Make Me (Bully Me #2)

by C. E. Starkweather

  Kaine shook her head. "You’re lying. My husband doesn’t even know you. Did Camden put you up to this?"

  "Who? No. Listen, I just need to talk to Shane."

  "Kaine?" Shane called, walking into the kitchen. "Who was at the...Jessica? What are you doing here?"

  Kaine spun around and pressed her hand to her mouth. "You know her," she said, stunned.

  "Yeah, she works at my firm. Why...Oh, no. No, Kainie. This has nothing to do with..."

  "Fuck you!" Kaine screamed. "You lying sack of shit!"

  "Jesus, Kaine, stop. I barely know her. This is...this is insane. Jessica, tell my wife that there’s nothing going on between us."

  Jessica bit her lip and looked down. "I’m pregnant."

  "Ok, great," Shane snapped. "Congratulations. Now tell my wife that I never touched you."

  Jessica’s eyes filled with tears. "There must have been something wrong with the condom you used."

  Shane’s mouth dropped open when he realized what was happening. "That motherfucker. I’m going to kill him. And you. Get the fuck out of my house, you lying bitch," he spat at Jessica.

  Jessica scoffed and shook her head. "I should have known this is how you’d react after all the disgusting things you made me do. I just came here to tell you that I don’t want anything to do with you anymore. I quit. And I don’t want your shitty child support. You’re crazy."

  "GET OUT!" He yelled. Jessica quickly turned and ran out the door, slamming it shut behind her. "GOD FUCKING DAMMIT!" He yelled, picking up a plate and flinging it against the wall. Kaine flinched as it shattered. He turned to look at her. "Stay away from me," she managed.

  "No. You need to listen to me."

  "I don’t have to listen to shit. I want a divorce," she sobbed. This was her worst nightmare coming to life.

  "Kaine, you can’t be serious," he said in a low, steady voice as he tried to control his rage. "You know Camden Lawson is behind this. How can you even believe her?"

  She stormed up to him and slapped him in the face. "Stop using Camden as an excuse!" She screamed, pushing him. "You JUST TOLD ME that you didn’t even know anybody named Jessica, you liar!" She shoved him again.

  He grabbed her arms to keep her from hitting him again. "Stop it," he snapped. "I don’t even really know her. She works for my firm. I didn’t even think of her when you said the name Jessica. Everyone knows someone named Jessica. That’s not what I meant."

  "Let go of me!" she yelled, thrashing in his arms.

  "No. Not until you calm down."

  "LET GO OF ME!" She screamed as loud as she could. He clamped his hand over her mouth. "Kaine, stop screaming. Just stop for a second. Please."

  She wasn’t listening. All she could feel was his hand on her face.

  You’re gonna fuck me like you fucked him.

  She went limp in his arms and his eyes widened. "Oh, shit. Oh my god. Kainie, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean..." He let her slide to the floor and loosened his grip on her. "I’m so sorry," he repeated softly. "Talk to me, baby. You’re ok. Look at me."

  He looked into her light grey eyes and smoothed her hair. "You’re ok, baby. Nobody’s going to hurt you. You’re safe."

  She blinked and her eyes focused on him slightly. "You ok?" He asked softly.

  "Daddy?"

  Shane looked up at a terrified Adam. "Hey, buddy. Mommy tripped and fell. She’s ok though."

  "I’m scared," he whimpered. Shane flinched, feeling terrible. He never wanted his son to have to wake up to screaming in the middle of the night like he had before his father left. "It’s ok. Come here."

  Adam walked tentatively over and climbed into Shane’s lap. Kaine smiled softly at him and Shane breathed a sigh of relief. "You ok, peanut?" She softly asked. He nodded sleepily. "Can you take him back to bed?" She asked Shane, not looking at him. "I’d like to lay down."

  "I’m not leaving you here," he quietly said. "Not like this."

  "I’m fine," she assured him. "Just go. I’ll be up in a bit."

  He reluctantly picked up Adam and carried him back upstairs to his bedroom. He was in a hurry for Adam to fall asleep, but it took almost an hour. He quietly left the room and was relieved to see that Kaine was in their bedroom and not downstairs on the floor. She sat on the bed, staring straight ahead. "Kainie? You ok?" He asked, walking to her slowly. He stopped short when he saw his suitcases sitting on the other side of the bed. She looked at him tearfully. "I need you to go," she whispered.

