Victory Lane (Shady Falls #1) Read Online Free

Fuller. There was nothing we could do. Her injuries were too extensive.” His sad eyes full of the enormity of what happened. Anna was gone.
    I stared at him in shock. I couldn’t breathe. I dropped my head into my hands and closed my eyes. Maybe if I tried hard enough, I could will this all away. Maybe I’d wake to find it all was a dream.
    “I’m sorry to tell you this, Mr. Fuller. Anna was pregnant. About twelve weeks along. Part of the extensive blood loss was due to the miscarriage she experienced during the accident.” He paused, giving me a moment to process what he was telling me.
    “She was pregnant?” I whispered, shocked. I heard a slight gasp come from Margie, but I could barely acknowledge it.
    “Yes Mr. Fuller, I’m sorry for your loss. Would you like to see her?”
    Shaking my head, I turned and looked at my best friend and my sister. Kyle looked to be in shock and Margie had tears streaming from her eyes. By their reaction, I knew I heard the doctor correctly, even though I couldn’t believe what he told me. Not only had I lost Anna, I lost a child also. They were gone and I would never truly know why this happened or if the child was even mine.

 
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter One
     
    Toni—the past
    “Todd, we need to talk. I don’t think …”
    “We have lots to talk about.” His fake smile was almost sinister. His eyes glazed over, as if he were high or drunk. It was entirely possible that he started drinking this morning. It was a common pastime for him lately. He stood in front of me holding my hands and looking at me with a menacing sneer on his face. His blue eyes seemed almost black and unfocused.
    “Todd seriously, we need to talk,” I insisted trying to pull my hands from his grasp. My hands shook. I hated when he drank. I knew needed to break this off, no matter what. “This isn’t working … I just don’t think I want to be with … Dammit,” I heaved a sigh. I couldn’t spit it out. He scared the hell out of me and I just couldn’t get out what I wanted to say with him so close. His grip on my hands tightened with each word I spoke.
    He placed his finger on my lips, silencing my stuttering plea for freedom. His fingers were covered with the smell of cigarettes, booze, and a night of partying. Maybe he was still drunk. Maybe he never stopped drinking. For some, the quieting gesture could’ve been a gentle and comforting act, but it just wasn’t when it came from Todd. He wasn’t being sweet; he was asserting dominance over me, trying to control me; my thoughts, and actions.
    “Shut-up,” he growled. “You ain’t goin’ nowhere. You’re gonna give me what you’ve been denyin’ me for months.”
    Terror rushed through me when his meaning became clear. “I-I don’t want …” I shook my head. “Todd, this isn’t … I can’t … I don’t wanna do this.”
    “You want me to beg, Antonia? I ain’t beggin’ for shit. You owe me,” he growled. His grip on my arm tightened like a vice. I could feel his fingers digging into my flesh, welts forming under his grasp. He didn’t respond to my pleas. He glared at me, his eyes dark with anger and something else, something I didn’t want to acknowledge. He wasn’t going to do this to me. He wasn’t going to force me, was he?
    He shoved me to the bed, his body hovered over mine, holding my arms down at the sides of my head. I strained against him, but was powerless. He lowered his face so all I could see were his cold, dead eyes. His sour breath moved across my face in shallow bursts, making my stomach turn. “You stuck up little bitch. You’re lucky to have me, you ugly, worthless, cow.”
    “Todd, stop. Stop. Get off me!” I begged as I tried to wriggle out from under him. I barely held in my fear. His glare terrified me as his eyes bore into mine. He adjusted himself so he could hold my hands with his one while his other hand began moving down my body over my clothes. His glare intensified, but there was a