Before Vincent even realized what he was doing, he was moving after her. His long strides carried him across the room as his eyes remained fixed on her retreating figure.
Then, just as she passed beneath the light near the entrance, something caught his attention.
His gaze dropped to her neck.
And he stopped.
A red hickey stood out clearly against her skin.
For a moment, Vincent went completely still.
The anger that had been burning inside him vanished so abruptly that it left him almost disoriented. The frustration, the resentment, and the bitterness all disappeared, replaced by a shock so intense that he could barely process what he was seeing.
His eyes locked onto the mark.
His breathing slowed.
His entire body seemed to tense at once.
A rush of realization hit him so hard that his heartbeat seemed to skip before crashing violently against his ribs.
He stared at it, unable to look away.
By the time the meaning of it fully settled in his mind, Juliet had already stepped through the front door and disappeared outside.
Vincent’s head snapped toward his friends, his eyes sharp and filled with disbelief as if demanding confirmation that he had seen correctly.
His friends immediately rose from their seats.
Vincent pointed toward his own neck and then toward the direction Juliet had left.
"Was that a fucking hickey on her neck?" he asked.
Vincent's jaw tightened so hard that the muscle flickered visibly beneath his skin. Fury flashed across his face, and before anyone could answer, he turned and started striding toward the exit, clearly intending to follow Juliet and drag her back for an explanation.
The anger rolling off him was impossible to miss.
Seeing the look on his face, his friends knew something was about to go wrong. One immediately grabbed his arm while Griffin rushed to his other side. Together, they stopped him before he could leave.
"Did you even see it correctly?" Griffin asked, tightening his grip when Vincent tried to jerk his arm free.
"Yeah, there was a hickey on her fucking neck," Vincent snapped, his voice low and furious.
Griffin exchanged a look with the others before speaking again.
"Or maybe she's trying to make you jealous."
Vincent's eyes narrowed.
"No wonder she didn't make a scene. No wonder she didn't get angry, threaten you, or try to cause problems over your relationship with Alexa," Griffin said calmly, his gaze fixed on Vincent. "Think about it. Juliet was the one who wanted you the most. She spent years holding on to you and never wanted to let you go. So how does someone like that suddenly walk away without a fight?"
He paused for a moment before continuing.
"You're telling me a woman who loved you that much saw you with another woman and didn't argue, didn't demand answers, and didn't even try to stop you? Instead, she just left as if none of it mattered. Doesn't that seem strange to you?"
Griffin shook his head.
"People don't change that quickly, Vincent. A woman who spent years loving you doesn't suddenly stop caring overnight. If she walked away so easily."