  "Can we talk about it?"

  She shook her head. "There's nothing to talk about. You cheated on me."

  "No I didn’t. I swear to you I didn’t. That girl was lying."

  She sniffed. "I want a divorce."

  He sat next to her, taking her hand. She immediately pulled it away. "Don’t."

  "Kaine, I’m sorry. Please don’t kick me out."

  "Is Adam ok?" She asked, ignoring him.

  "He’s fine. I told him you fell and were yelling because you hurt yourself. He seemed to believe it."

  She looked down at her feet.

  "Kainie, look at me," he pleaded. She looked at him reluctantly. "I’m so sorry," he said, reaching to wipe away her tear. She flinched away from him.

  "Please don’t be scared of me. You know I’d never hurt you. You were screaming..."

  She slowly stood up, taking his bags. "You need to go."

  "Babe, please. Don’t do this."

  "Go."

  Shane blew out a breath and took the bags. "I love you."

  "I love you too. But I want a divorce. I can’t do this, Shane. I can’t trust you anymore."

  "Yes you can," he insisted. "You’re only mad at me because you think I did something I didn’t do. How can I prove it to you?"

  "You can leave."

  "I’m not divorcing you, Kaine. No way in hell."

  She thrust his bags at him. "If you’re not out of here in two minutes, I’m calling the police."

  He grabbed the bags and walked to the door. "I’ll go. But we’re not getting divorced, Kaine. I’m not letting you go." He walked out the door and Kaine let go of her tears, crying herself to sleep.

  One Month Later

  "So Kaine, you get custody of Adam Monday through Thursday, and Shane, you get him on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Is everyone in agreement?"

  Kaine nodded, glancing over at Shane. His jaw was clenched and he stared straight ahead. His bright blue eyes were glazed over.

  "Shane, are you paying attention?" She asked. "This is kind of important."

  He looked at her. "Can we talk?"

  She sighed, running her hands through her hair. "Fine. But you are signing these papers today, Shane. No more stalling."

  Shane ignored her. "Can you give us a minute?" He asked Bryce and Miles, her lawyer. They got up and left the room, leaving Kaine and Shane alone. She crossed her arms and stared at him, waiting.

  "Please don't do this," he pleaded.

  "Don't you dare put this on me," she snapped. "You're the one who decided that sticking your dick in some slut was more important than your family."

  He shot up, knocking his chair over. "I didn't cheat on you!" He yelled. "I've told you a million times, I have no idea what that girl was talking about."

  She shook her head. "I can't believe that, Shane."

  He picked up a chair and threw it across the room. "Fuck!" He yelled, pounding the table. There was a time when Kaine was terrified of Shane's anger. Now it just annoyed her. "Stop acting like a caveman," she snapped. "I'm not changing my mind. I'm done."

  "Well I'm not signing the papers," he said, crossing his arms.

  "Well then that's fine. I'm not stupid, Shane. I know that you can't just refuse to give me a divorce. Don’t make this harder than it has to be. If you ever truly loved me, you'll sign the papers right now."

  "That's not fair. You know I love you more than life itself. How can you expect me to live without you?"

  Kaine opened the door, letting their la
wyers back in. "You should have thought of that before you chose someone else over me."

  Shane shook his head and sat down. "Give me the damn papers," he muttered. He flipped through the pages, scribbling his name. He tossed the pen on the table and stormed out of the room without another word.

  Kaine blinked her tears away and gave Bryce a small smile. "Can you keep an eye on him?"

  "He'll be ok," he assured her. "Just give him some time."

  "I'm ready to sign," she said quietly. Miles handed her the papers and she signed her name. This was what she had been waiting for, but instead of feeling relieved, she felt alone and empty.

  9

  "What do you want for dinner?" Kaine asked Adam.

  "Chicken nuggets!" He yelled.

  Kaine laughed. "You’re gonna turn into a chicken nugget if you keep eating them all the time."

  Adam giggled and wrapped his arms around her leg. "Where’s daddy?"

