Her hot breaths fan my lips when she throws open the door and screams, “I’m not confused! I’m also not an idiot!”
One tear and my entire fucking world implodes. “Baby, please don’t cry. I never said you were an idiot. I’d never think that about you. . .”
My words trail off when I spot the quickest flurry of black in the far corner of her living room. It wasn’t a small shadow dancing in the late-hanging afternoon sun. It was the size of an adult. A male adult.
When I lean to the side to investigate the situation more thoroughly, Regan follows my lead, blocking my view.
This bombards me with anger. . . and perhaps a shit ton of jealousy.
“Do you have someone in there with you? Someone who’s welcome to stay while you shower and parade around in that?” I gesture my hand to the satin slip she’s wearing that shows off more of her skin than it conceals. “Is that what this is all about?”
Regan straightens her spine as if she’s going to deny the accusation in my tone, but something changes her mind. It could be the plea in my eyes or the fact she failed to locate the outline of my gun on my hip. If she thinks me being unarmed will stop me from retaliating ifanyof the horrid notions running through my head are true, she’s poorly mistaken. I don’t need a gun to disperse my anger. I only need my fists.
After a quick swallow to eradicate the fury in my tone, I ask, “Who’s in your apartment, Rae?”
An expensive men’s cologne darkens my cheeks when Regan steps closer to me. She is determined, unstoppable, and on a mission to tear my fucking heart in two. “I know who you are. I know what you did.” Her voice is barely a whisper, but I hear every word she speaks. “You lied to me.” Her voice rises as she fights to hold back her tears. “You deceived me.”
I shake my head, my panic at an all-time high. She looks truly broken, but even more concerning than that, she believes I broke her.
“I’ve never lied to you. Not once.”
She grabs something off a drawer on her right before thrusting it into my chest. A few loose papers haphazardly fall to the ground when I twist the manila folder around to face me.
Oh fuck, I’m fucking dead.
The folder is filled with numerous printouts of the surveillance images I have of Regan on my laptop. They show the timeline of when my obsession started—right back to her Substanz days.
I feel the train jump off the tracks when Regan sneers, “You’re a liar, a user, and a cheat.” She pauses as if it is a struggle for her to deliver her next set of words. “So I returned the favor.”
I’m blinded by tunnel vision, swarmed by rage. “You returned the favor? What the fuck do you mean, you returned the favor?” Nothing but absolute agony echoes in my tone.
Regan smiles. It’s not one that makes me feel warm and fuzzy. It tarnishes her beautiful face with hatred and makes my heart feel like it’s swimming through tar.
She steps closer to me, bringing her eyes in line with mine. “It doesn’t feel good, does it? Do you feel stupid? Like you should have been smart enough to see the signs? I understand. I felt the same way.” She glares at me in disgust. “I’m seeing things more clearly now, though. It was fun while it lasted, but it’s time for me to stop fooling around with the minor leaguers and step back into the game with the big hitters where I belong.”
She uses my utter bewilderment—and perhaps blinded-by-fury rage—to her advantage by slamming her door in my face.
26
Istop staring at the ceiling of my entrance way when a deep voice rumbles through my shattered core. “Everything okay?”
Isaac sets down a glass of whiskey before crossing the room, his hands delving into his trouser pockets on the way. He’s been as quiet as me today. If I didn’t know him as well as I do, I’d assume discovering me with tears flooding my eyes was the cause for his discontent.
It’s a pity I know him better than that.
It’s also a pity I threw him into the deep end with me.
Nothing I said to Alex was true. There has never been anything between Isaac and me. There willneverbe anything between Isaac and me. That’s why I can prance around in front of him in a satin slip as Alex so angrily pointed out. We don’t have that type of relationship. Isaac sees me as his friend, not a plaything for him to dominate or control.Or ruin.
I only said what I did because I wanted to hurt Alex in the most painful way. I’ve only known him a short period, but I’m well versed on his jealousy issues. I wouldn’t have been so game if he were carrying his gun, but with the playing field even, I unleashed a side of me I haven’t seen in years. It wasn’t pretty, and in all honesty, I’m a little ashamed of how I acted, but after all the evidence I unearthed the past six hours, it won’t take much to have my stupidity excused.
“Regan?” Isaac queries, making me realize I didn’t answer his first question.
“Yeah, everything is fine.”
I’ve said the same thing to myself numerous times the past twelve hours.
I’m fine.
