But it seems she’s ignoring me too. She hasn’t answered any of my calls or texts. None of her family or friends have either,” he says, a sad expression flickering across his face.
“I’m sorry to hear that, Kaden, but what did you expect? You hurt her sister and therefore, hurt her family too. Look, I don’t want to get involved in this. It’s between you and her family,” I respond, my tone stern and final.
He shakes his head. “No, I wasn’t asking that of you. It’s just good to hear that she’s doing well. She’ll always be like a little sister to me, no matter what happens between Skylar and me.” He exhales sharply, his thumb rubbing against his palm as if the motion offers him some comfort. “Anyway, what does Elena think of her?”
Ah, yes. That right there is a whole other issue. Jake’s mum can be incredibly overbearing when it comes to our son—and me. In the past, she’s openly criticised every babysitter I’ve hired, making their lives so miserable that they eventually quit. According to her, they’re always too inexperienced, too immature, too inappropriate, or too stupid. Nobody ever escapes her scrutiny.
Introducing Jake’s new babysitter to my ex-wife is going to be a real fucking treat.
Mila’s youth and natural beauty are bound to trigger Elena, who can be quite insecure and prone to jealousy—a poisonous fucking combination. But that’s a bridge I’ll cross when I get there.
“I just hired Mila, and she doesn’t officially start until Saturday. I’ll observe how Jake is with her first before introducing her to his mother,” I explain.
Kaden snorts. “Goodluck with that, brother.”
I let out a snicker. Kaden knows all too well just how much trouble my ex-wife can be. She truly is the embodiment of a hateful shrew.
I’m about to respond to his sarcasm when I hear the front door creak open, followed by the unmistakable sound of a familiar female voice calling out.
“Babe, have you started packing yet?” The woman saunters into the room like she owns the place, and my jaw drops in disbelief.
To my utter surprise, another shrew—no scrap that—a fucking snake appears before my eyes. And this one is just as poisonous. Frozen in place with the same stunned expression as mine, is Kaden’s mistress and one half of the reason my best friend’s marriage is in ruins.
“Oh, I didn’t realise you had company,” Lucia says, her frown directed at Kaden, who makes no effort to hide the guilt written on his face. When she turns to me, she forces a smile. “How’s it going, Jase?”
My gaze locks on hers, cold and unrelenting. “It’s Jason to you. Only my friends get to call me Jase.”
She rolls her eyes and shrugs, brushing off my words as if they’re beneath her.
“Whatever,” she mutters, before turning her attention back to Kaden and ignoring me completely. Her eyes sweep over the room, a faint scowl forming on her face. “I thought you said you’ve packed already. It doesn’t even look like you’ve done anything today,” she chides.
Fixing Kaden with a puzzled look, I ask, “Why would you be packing?”
“Yeah… umm…”
He doesn’t get a chance to finish his sentence because Lucia quickly interrupts him.
“Because he’s moving in with me,” she blurts out, a smug smirk tugging at her lips.
I shoot to my feet, my glare scorching first Lucia then Kaden. “She’s joking, right? You can’t seriously be this stupid to move in with your mistress only three weeks after your wife left!” I lash out in anger.
“Fuck you, Jason. What Kaden and I do is none of your damn business!” “Kaden’s one of my closest mates. I think I have the right to know what’s going on in his life—especially after his wife just left him, no thanks to you!”
“Guys, please!” Kaden interjects as he rubs his temples, but we both ignore him and press on with our verbal sparring.
“She didn’t have to leave. No one forced her out of the house. She decided to walk out on her marriage.”
“Because you were fucking her husband, you dumb bitch!”
Lucia gasps. “Oh my God!” She glares at Kaden, arms crossed over her chest. “Are you seriously going to let him talk to me like that?” she snaps, but he just continues rubbing his temples, as if trying to block out the noise.
When she realises he won’t be coming to her defence, she turns to me, her expression full of anger and annoyance. “Just so you know, Kaden was already going to leave her for me because in the end I was the one who made him happy!”
A bitter laugh rips from my throat. “Look at him!” I shout, gesturing to Kaden, slumped on the chair with his head bowed and his hands clasped behind it. “Does he look happy to you?”
“You don’t know shit about us, okay! So why don’t you run along and worry about yourself, instead of interfering in our relationship!” she spits out.
“You’re right, I don’t know shit because I couldn’t give a fuck about you and your relationship. What I do care about is how my best friend just threw away ten years with an amazing woman, just to be with someone like you—a filthy homewrecking whore!”
