Chapter 51

Marcus

"Shush, you'll disturb Anna's ghost."

Marcus laughed, the sound disturbing the silence of the night and doing the opposite of shushing as he focused on putting the key into the lock.

"Look how cute you are sticking out your tongue to concentrate," Erica giggled. After spending her birthday with her siblings, they ended up shitfaced. Celebrating not only her birthday but her freedom, they'd overdone it.

"Sorry, Anna," he whispered loudly into the night air. "We'll be more quiet next time, promise!"

Finally opening the door, they stumbled through the entrance. They leaned on each other and laughed at nothing in particular. "We're going to regret this in the morning."

"Worth it though," Erica said, pulling him against her as she leaned back against the wall. Taking the hint, he dipped his head, brushing his lips against her neck as her fingers trailed down his spine. Moving over his hips, she reached for his belt, his cock twitching in anticipation.

Goddamn, but this woman made him feel alive.

Peppering kisses down her neck, he nipped at her skin, growling at her soft and pleasured mewls. She tugged at his belt, loosening it deftly. "God, I want you," she whispered, pressing her head back against the wall.

Three distinct knocks interrupted his reply. He rolled his eyes as his fingers made quick work of the buttons of her blouse. "Not the time, Anna," he muttered. "Fucking ghosts, I swear."

"Mm, I don't think it's Anna." He pulled back and followed Erica's gaze. She looked towards the door and the dark shadow highlighted through the glass .

"Who the fuck is knocking at this time of night?" He growled, already tensing at the thought of someone creeping around their land so late at night.

"No idea," she murmured, pulling him back against her. "Ignore them. They'll go away, eventually."

How could he resist those eyes looking up at him with such lust? Smirking at her, he leaned in to brush his lips against hers before sinking into her as he kissed the hell out of her. His passion quickly reignited, he grabbed her butt, pulling her tight against him. She lifted her leg around his waist, letting his hardening cock rest against her most intimate part.

With a growl of approval, he pressed her against the wall. Pinning her there, he nipped her neck, only to pull back with frustration as a knock sounded once more.

"I've got to get rid of them," he muttered, shooting Erica an apologetic shrug. "Why don't you head up? I'll be there in a minute. Get naked."

"Mm. Don't take too long or I'll start without you," she said, shrugging her blouse off her shoulders and letting it fall to the floor as she made her way to the stairs. He gazed after her lustfully, shaking his head and forcing himself to turn away.

Fucking sexy bitch.

Composing himself, he straightened out his clothes and cleared his throat. Another knock sounded, harder this time. More urgent. Ready to unleash hell on the unknown visitor, he wrenched the door open, surprise making his anger die in his throat.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"Marcus. Long time." Sophie offered him a nervous smile, tucking her hair behind her ear. "You're looking good."

"Get the fuck off my property." Already shutting the door, he growled in frustration as she propped her foot in the doorway, preventing him from shutting it further. "Erica? Get your ass down here."

"Oh, this doesn't concern her ," Sophie said, curling her lip. "I just want to talk to you."

"And I don't want to talk to you," he said firmly. "Erica?! "

He realised how weak he looked right now, but he didn't care. There was nothing more sobering than his ex-wife standing at his doorstep in the middle of the night, and anger flooded his body.

How dare she tarnish his new home with her presence? How fucking dare she dictate where his girlfriend should be during this conversation? He needed Erica there to anchor him. To keep him sane. Otherwise, he would say something he'd regret. He just knew it.

"You have one minute to get your foot out of my door before I call the police," he warned, sighing in relief as he heard Erica's footsteps on the stairs. Immediately, he felt calmer. Lighter.

"What's going on?" She asked, approaching him. He glanced over his shoulder, catching the look of shock on her face. "Why are you here, Sophie?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but I'm here to talk to my husband."

"Ex-husband," Marcus said, in sync with Erica. "We're divorced, remember?" He finished.

"And happily so," Erica chimed in while he made a noise of agreement.

"Very happily. So you can leave now. I have no interest in anything you have to say."

