Chapter 2

Pinned against the silk sheets, Audrey stared up at Barrett. Her mind struggled violently to process the sudden shift from the freezing, crushing ocean to the stifling heat of the bedroom.

Barrett tightened his grip on her wrists. His large hands clamped down like steel vices. His knuckles turned white from the strain. He interpreted her wide-eyed, gasping silence as stubborn, calculated defiance.

He leaned closer. His body heat radiated against her skin. His breath was hot against her cheek, smelling of mint and dark liquor.

"Were you really going to do it?" he demanded, his voice a low, dangerous rumble. "Were you really going to jump out the second-story window to meet Carl?"

The mere mention of Carl's name sent a visceral jolt of nausea straight through Audrey's stomach. His words hit her. She remembered now. In the original timeline, just before the final argument that led to her leaving, she had been standing by that very window, clutching the burner phone Carl had given her. She hadn't jumped, but the intent had been there. And Barrett, with his terrifying intuition, had seen it. The memory of his cold voice on the burner phone was still fresh, echoing in her ears.

Audrey violently shook her head side to side. She tried to deny the accusation, her brunette hair tangling wildly in the silk pillows.

Barrett misinterpreted her head shake. He thought she was refusing to answer. His jaw muscles ticked visibly. His eyes darkened with a possessive, terrifying fury.

He shifted his weight, pressing her even deeper into the mattress. The heavy muscle of his chest crushed against her breasts.

"I will lock you in this estate permanently, Audrey," he whispered. The icy threat sent a tremor through her body. "You will never see the outside of these gates again."

Audrey felt the painful, throbbing pressure on her wrists. It was a stark, undeniable contrast to the numb, freezing void of the ocean. The pain grounded her completely in reality. This wasn't a dream. She was alive.

She stopped thrashing. She looked deeply into Barrett's eyes.

For the first time in her life, she saw past the terrifying anger. Beneath the rage and the dominant posture, she recognized the raw, desperate fear of losing her. It was a fear that consumed him.

Realizing that fighting him would only escalate his paranoia, Audrey made a choice. She forced her tense, trembling muscles to completely relax. She went entirely limp against the bed, surrendering her physical resistance.

Barrett felt the sudden lack of resistance instantly. His thick brow furrowed in deep confusion. His grip on her wrists loosened just a fraction of an inch, caught off guard by her submission.

Taking advantage of the slight release, Audrey didn't pull her hands away. Instead, she slowly twisted her wrists within his grasp. She turned her palms upward and lightly clasped his large, rough hands with her own.

Barrett flinched. His entire body went rigid at her voluntary touch. He braced himself, fully expecting her to scratch his skin or bite him, just as she had done so many times in the past.

Audrey took a shaky breath. Her throat still felt raw from the phantom saltwater. She forced herself to speak, her voice coming out as a fragile, broken whisper.

"Hubby."

The word tasted foreign on her tongue, yet absolutely necessary. It broke the heavy, suffocating silence of the bedroom like a gunshot.

Barrett froze completely. His dark eyes widened in absolute shock. The furious rage drained from his face in an instant, replaced by a look of profound, staggering disbelief.

He stared down at her lips. He watched her mouth, as if trying to verify that the word had actually come from her. His breathing suddenly became rapid and shallow.

"Hubby," Audrey repeated. This time, there was more conviction in her voice.

Her eyes welled up. Genuine tears of profound regret, relief, and sorrow flooded her vision.

A single, heavy tear escaped her eye. It tracked a hot path down her temple and soaked into the silk pillowcase, catching the dim light of the bedside lamp.

Barrett released her wrists entirely. He pulled his hands back as if her skin was made of burning coals. He stared at his own palms in utter confusion, his chest heaving.

He scrambled backward off her body. He stood up quickly beside the bed, creating immediate physical distance. His mind was racing a million miles a minute, cycling through every possible manipulation tactic she could be employing. For a split second, a wild, desperate hope flared in his chest. Could it be real? But the memory of her last escape attempt, the cold words she'd thrown at him just hours ago, crashed down like an icy wave, extinguishing the fragile flame. No. It was a trick. It had to be a new, more cruel trick.

Audrey slowly sat up. She rubbed her reddened wrists, feeling the pulse beating steadily beneath her skin. She made no move to scramble toward the door. She didn't look toward the window.

She simply looked up at him from the center of the bed. Her posture was submissive, open, and entirely contrary to her usual defensive, hostile crouch.

Barrett ran a trembling hand through his perfectly styled dark hair, ruining it. His chest rose and fell rapidly.

He took another step back toward the door. His paranoid mind reached the only logical conclusion his trauma would allow. This had to be a sophisticated new trick.

He pointed a shaking finger at her. His voice was harsh, laced with a defensive cruelty.

"Don't play games with me," he snarled. "You think faking compliance is going to get me to lower the security? You think calling me that will get the gates opened?"

Audrey felt a sharp, agonizing pang of guilt in her chest. She realized in that moment just how deeply she had damaged his trust in the past timeline. Words were not going to fix a shattered foundation.

She swung her legs over the edge of the bed. Her bare toes touched the cold hardwood floor. She intended to stand up, to close the physical distance between them and comfort him.

Barrett instantly held up a hand, his palm facing her.

"Stay exactly where you are," he ordered. His voice cracked like a whip. His defensive walls slammed back into place, thicker and higher than before.

Audrey stopped. Her toes curled against the cold wood. She looked at the man she loved, the man who was terrified of her. She realized that repairing this marriage was going to require much more than a single sweet word.