until he heard her stomach growling. "Hungry?"
"Um, yeah," she admitted.
"Come on," he said, lifting her to her feet. "Let's get you something to eat."
*****
Logan didn't have most of the things Melody usually preferred, but she was in no position to complain. It was still food and water. Even with her morning sickness behind her, she was already undernourished.
The coldness that seemed to reach into her soul was finally abating, but it did nothing to warm her heart. She knew coming here was the final straw, the one unforgivable sin. She would never again be welcome in her family's home.
"Dinner's ready," Logan announced.
"Thanks," Melody said.
While she ate, she searched her mind for anything she may have forgotten. Taking things one day at a time was how she had learned to live these past few months.
When she realized Logan was saying something, her head piped up. "What?"
Logan flashed her the amused smile she was coming to recognize. "Too tired to talk?"
Melody nodded.