Moving to shut the door once again, he cursed out loud as she prevented him from doing so. Despite his anger, he didn't want to actually fucking hurt her, but if she kept putting herself in harm's way, it was going to be out of his control.

"Move your fucking foot, Sophie," he barked. "Get the fuck out of here!"

"But—" She glanced over her shoulder and shivered. "I have nowhere else to go!"

Marcus raised his eyebrows and glanced at Erica, who shrugged delicately. He couldn't help the bubble of laughter that rose in his chest, biting his lip to stop it from leaving his mouth.

He shouldn't have bothered.

With no control over himself, he barked out a laugh, meeting Sophie's shocked gaze. "Aint Karma a mother fucking bitch?" He said, holding his sides .

"Marcus, baby ple—"

"Don't you fucking call him that."

Erica hadn't shouted. Despite that, Sophie recoiled from the venom in her tone. Even Marcus stopped laughing, amazed at how much one sentence could shift the mood.

"He is not your baby," Erica said. "He is not your husband. I don't know what you hoped to achieve by coming here tonight, but he is mine. And unlike your stupid ass, I know what I have with him and I will not give him up. So back the fuck off."

"Or what?" She taunted. "You're going to hit a pregnant woman?" Sophie stuck out her bump, a smug smirk on her face. Marcus, so focused on the warmth Erica's words brought him, looked down at Sophie's stomach, swollen with her growing child. By the look on her face, he could tell she thought she'd bested them.

As if they didn't know about her pregnancy.

"Your face isn't pregnant," Erica warned, her eyes flashing. "I'm sorry you and Alex haven't worked out."

"No, you're not," Sophie said, scoffing. "You don't care."

"You're right, I don't—"

"Exactly! I fucking knew it. You've been waiting for this moment."

This time it was Erica's turn to laugh. "Watch what you say next, Sophie. I am warning you very clearly. You are pissing me off and I am losing my patience."

"Are you going to let her talk to me like that?" Sophie demanded, looking at Marcus expectantly.

"Yes?" He said with a shrug. The audacity of this woman was so astounding he had to laugh. "I reckon you're getting off pretty lightly."

"Don't be like that," she said, reaching for Marcus' hand. "Just let me say what I came here to say."

"I don't want to hear it—"

"Let her speak," Erica said. Marcus turned to look at her, tilting his head in confusion. "Let her say what she has to say, and then we can toss her out on her ass."

Stepping aside, Erica gestured for Sophie to come in. Feeling uneasy, but trusting Erica completely, Marcus nodded, following her lead .

Scoffing, Sophie pushed past them, clicking her fingers towards her suitcases. "About time."

"I've got them," Erica said before he could speak. "Don't worry about it. Just go hear her out."

Kissing the side of her head, Marcus reluctantly followed Sophie into the living room.

"This place must be costing you a fortune in rent," she said as her greedy eyes scanned the room.

"We don't rent," he said, sitting on the opposite sofa and ignoring the flash in her eyes. "What do you want?"

"Is she joining us?"

"No idea," he answered honestly. "That's completely up to her. Since this is her home, you can't really dictate—"

"Well, I don't want her here," Sophie said, folding her arms over her chest. "She ruins things."

Marcus chuckled in disbelief, shaking his head. "Okay. How do you figure?"

"Well, she's got you all confused." It was incredible to him that Sophie could speak with such confidence in matters she knew nothing about. Here, she had come to the home he shared with the woman he loved and accused Erica of ruining things.

"I can assure you I have never been more sure," he said. "Simply put, Sophie, whatever game you're trying to play, I don't want to hear it."

"But I miss you," she said. "Ever since I found out I was pregnant, it hit me how much I missed you. Because it made me realise it should have been you. You should have been the daddy."

"But I'm not," he said. "Nor do I want to be. You made your choice, Sophie."

"I made a mistake," she corrected. "I was just caught up in the moment, and I thought Alex was what I wanted, but—"

"But then you realised I'm fucking loaded now and your shiny new life doesn't seem so shiny?"

"What?" She gasped, holding her hand to her chest like some drama school reject. She couldn't even fake being offended. "No, of course not. I loved you when you were poor. "

"You tolerated me. And the minute something came along that you perceived as better, you left without a backward glance."

