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“Ex-husband,” Rhys added.
“Seriously, why the hell couldn’t he have told me? And she doesn’t even know that the joke is on her. He loves Chris. I mean, she has to have figured it out by now, he can’t love her.” I racked my brain for answers that weren’t coming. I saw Rhys’s face harden as he ran his hands through his hair. His next words cut me.
“Why the fuck do you care who he loves?” he said harshly, his sudden anger with me stopping me from retrieving my keys from my pocket.
I looked back at the bar and then to him, incredulous. “No...no! You don’t get to pull this shit on me! Are you kidding me right now? I was with that man for years and had no clue,” I snapped, lifting my finger in warning.
“What shit am I pulling, Violet!? You seem obsessed with the man and what he feels. Why don’t you go ask him? He’s right inside that door!” Rhys turned away from me and began walking toward his car.
“Rhys, wait,” I said, my voice shaking in anger. “What about you, huh?” I was freezing and all the adrenaline shooting through me from the last ten minutes was taking its toll. “What about you and your fucking obsessions? How could you have picked her?” My anger boiled over again and I was helpless to stop it. I walked toward him, refusing to let him leave. When he didn’t answer, I pushed his back in an attempt to get him to turn around as he reached his sedan. “You picked her and she ruined both our lives! How could you ever have been involved with a woman like that? What does that say about you?”
Rhys whirled on me then, his eyes filled with hurt. “Who the fuck are you to judge me?”
“I’m not judging you, Rhys. I just find it a little hard to believe that you would mix yourself up with a woman like that for any reason and—”
“I’m not perfect and I won’t pretend to be for you. That in there was a mistake. My mistake and has nothing to do with you,” he shot back, wounding me.
“I never expected you to be perfect,” I defended weakly. “And apparently we can’t separate our past from our future so it has everything to do with me!” I said, my entire body shaking with every emotion imaginable: embarrassment, hurt, shock, and outrage taking the lead.
He leaned against his car, arms crossed, eyes fixed on mine. “What exactly is it that you want from me, Violet? I’m not Alex. I can’t make what he did right for you. I’ve already given you the ability to hurt me. What more do you want?”
“I’m not trying to hurt you, Rhys.”
“You’re not, but what you are doing is acting like a jealous ex-wife. You’re making a damn fool of yourself and me, something I swore I wouldn’t let you do again. You’re expecting me to apologize and make excuses for mistakes I have already paid for...And you’re pissing me off.”
I glared at him as I addressed him next. “You don’t want the jealous ex-wife, fine, how about answering to your current girlfriend? When exactly where you planning on telling me Sandra came for a cock-filled house call!”
He shook his head as his arms fell to his sides, his guilt apparent.
“No secrets or lies between us. I believe that was your line of bullshit, Rhys,” I continued, my voice a shriek at this point.
“I may have an answer to that when you can calm down and act rationally. This is their mess, Violet, not ours!” he said, exasperated. He looked at me with contempt. “I moved on from that. I found you, let it go.”
“Let it go? Let it go!” I shook my head, incredulous. “Well, she hasn’t moved on, Rhys! You lied to me...again! That whore is the mother of your son, she ruined my marriage, and you think we can just walk away from this!”
“Yes,” he said quickly. “I know we can.”
“Maybe you can.” I watched him slowly shut down in front of me and couldn’t help my next words. “Tell me, Rhys, what is it that you’re so damn angry about right now? You can control my body but not my emotions, is that it?”
His breath left him as he shook his head. “Tell me why you’re so upset, Violet, because I’m pretty sure it has more to do with him than me.” I saw a steely resolve cover his features before he spoke again. “Maybe I was wrong to pull you so close. You never wanted this, us, or maybe I just wanted it more. You signed up for something totally different,” he stated, pulling at his door handle. I slammed it closed, forcing him to face me.
“What, Rhys...” I gathered my strength, the amount of hurt I felt making me tremble. “What the hell did you just say to me?” I clenched my fists at my sides as he stared at the gravel between us. “You’re the one who was IN remember? No, Rhys, we were designed to be together and your ex had an unknowing hand in it! I mean, what kind of fucked up coincidence is this?”
“I’m thankful,” he said, slowly reaching for me. “And I always will be.” He pulled my face to him and kissed me gently then let go to get in his car.
“Rhys, talk to me,” I said, my heart sinking.
“It’s Christmas Eve, Violet. I have to go get Bryce.”
“Violet?” I turned around to see Alex walking toward me and held my hand up to stop him in his tracks.
“Not now, Alex.” I saw Rhys stiffen as Alex approached. I turned to glare at him but he stood firm in his refusal to give Rhys and I space. “All I am asking for is a few minutes, Violet.”
Rhys darted around me, his face twisted with fury. “I thought I told you to stay the fuck away from her.”
I jumped in front of Rhys, a question in my eyes as he looked past me, murder in his depths for Alex.
“I think you know I only want to talk to her,” Alex snapped back, challenging him. I looked between them, completely confused. Then it dawned on me they’d had this conversation before. I turned to Rhys.
