Chapter 4Lethal Vows And Buttercream Lies

"Let go of me."

I tried to pull my arm away, but Mia’s grip was surprisingly tight.

My patience snapped. "I said, let go! I don't have time for your pathetic little games!"

"Are you just scared of losing to me, Tina?"

I yanked my arm back with force. This time, her grip slipped, and the porcelain plate tumbled from her hand.

The garishly colored cake smashed directly onto her chest, sending globs of heavy buttercream splattering into her face and eyes.

Mia shrieked, stumbling backward in a perfectly choreographed swoon. Carter lunged forward, catching her firmly by the waist before she hit the floor.

Fat, crocodile tears began to spill down Mia’s cheeks. "I just... I just thought you were so lucky to have such an amazing boyfriend, Tina. I just wanted some of your good luck. Why are you screaming at me?"

Carter’s face twisted into a mask of pure rage. "Tina, you are out of your goddamn mind! I knew bringing you up here was a mistake!"

"Apologize to her! Right now!"

I stared at him, my face completely deadpan. "Did you even see what happened, Carter? And you're demanding I apologize to her?"

He pulled a sobbing Mia tighter against his chest. "Do you think I'm blind?! I saw you push her! Mia is the sweetest girl in the world, you think she'd frame you? You're just insanely jealous of her, so you came here to ruin her night!"

Hearing those words, I realized I was looking at a total stranger. The man I had loved for eight years did not exist.

The fight drained out of me, leaving only a bone-deep, exhausted apathy.

I looked him dead in the eye and delivered the eulogy of our life together. "You're not just blind, Carter. You're hollow. You don't deserve a fraction of the love I gave you. We are done."

I turned to walk out the door.

He lunged, grabbing my arm in a brutal grip. "Done?" he hissed. "Fine. Apologize to Mia, and I'll accept the breakup."

"Go to hell."

Shock flashed in his eyes, instantly swallowed by a terrifying, violent fury.

"I'm giving you one last chance, Tina. You are going to apologize to her, and you are going to eat a slice of this cake, or you're not leaving this room."

Tears of sheer rage blurred my vision. "I didn't do anything wrong! I'm not apologizing to her! And who the fuck do you think you are, telling me whether I can leave?"

I wrenched myself toward the door, but he yanked me backward with a terrifying amount of force.

"Don't make me do this the hard way!"

The sudden torque sent a jagged, blinding spike of pain through the torn muscle in my leg. Running on pure adrenaline, I spun around, raised my hand, and slapped him across the face as hard as I could.

"You're a monster, Carter!"

I had never embarrassed him in public. For eight years, I had been the perfectly compliant, supportive partner. I had been his loyal dog.

His face flushed a violent, mottled red. He grabbed me by the throat, dragging me backward until the edge of the dining table dug into my spine.

Pinning me down with one hand, he grabbed a fistful of cake from the table. "You need to learn your place, Tina. A little punishment is exactly what you need to fall back in line."

I thrashed against him, beating my fists against his arms, but his grip on my throat was suffocating. I couldn't make a sound.

My eyes blew wide with terror as the mass of dairy and sugar descended toward my face. I managed to choke out a single, raspy plea.

"Carter... please... it'll kill me..."

"Scared now?" he sneered. "Too late."

He jammed his fingers into my jaw, forcing my mouth open, and shoved the heavy lump of buttercream past my teeth. Grabbing a glass of red wine, he poured it directly over my face, forcing me to swallow the sickeningly sweet mass to keep from drowning.

Satisfied, he threw me to the floor.

"Look at that," he panted, wiping his hands on a napkin. "No allergic reaction. You're almost thirty years old, Tina. Is throwing tantrums for attention really all you have to offer? And now you're using breakups as a threat?"

Ignoring the bruising on my neck and the agonizing pain in my leg, I crawled toward the hallway, jamming my fingers down my throat, desperately trying to gag the buttercream back up.

Disgusted, Carter dragged me by the collar out into the corridor.

"Let's see how long you keep up the act when you don't have an audience!"

He slammed the heavy oak door shut.

Collapsed on the carpet, I caught a final glimpse through the closing crack of the door. Mia was looking down at me, a brilliant, victorious smile plastered across her face.