“Won?” I spoke calmly, knowing I had to shut the fuck up. This wasn’t my fight; this wasn’t for me.But fuck her. “I wasn’t in any competition with you.”
The words echoed between us, Gianna looking both lost and on fire, but then she did something I didn’t expect. She laughed. Easily, joyfully, like we were old friends.
“You’re such a delusional bitch.” She shook her head at me, fake sympathy reflecting in her eyes. “You think hechoseyou? You’re just a plaything.” She nodded, her words cutting me deep for no reason. “He does that.” She shrugged, as if uninterested. “Fucks around. You think you’re the first one he’s cheated on me with?”
It was a second, but it was powerful and doubt crept in.
She’d known him longer than I had, and I had been lied to many times, and now…this felt like one of them. What if Iwasjust a plaything? Just someone to shack up with? Someone to use, to lie to? Someone to keep him entertained…while he waited for my father to shut it all down?
“You think you’re the first one I found in some hidden-away house?”
It was so heavy, I was sure I would throw up. Throw up nothing but pain and shame. Gianna stepped closer, but I didn’t react, physically stunned. Her face was right at my eyes now, the smell of her perfume sticking to me.
“And you know what? I told him…that I would fucking murder whoever his next whore was. I told him.”
Before I could process those vile words, she lunged toward me, clasping her fingers around my throat.
“You…fucking…cunt,”Gianna whispered, her eyes devoid of life. “Alex will always be mine, youbitch!”
I opened my mouth, desperately gasping for air, but there was none! Panic swirled in my chest as I clawed at her wrists, myactions futile. Her skin collected under my nails and a thousand thoughts ran through me at that moment.
But one thought blazed bright red.Why was she touching me?!
There was no thought process after that—I simply did the first thing that seemed possible. With all my strength, I jerked forward and smashed my forehead into her mouth.
Fuck that hurt!I clasped my hand over my head, everything zinging in pain, but I didn’t miss the red liquid dripping from her bottom lip.
I did that! We stood in front of each other, both staring at the blood on her fingers. Gianna whimpered, I panted, and the world was closing in on us.
What was happening? Was I in a real fight? But then I saw it in her eyes—the moment that it all broke inside her. Before I could blink, I was already on the floor, her fingers dragging on my scalp right before shepulled.
“Fuck!You!” Gianna screamed and so did I.
The pain was drowning me. I clawed at her long and bare legs, but it was futile. She turned into The Hulk, pushing and pulling my hair every which way. "How long has he been fucking you?!"
I dug my nails into her thighs harder, knowing that I’d bedamnedif I let her win. But just as images of me pummeling the life out of her swam into my head, a deep and panicked voice sounded somewhere close by.
"Gianna!"
Relief flooded me as soon as the pain ceased and Gianna let go. On my knees, I watched the way Alex pulled her away, his thick bicep wrapping around her waist.
"What the actual fuck’s going on? How—how are youhere?"
“Youasshole!”Gianna shouted in his face, such unadulterated heartbreak in her voice. “There’s no other woman?! There’s no one else?”
Alex rushed toward me, crouching right in front, the towel wrapped around his hips, holding on with inhumane strength. The concern and worry in his eyes made Gianna’s previous words weightless. “Are you okay?”
I nodded quickly, noticing the way Gianna watched us. Alex swiped his thumb across my forehead and pulled me up, right before turning toward Gianna.
“How did you find me?” he asked, and I shuddered—that didn't sound like his voice. He stalked toward her, and she shuffled back slightly, tears glistening in her eyes.
"I knew you were fucking lying to me,” she stammered between her tears. “I knew you’ve been hiding out here.” Gianna held onto her busted lip, looking up at Alex, who towered over her. “Ever since I last saw you, I knew. You left…but then you came back, so I waited. And waited. And here you are…naked. In her shower.”
She gestured toward me, never looking away from Alex. Large, silent tears slid down her perfect cheeks, and something ached inside me. I felt so incredibly sorry for her. She was so madly in love with him, she didn’t even know what she was doing.
"You need to leave. For the last time. Youneed to leave.” Alex blocked her from my view and pointed toward the door, but Gianna sidestepped him to get another look at me. Alex pushed her back, but she resisted, staring right into my soul.
“You look familiar.” Her voice suddenly turned chirpy. She struggled against Alex’s arms but didn’t look away. “I’ve seen you somewhere before.” That was highly doubtful; I only came to Miami to visit. "At some party, with someone else. Another man."