"Hey, it was hard for me, too."

Marcus sighed as he thought back to the day he took Erica to retrieve her belongings. He'd told Sophie that divorce papers would be on their way. She didn't look hurt. She wasn't having second thoughts. Everything about her expression had been gleeful. Like the dog who got the bone.

That look had haunted him for a while, and now it reminded him just how awful this woman was.

"I'm sorry you and Alex are going through something," he said. "But I am not a part of your revenge plan. You can't come here and involve me in your games."

"No games!" She said, moving over to him. He held his hand out, blocking her from coming closer. "Alex and I are done, Marcus. It's over. He doesn't want anything to do with me or the baby."

"Shame," Marcus said. "I still don't care."

"Yes, you do," she replied. "Don't you see, Marcus? Things can go back to the way they were now. I know you still love me. You can't just turn off feelings like that, and you loved me so much."

"Yeah, I did," he admitted. "I really fucking loved you, and I would have moved heaven and earth to make you happy. In fact, I did everything I could to give you everything you believed you deserved."

"Exactly!" She said excitedly, reaching for his hand. He pulled away with a scowl, standing and firmly moving her away from him.

"And then you threw it all back in my face by fucking another man! You think I still love you?" He scoffed. "Sophie, I don't even hate you anymore. The truth is you are not even on my radar. I feel nothing towards you. And the fact you would come here on my girlfriend's birthday and try to get back with me?

"You're disgusting," he said simply. "You want to pretend you love me, but if that was true, you wouldn't try to interfere with my happiness."

"But— "

"Because let me make it very clear. I am happier than I have ever been in my life. I love Erica in a way that makes a mockery of how I felt for you. You think you can waltz in here and win me back like you are on her level?" He scoffed again. "She is above you in every way and I find it genuinely amusing that you thought you had even a lick of a chance."

Staring down at her, he ignored the tears swimming in her eyes. Turning his head, he raised his eyebrows in surprise as Erica entered with some blankets and a cup of tea.

"Here we are," she said, placing them on the arm of the chair.

"What's all this?" Marcus said, covering up the tension in the room.

"I'm offering you our sofa for the night," she said, answering his question by addressing Sophie. "Just for tonight, mind. It's far too late for my conscious to deal with letting a pregnant woman wander the streets alone. So you can stay here."

Sophie glanced between them and cleared her throat. "I don't need your charity."

"Yes, you do," Erica said, waving her off. "You said it yourself. You and Alex are over, and you have nowhere else to go. So tomorrow you can figure that out and tonight you can stay somewhere safe.

"But I want you to remember something, Sophie. In your darkest moments, it was me who showed you kindness." Marcus watched the exchange and felt pride swell in his chest. Sophie had screwed over Erica and broken her damn heart. Erica would have had every right to send her packing. But that was not the kind of woman she was. She was too good for this world, kinder than anyone had any right to be.

And she was his.

He had never felt luckier.

"We should go to bed," he said, smiling down at Erica. She nodded in agreement.

"There's plenty of food in the fridge. Help yourself to whatever." Sophie stood rooted to the spot, her cheeks flaming. "And don't mistake my kindness for weakness, Sophie. Put one strand of hair out of line and I'll call the police so fast you'll be in handcuffs before you've even processed what's happened."

Sophie nodded once, unable to say anything else.

Marcus hid a smirk as he led Erica out of the room. "Oh," he said, looking over his shoulder. "Watch out for Anna. She has a genuine hatred towards liars and cheats. And this is her favourite room in the house."

Shutting the door, he caught one last glimpse of Sophie's pale face, sniggering to himself.

"That was cruel," Erica said. "You're terrible "

"And you're wonderful," he replied, swooping to kiss her gently. "Shall we head up and finish what we started?" He wriggled his eyebrows suggestively, nipping her lip.

"Oh, I think so," she murmured. "I think your ex needs a dose of reality and hearing me cum all over your cock might just knock some sense into her."

Growling, he swooped her up in his arms and rushed for the stairs. It was going to be a long night.

For all the best reasons.