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He was far too secretive, controlling, and infuriating at the moment.
And still I loved him. It was way too late to save myself from it.
Thankfully, my mother left me to my brooding to go get my tea while I collapsed on a set of boxes and buried my head in my hands. My pocket vibrated and my heart leaped as I looked at the text.
RHYS: Talk to me, Violet.
VIOLET: And exactly whom would I be talking to today?
RHYS: You don’t want me to give up any more than I’m willing to.
VIOLET: Maybe you should ignore that fact. I can’t trust you, Rhys.
RHYS: Maybe you could if you would stop fucking running away from me.
VIOLET: Maybe I would if you would stop fucking lying to me.
RHYS: Omitting.
VIOLET: Same thing. And I’m not running. My parents need me.
RHYS: For what…to clean out their garage?
I saw red as I realized my mother was texting him. “Mother!” She didn’t answer and I knew she was cowering in the kitchen. Minutes passed as I waited for his next text. I knew he was angry with me as well. We were both hurt. If we were to go any further, I had to make it crystal clear I would no longer put up with lies and omissions. Even if he did it to protect me, even if it was for my own good, I wanted full disclosure. I never wanted to be put in the position again where she or any other woman knew more than I did. Not when I was the woman in his bed at night. My love and devotion now came with a price: honesty, loyalty and everything in between. I would get as good as I gave and I would never settle for less, ever again.
RHYS: I’ll see you soon.
Even now, if he was willing to tell me everything, I couldn’t forgive how he had broken a little piece of me with what he’d said. Even if he didn’t mean it, even if he’d just said it in anger, I couldn’t forget it.
Asshole.
Once finished with my task, I made my way to the backyard and sat on my old tire swing, replaying that night over and over. If I had only just once asked for a name...If I had only asked for Bryce’s mothers name, we could have pieced this all together ourselves. Instead, I’d allowed him to stay secretive about his past, never willing to give me more than he felt he should. His vague answers to protect me had backfired and caused us more harm than good. If I’d only asked. If he’d only shared more, we would have both known our pasts were mutually bound by one fucking name.
Sandra.
“It’s not him. It’s her.”
The weight of his words hit me in the chest as I stood frozen in his office.
No, God, not her. Anyone but her!
Paralyzed, my eyes scanned the security screen just as Rhys appeared on it and confronted Sandra. It was another series of clicks that went off as all the pieces fit together.
CLICK.
Sandra and Rhys knew each other.
CLICK.
And from the way he was glaring at her, I could tell she was his ex, and the previous owner of the club.
CLICK.
The woman he said he loathed...and sweet Bryce’s mother.
Keep it together, Vi.
Sandra, the same woman who destroyed my marriage, and the woman we both hated. I didn’t know whether to make my way out to the bar or continue to watch Rhys on the screen as he waved his hands toward the door angrily in an attempt to get her to leave. My eyes drifted to Alex, who was sitting with the man they came with. They seemed uninterested in the argument taking place at the entrance. Alex leaned over, his posture intimate, and brushed a piece of hair off the man’s forehead before leaning in for a—what the fuck—kiss.
