Atonement (Heart of Stone) Read Online Free PDF Page B

in the car beside me.
    “Your fucking husband who is sick and tired of taking
your shit lately, Ava.”
    I swallowed heavily. He knew; I could see it in his eyes
as he glowered at me.
    “Whatever!” I relented as I turned my glare to the moving
pavement.
     
    He was quiet throughout the ride home and all I could
think about was how I was gonna make it back to Courtney’s to collect my
uniform before making it into work without my car.
    The man beside me would be the death of me. There was
dominant then there was controlling and then there was Mason’s level of
controlling and I sighed heavily as I rested my forehead against the window.
The bumps and ridges in the road were giving me the headache I had lied about
this morning but I was too despondent to lift my head so I rode each bump with
the car and remained sullen and silent beside Mason.
     
    I kept catching glances of his glances towards me but I
didn’t acknowledge them or him, I was too damn mad with him to care.
    I wanted a life, I needed a life. My parenting
skills were currently the only thing I had to show for my life, especially now
that I had lost my job at NSC and I wanted more. Hell, I was entitled to more.
     
    We pulled up the driveway and Mason killed the engine but
didn’t move. I could feel his eyes on me for a while and I still didn’t react
to him.
    I was sad; sad, upset and lonely. I knew I shouldn’t be
feeling this way. I had a, fair enough controlling husband, but he was still
loving, attentive and absolutely adored me. I had good friends, a wonderful
surrogate-father in Portugal and I had the most amazing children. But there was
just something that I couldn’t put my finger on and now, right at this moment,
my emotions and uncertainties were hitting me hard.
     
    “Baby, talk to me.” Mason said softly beside me.
    His words and the way they were said were the trigger to
the liberation of my tears. I turned my face further into the window as they
relentlessly streamed down my face, their persistent torrent taking my breath
and I was suddenly struggling to breathe with the force of them.
    “Hey, hey, baby” Mason soothed as he flicked the release
catch on my seatbelt and pulled me across the console and onto his knee.
    His strong arms wrapped around me as I buried deeper into
his comfort and wept harder. “Shush, Ava. I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to upset
you.”
    I shook my head into his chest. “It…its n..not you, M…Mason”
I spluttered as I fought with my sobs.
    His hand soothed my hair comfortingly as I wiped my nose
on his shirt. He tutted loudly and I smiled to myself.
     
    I eventually calmed down and Mason slipped me back over
into my seat as he climbed out of the car and came round to get me. He scooped
me up, kicked the car door shut and carried me into the house.
    His eyes flicked down at me as I smiled up at him. “You
take care of me so well.”
    He sighed and frowned. “I also grieve you so well.”
    I rolled my lips as he gently lowered us onto the sofa
with me still in his lap. “It’s not you.”
    He frowned at me before he placed his lips on my forehead
and sighed, “Talk to me, Ava, please. I can’t help if you won’t tell me what’s
wrong.”
    “You can’t help anyway; I dunno what… what’s wrong with
me. I’m just…” I shrugged, feeling stupid at my emotions without being able to
pinpoint a reason for them.
    He was quiet for a moment and I cringed when I knew what
was coming. “Why didn’t you tell me about Kade?”
    I closed my eyes and tried to figure out how to say what
I needed to say without him getting defensive. “Because you’re you, Mason.”
    He scoffed and nodded, “Yeah.” I didn’t need to explain
further and Mason knew this.
    “I resigned, I won’t work with him.”
    “I know” he answered quietly as he exhaled loudly. “You
should have told me, Ava. We could have worked something out. It hurts that you
can’t talk to me.”
    “Mason,” I shuffled round on his knee