She was in a wagon!

Turning to stare at the man who sat beside her, Sharon felt the blood drain from her face.

“Matthew?” She whispered.

Refusing to acknowledge her, he sat there, his grip tightening on the reins and a muscle working furiously in his jaw.

Sharon sank back against her seat, barely able to believe what was happening to her —how and why he found her. It didn't make any sense that he would come looking for her when it was obvious that he was interested in Gretchen. And considering the fact that she ran off on the day of their wedding, she imagined that her action would have caused him to despise her and choose to leave her alone!

Nothing made sense —not Matthew and definitely not his decision to come back for her.

Frustrated, she considered the possibility of jumping out of the wagon in yet another desperate attempt to get away, but she was quickly reminded of her pregnant state and the great damage such a foolish act could cause.

Unsure of what to do, she focused her attention on the path before them until they were driving in through the gates of the farm. Pulling to a halt before the building, her gaze followed Matthew around the wagon until he was standing by her side. Without the slightest word to her, he reached up suddenly, his arms curling around her waist as he lifted her off of the wagon and placed her on her wobbly feet on the ground. Once she was settled on the ground, he grabbed her arm, evoking a soft yelp from her lips as he began dragging her along.

She followed —mostly because she wasn't presented with a different option— wincing as he led her up the front stairs, the door slamming against the wall as he pushed it open.

She stumbled into the building, her vision blurring slightly as tears filled her eyes.

“Sharon?!” She barely saw Nana Lois's as Matthew dragged her along, causing her to trip over nothing on the narrow staircase.

She fell forward, his grip tightening on her arm, digging holes in her flesh as he steadied her. She bit down on her lower lip to keep from crying from the pain and instead focused on maintaining her footing as he led her up the remaining stairs and finally into the room.

Slamming the door shut behind them, he released his grip on her arm and turned fully to her, eyes blazing with fury.

Holding her aching arm to her chest, she rubbed the spot he had just released in a failed attempt to ease the pain that was now shooting up her arm muscles. Tears burned her eyes.

“Do you know why I brought you back here, Sharon?” Anger laced every word.

Raising her gaze to him, Sharon felt her own anger well up from the depths of her belly; no, she did not know his reason for practically dragging her back here, neither did she give a rat's ass! She could have finally been free from all the liars in her life if he hadn't come back for her! She could have run off to Centerville and started a new life with her child if he hadn't shown up in the station to practically kidnap her and drag her back here against her will!

What on earth did he want with her now?! Did he think he could force her down that altar to marry him?! Did he think she was going to continue to play the fool in his love affair with Gretchen?!

Furious, she dropped her arm and turned fully to him. “No! And frankly, I don't care! I don't care for you or your love affair with Gretchen!”

He gritted his teeth. “Gretchen has nothing to do with this!”

“No?” She stepped forward. “Did you honestly think you could keep your affair a secret forever?! Did you think I wouldn't find out?! Did you think—”

“That is enough of your madness!” He roared, stopping the flow of her words.

“No Matthew, it's enough of yours! I have had it with you and this sham of a marriage! It's over!”

Stepping around, she made to walk away, but something firm took hold of her wrist, forcing her to turn back around.

Matthew stood there, anger clouding his features as he glared at her.

“No, Sharon,” his venomous whisper sent a cold chill down her spine. “You are going nowhere,”

She opened her mouth to protest but the look in his eyes silenced her.

“Not until the child is born,” he said, his gaze falling to her stomach.

Wincing, she placed her free hand over her stomach in a failed attempt to conceal what she thought had been a well-kept secret for several weeks. The thought of him knowing of her unborn child filled her with unspeakable dread.

Slowly, his gaze traveled back to her face, anger still burning in his eyes. “I will keep you under locks and keys and bloody chains if I have to!” He spat, leaning forward so that his lips were only inches from hers, his warm breath washing over her face as he whispered, “and when that child is born, I will escort you off of my property.”

Releasing his grip on her wrist suddenly, Sharon stumbled back in complete shock, her widened eyelids trailing his movements until he was disappearing through the door and slamming it shut behind him.

*

Matthew's pillow was a victim of yet another one of his punch, his mind plaguing him with memories of his conversation with Sharon.

“Your love affair with Gretchen!”

Growling, he punched his pillow yet again, fighting the urge to turn his fist to the wall or to storm back into Sharon's room and yell in her face. He wanted to shake her! To shake some darn sense into her stubborn skull; how could he be in love with Gretchen when he had walked away from everything for Sharon?! He turned down his father's offer to pay his debt in exchange for his divorcing her! He asked her to marry him again, for goodness sake! He stood on that altar, waiting aimlessly for her, for heaven's sake! What in the world was wrong with her?!

But Matthew knew better than to think Sharon had left him because she thought he was still in love with Gretchen. He knew the truth; she left him because he had no money. She left him because like him, his father must have made the same offer for divorce to her. But unlike him, she had accepted the offer. He was no fool! He might have been foolish enough to fall for her, but he wasn't foolish enough to believe her lies anymore.

Sitting upright on the bed, he ran his hands down his face, furious. And to think she had the nerves to try to lay the blame at his feet! To think she stood there and accused him of infidelity! To think she so cruelly used his past relationship against him!

He growled, springing to his feet. She had accused him of being unfaithful —an accusation that was not accompanied with any evidence. Yet, she had been the one to accept three thousand dollars from his father in exchange for leaving him.

Three thousand dollars! That was the value she placed on the love he thought they shared —a love that had now come to an end.