When the Last One Falls

When The Last One Falls◆◆◆ Copyright 2022 Monica ClaytonPublished by M.E. ClaytonAll Rights ReservedThis ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, then please return to Smashwords.com or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.This book is a work of fiction. The entire content is a product of the author’s imagination, and all names, places, businesses, and incidences are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons (living or dead), places or occurrences, is entirely coincidental.No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any manner, whatsoever, without the express written consent from the author, except in the case of brief quotation embodied in critical articles or reviews.Formatting: SmashwordsCover: Adobe StockWarning: This book contains sexual situations and other adult themes. Recommended for 18 years of age and over. Table of Contents◆◆◆ Author's NoteContact MeDedicationPrologue1. Keris2. Brantley3. Keris4. Brantley5. Keris6. Brantley7. Keris8. Brantley9. Keris10. Brantley11. Keris12. Brantley13. Keris14. Brantley15. Keris16. Brantley17. Keris18. Brantley19. Keris20. Brantley21. Keris22. Brantley23. Keris24. Brantley25. Keris26. Brantley27. Keris28. Brantley29. Keris30. BrantleyEpilogueAcknowledgmentsAbout the AuthorOther Books Author’s Note◆◆◆ Just a couple of things before I let you go and get your read on. While I am doing my best to work with better editing and proofreading software, all my books are solo, independent works. I write my books, proofread my books, edit my books, create the covers, etc. I have one beta who gives me feedback on my stories, but other than that, all my books are independent projects.That being said, I apologize, in advance, for the typos, grammar inconsistencies, or any other mistakes I may make. Since writing is strictly a hobby for me, I haven’t looked into commitments in regard to publishers, editors, etc. My hope is that my stories are enjoyable enough that a few mistakes, here and there, can be overlooked. However, if you’re a stickler for grammar, my books are probably not for you.Also, I am an avid reader-I mean an AVID reader. I love to read above any other hobby. However, the only downside to my reading obsession is when I fall in love with a series, but I have to wait for the additional books to come out. So, because I feel that disappointment down to my soul, when I started publishing my works, I vowed to publish all books in my series all at once. No waiting here…LOL. Now, the exception to that will be if enough readers request additional stories based off the standalone, such as in Facing the Enemy. At that point, if I decide to move forward with a requested series, I will make sure all additional books are available all at once. As much as this is a hobby for me, I am writing these books for all of you, as well as myself.Thank you, for everything! Contact Me◆◆◆ I really appreciate you reading my book and I would love to hear from you! Now, unfortunately, because I do have a full-time job and one part-time job, plus a family that I love spending time with, I’m not very active on social media. However, for the sites I do participate in, here are my social media coordinates:WebsiteFacebookInstagramPinterestEmailNewsletter Dedication◆◆◆ For –My readers and their endless supply of patience. PrologueI knew that I was going to hang for this, but I didn’t care. I stopped caring about consequences long ago. I stopped caring about right and wrong long before tonight.I stared at the body on the floor and at the pool of blood flooding outward, seeping into the grout of the tile. The expensive chair that I was sitting in felt uncomfortable, but the cigarette in my hand felt right. The nicotine filling my lungs felt like a warm blanket, calming me. While a lot of people considered smoking a nasty habit, I hadn’t always been a smoker.Though my hands had been a shaking mess when I’d lit the offending vice, they weren’t shaking anymore. I felt a calm that I couldn’t remember feeling in a long time. The house was silent, but I welcomed the silence with open arms. This silence was different from the normal tension-filled quiet that used to live in this house. However, I knew that the silence wasn’t going to last long. Soon, the house would be filled with strangers, people asking questions, taking pictures, talking amongst themselves, trying to understand how something like this could happen.See, no matter what I said, there was no getting around the fact that I’d committed the ultimate sin. In a world where men ruled, I’d done the unthinkable. Wives didn’t disobey their husbands. Wives didn’t have their own opinions. Wives were property, no rights given to them other than what their husbands allowed.My broken fingers weren’t going to matter to a police force full of men. The bruises and welts that decorated my body weren’t going to make a difference in what happened here tonight. My torn body wasn’t going to change anything because rape didn’t exist between a husband and his wife. The law, something that was also written by men, stated that a man had every right to exercise his husbandly duties, and it was a wife’s duty to submit, no matter how unpleasant or violent.The proof of my abuse wasn’t going to save me. The horror story of my life wasn’t going to excuse what I’d done. No one on the Portal Lands Police Department was going to make any allowances for this kind of thing. I mean, if they did, someone else’s wife might decide that she didn’t want to take anymore, also.Still, there was a silver lining to all this, though it couldn’t be seen just yet. It wouldn’t