Read Online Brides and Betrayal (Reconciled and Redeemed Book 1) by Michelle Lynn Brown - Free Book Online

peeled away his protests as she peeled away his clothes.
    When it was over, he stared down at her, guilt, shame, and hurt filled the cups of his coffee-colored eyes. He stood and left without a word. He all but ran out of her house, as if her sin was chasing him, nipping at his heels, and seeking to consume him.
    A part of her was grateful, but that part was wrapped around years of pain, and Seth’s desertion was more proof that she was unwanted.
    The words of the social worker came back to haunt her. Stained and tainted – that’s how these kids look to others.
    Her phone chimed and she walked numbly over to pick it up off the counter, catching a reflection of herself in the glass on the microwave. Her shirt was unbuttoned, leaving her bra exposed, her hair was mussed and her lips were bruised from the force of her kisses. Several choice words came to mind to describe how she looked.
    A sob tore from her throat as she read the message displayed on her phone. She wanted to cry out why , but one look at her reflection confirmed what she feared long ago - she wasn’t meant for love, she was meant for pain.
    She ran out of the kitchen, as if she could run away from her brash actions. She raced up the steps, as if she could outrun her past. She tore off her clothes and got in the shower, as if she could wash away her mistake. But she couldn’t.
    And as she kept up her futile actions, her phone stayed on the counter, Hunter’s message still on the screen. “ I love you, too. We need to talk when I get back.”

Chapter Eight
    H unter walked through the door the next evening. Her text message had torn at his heart. He needed to put aside his fears and suspicions. Holly loved him and his unfounded accusations were hurting their marriage. Guilt stabbed his heart as he remembered how desperate she had been to hear him say he loved her. He had withheld his love from her because of his doubts.
    While he was gone, he had thought a lot about what Seth had said about forgiveness. Hunter knew he could never forgive his mother for what she did; however, he shouldn’t be making Holly pay for the sins of his mother - and that is what he had been doing for the past few years.
    After calling for her with no response, Hunter climbed the stairs and walked into their bedroom to the sound of retching, followed by the swish of the toilet flushing.
    “Holly?” Concerned tinged his voice as he peeked his head into the bathroom. She stood in front of the sink, holding her toothbrush in one hand and the tube of toothpaste in the other, her eyes dark from the smudged mascara. She looked pale and tired.
    Guilt stabbed at his heart again. Had he done this to her?
    She stood there for a few moments, staring at his reflection in the mirror. Sadness and regret flickered in her eyes, but she quickly looked down and placed a drop of toothpaste on her brush. See how you’ve hurt her. She’s probably regretting ever telling you about her parents. Can you blame her for withholding the information from you? Placing his hand on her back as she leaned over the sink, he asked, “How long has this been going on?”
    She looked up, staring at him in the mirror, a faint ring of toothpaste around her mouth. Spitting it out in the sink, she dried off her mouth with the hand towel before she asked, “What do you mean?”
    “The vomiting.” She wiped her mouth again, before he gently turned her toward him. Placing his hand on her head, he felt for a fever, but she backed away.
    “It must have been something I ate.” She walked into the bedroom and crawled under the covers. She lay on her back, staring up at the ceiling. Without looking at him, she asked, “How was your trip?”
    Perching on the edge of the bed near her hip, he brushed back her hair from her forehead with his fingertip, then ran it along her cheek. Kissing her on the forehead, he said, “I missed you.”
    Tears filled her eyes, and he felt bad for causing her so much pain. “If you are