  Kaine winced. She hated that question. "He’s at uncle Bryce's remember?"

  "Why?"

  "Because that’s where he lives now."

  After she had kicked Shane out, her life had pretty much gone on autopilot. Shane still swore up and down that he hadn’t cheated on her, but Kaine just couldn’t believe him. She hated him for what he had done to her and Adam. He was staying with Bryce while he looked for an apartment, but Kaine felt like he was taking his time because he thought that she would let him come back home. She wouldn’t. He had ruined their family, and she couldn’t forgive him for that. It had been a week since their divorce was final, and she needed to cut him out of her life as much as possible. It still hurt too badly to see him.

  "Carrots or celery?" She asked.

  "Ummm....Carrots," Adam decided. Kaine turned to open the refrigerator and saw movement out of the corner of her eye. Her blood ran cold when she saw a shadow duck behind the bushes as soon as she looked up. "Stay in your chair!" She told Adam. "Don’t move unless I tell you to."

  She grabbed her phone and with shaking hands called 911. "There’s a man outside watching me," she cried frantically. "I live at 27 Weston Street. Please hurry." She hung up and immediately called Shane. The phone went straight to voicemail. "Shane! I need you. Someone’s outside the house. Hurry!"

  She clutched her phone and picked up Adam. "I want chicken nuggets," he protested.

  "In a few minutes. We have to be really, really quiet, ok?" She slipped into the bathroom and locked the door behind her. Shane had been right about Camden all along. He was going to kidnap her and her son. Or maybe he was going to take her and leave Adam. Or maybe...

  Stop it. He’s not going to hurt you. The police will get him and he won’t touch you or Adam.

  A few minutes later she heard a knock on the door. She gasped and picked up Adam, hugging him to her chest as she quietly opened the door and slipped out. "Who is it?" She called in a high pitched voice that she didn’t recognize as her own.

  "It’s officer Colton."

  She looked through the peephole and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw an officer standing on her front step with Shane. She put Adam down and swung open the door. "Oh thank God," she gasped, wrapping her arms around Shane. "How did you get here so fast?" She asked, ushering them inside.

  He grinned sheepishly at her, and she knew.

  "Are you kidding me, Shane?" She snapped, backing away. "That was you?"

  "Daddy!" Adam cried, running to him. Shane picked him up and hugged him.

  "This is your husband?" Officer Colton asked.

  Kaine glared at Shane. "Ex husband. He doesn’t live here anymore. What were you doing, spying on me?"

  "I’m protecting you," he said. "If you won’t let me be here with you, I need to at least make sure you’re safe. I don’t trust Camden not to…"

  "Stop," Kaine interrupted him. "Just stop. I can’t believe you’ve been hiding out in the bushes spying on us. How long have you been doing this?"

  He shrugged and looked away.

  "Oh my god, really Shane? Really?"

  "Kainie, I’m not spying on you, ok? I’m just making sure you’re safe from him. What if…"

  "Not in front of Adam," she snapped. "Haven’t you scared him enough?"

  He flinched, and Kaine knew it was a low blow, but she didn’t care. She was furious. "I better not see you sneaking around here again," she threatened him. "Do you have any idea how scared I was?"

  "I didn’t mean…"

  "No, of course you didn’t mean it. That’s not good enough, Shane. I can’t believe this."

  Officer Colton cleared his throat. "Do you want to press charges?"

  She snorted. "No. I want him to leave."

  "I’m leaving. Don’t worry. Bye, buddy," he said, kissing Adam on the head.

  "NO!" Adam screamed, holding Shane tighter. "I want daddy!"

  Kaine shook her head, looking away. "Great. That’s just great. Thanks, Shane. Now he’s not going to eat or go to sleep. Thanks a lot."

  He ignored her and gently lowered Adam to the ground. "I have a surprise for you when I see you tomorrow. But you only get it if you’re good for mommy and eat your dinner, ok?"

  Adam shook his head. "I want you."

  Shane glanced up at her. "I can help you feed him. Then I’ll go. I promise."

  Kaine bit her lip, looking back at him. She didn’t want to give in to him after what he had done, but it wasn’t fair to Adam to have his father disappear right now. "Fine," she finally said. "You can give him dinner, then you can go." She smiled apologetically at officer Colton. "I’m sorry you had to waste your time with this. We’re fine."

  Colton gave Shane a not so friendly look that Kaine couldn’t quite read, then shrugged. "Any more problems, you call me," he said, handing Kaine his card. She thanked him and closed the door after him.

  "Chicken nugget time!" Shane yelled as Adam laughed. "How many do you want? One billion?"

  Kaine put her hands on her hips and glared at Shane. He ignored her, taking the nuggets out of the freezer. "One billion nuggets coming right up!" He put four nuggets on a plate and popped it in the microwave. Kaine shook her head. "I’m taking a bath. Make sure he has carrot sticks too." She spun and walked out before he could say anything.

  Kaine got out of the bath, feeling better. She had to admit it was nice having some time to herself during the week. Even when Adam was in bed, she could never fully relax. It was weird sleeping in this big house without Shane. Every noise scared her, and his spectacle tonight didn’t make her feel much better. She dried off and put on her bathrobe, opening the door to the bathroom. She frowned, looking around. She tiptoed upstairs to Adam’s room and saw Shane lying in bed with him. She had to smile at Shane’s massive frame hanging off the bed. She quietly went back to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of wine. She may as well try to enjoy herself while Shane put Adam to sleep. She sat down on the couch and opened her book, sipping her wine. A few minutes later, Shane came back downstairs. "He’s asleep."

  "Thanks," she said, not looking up from her book. He took the book out of her hand and she looked at him, surprised. "What are you doing?"

  "Let me come home."

  She shook her head. "No."

  He sat down next to her. "What if I say I’m not leaving until you say yes?"

  "Well if I say yes then you wouldn’t have to leave, would you?" She countered.

  "So I guess I’m not leaving then. That was easy."

  She looked around. "Officer Colton left his card here somewhere. Where did I put it?"

  He laughed. "Come on, Kainie. Don’t you miss me? I miss you."

  She looked away. She did miss him. She missed him so much it hurt. But she couldn’t trust him anymore. Especially after tonight. "Shane, I can’t," she said quietly. He moved closer to her. "Is there someone else?"

  Her head snapped back. "What? No. Of course not. Not that it's any of your business anyway. Why would you think that?"

  He grinned at her, slowly pulling on the
tie of her bathrobe. "Just trying to figure out if you need to be punished."

  She rolled her eyes and pushed him away, ignoring the twinge of excitement she felt. "Really, Shane? You think I’m going to role play with you right now? You do remember that we're divorced, right?"

  "It was worth a try," he said, still grinning at her. She stood up. "You need to go."

  He stood up reluctantly. "Listen, I promise I won’t come back here unless you ask me to. But be careful. I really don’t trust him."

  "Shane, he hasn’t even really tried to talk to me since you left, let alone make any moves on me. You’re worried about nothing."

  He took her hand. "You’re wrong, Kainie. I know that I didn’t cheat on you and he was the one who set me up. I know you don’t believe me, but just be careful, ok?"

  She nodded, walking with him to the door. He turned and wrapped his arms around her. "I love you, Kaine."

  She closed her eyes and hugged him back. "I love you too," she said quietly. She wanted to tell him not to go. That she loved him and forgave him. She wanted him to take her upstairs and have insane make up sex. Then she remembered Jessica telling her that she was pregnant, and she stiffened. "I’ll see you tomorrow when I drop Adam off," she said. "Goodnight."

  "Night, babe," he said. She shut and locked the door after him, resting her head on the door. "God damn it," she muttered. She dumped the rest of her wine and headed upstairs to bed.

  10

  "You ready to go to daddy’s?" Kaine asked. Adam shook his head. "I want daddy to come here."

  Kaine smiled sympathetically at him. "I know, baby. But daddy doesn’t live here anymore, remember?" She strapped Adam in the car seat when her phone rang. "Hello?"

  "Hi pumpkin."

  "Hi, dad," she smiled. "What's up?"

  "Are you coming to our Memorial Day party tomorrow? I haven't heard from you."

  She bit her lip. "Is Shane going to be there?"

  "Of course he is. Why wouldn't he be?"

  She sighed. "I don’t know. It's just hard to see him."