Curtains (5 page)

R:
I
'
ll see you soon.

Even now, if he was willing to tell me everything, I could
n
'
t forgive how he had broken a little piece of me with what h
e
'
d said. Even if he did
n
'
t mean it, even if h
e
'
d just said it in anger, I could
n
'
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 nam
e
..
.
If I had only asked for Bryc
e
'
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 h
e
'
d only shared more, we would have both known our pasts were mutually bound by one fucking name.

Sandra.

"
I
t'
s not him, i
t
'
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 loathe
d
… and sweet Bryc
e
'
s mother.

Keep it together, Vi.

Sandra, the same woman who destroyed my marriage, and the woman we both hated. I did
n
'
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 ma
n
'
s forehead before leaning in for
a—
what the fuc
k—
kiss.

"
WHAT THE FUCK
!
"
I stormed out of Rhy
s
'
s office and down the hall, thankful
I
'
d had sense enough to wear a jacket that secured tightly over my lingerie-clad body. I rounded the bar, regarded Sandra for mere seconds as she argued with Rhys, and stood behind my ex-husband.

"
You are gay!
?
"
I screamed at the top of my lungs. The club was busier than usual and everyone, and I mean everyone, turned to watch me come apart, including Sandra and Rhys.

"
Violet, what the hell are you doing here
?
"
Alex turned on his stool to face me fully, completely confused and distancing himself from his lover as if he were ashamed.

My face heated, my anger surfacing further as I watched the man sitting to his left turn in his seat to face me, looking as if my name coming from Ale
x
'
s lips pained him. I knew his name.
I
'
d heard the conversations the
y
'
d shared, and recalled the last one when he had whispered his I love you.

"
Well, Alex, I am fucking the man who owns this bar. What are you doing here
?
"
I snapped, glaring at Chris, who was strikingly handsome. I could see the appeal. My fury evident, I grabbed Ale
x
'
s drink and chugged it, the burn soothing me slightly. Rhys approached me from behind and grabbed my arm. I glared at him and jerked it away before returning my attention to Alex.

I kept my eyes trained on the man who had completely ruined my trust, ruined my confidence, all because he was too much of a coward to come clean
.
"
All this time, I thought I was
n
'
t good enough. I thought I was
n
'
t woman enough and you let me think I was
n
'
t! You could have told me, you selfish son of a bitch! At least I would have understood in some way that I was
n
'
t MAN enough for you
!
"
I took the rest of his drink and threw it at him, covering his dress shirt in ice and amber liquid. Rhys grabbed my upper arm and pulled me back roughly.

"
Violet, let it go
,
"
he snapped, forcing me to bring my eyes to his. I ripped my arm from out of his hands again, cursing and blinded with rage.

Every person has their breaking point, and this was mine.

"
And you, Rhys. You loved thi
s
… this bitch
.
"
I pointed at Sandra
.
"
This whor
e
… This monster
!
"

"
Hey now, maybe bitch is deserved
,
"
Sandra said, coyly walking up to us and covering me with her clear blue gaze. She was smirking and enjoying every minute of the confrontation. I held her eyes, thinking Bryce did slightly resemble her, and shook my head, not wanting to make the connection. It was too painful. My chest burned with anger and there was
n
'
t a rational thought able to compete with it.

I was in her office building a month ago, believing I watched a mouse at play before the snake struck, when in reality
I
'
d been staring straight at the serpent.

She was the reason for so much of my pain, of Rhy
s
'
s pain. She was the reason Bryce would grow up without knowing or feeling the love of his real mother. Rage boiled within me as I thought of Bryce and what he deserved.

"
I did
n
'
t love her, ever
,
"
Rhys said plainly
.
"
Violet, look at me
.
"
My voice trembled with fear of his answer, but I had to get my next question out.

"
Did you know
?
"
I asked in a harsh whisper. When he did
n
'
t answer, I asked louder
.
"
Did you know, Rhys
!
"
I demanded. My voice rattled with my next question
.
"
Am I another one of your games
?
"
I looked between Sandra and Rhys as what composure I had completely left me. Rhys looked at me incredulously as Sandra took a step closer, unable to hide her excitement of the situation.

"
No, Violet. I had no idea
,
"
he said quietly. His eyes pleaded with me to believe him, but I could
n
'
t. In that moment, I hated Rhys for having anything to do with Sandra. I was flipping at my revelation and I was sure anyone in my position would be too. It was too much. I had to get out of there and fast.

"
Violet,
I
'
m sorry
,
"
Alex said, stepping up to the most fucked up circle of people
I
'
d ever known
.
"
I thought you knew and tha
t
'
s why I wanted a quiet divorce. When you said Chris I assume
d
—
"

"
K-r-i-s, not C-H-R-I-S you fucking moron. How in the hell would I have known this
?
"
I glared at him as he cowered away back to his seat as Chris grabbed his hand. I almost laughed at the way Alex needed to be consoled.

What a little bitch.

Sandra spoke next. I expected her posture to be hands clasped at her fingertips, eyes filled with mischief, an evil pose that let us all know that all of this had gone exactly according to plan. Instead, she looked between the four of us with pure delight
.
"
Oh this is too good to be tru
e
… I did
n
'
t realize my playthings could bring out so much emotion
.
"
Sandra shook her whole body in an exaggerated shivering motion and snickered as she looked back at Alex and Chris, who regarded her with contempt
.
"
Little did I know when I took your husband, Violet, he would fall in love with me and my sub. I have your husband and his lover under my thumb. Why do you think that is
?
"
She stood inches away from me and continued her torment
.
"
You are
n
'
t woman enough and you never will be. Especially for Rhys.I promise you that
.
"

I turned to face her head on as Rhys moved suddenly, stepping in front of me, his back towards me. She took note of his protectiveness and her jaw hardened.

"
Look at Rhys all grown up with a real girlfriend
,
"
she taunted
.
"
Tell me, do you two make supper and watch reruns before you fuck? How is life in vanilla, Rhys? Do you really think this woman is enough for you
?
"
She laughed, but no one around her joined in. Not even her two subs at the bar, one of them being my ex-husband.

This was not happening.

I trembled with every breath I took as Rhys remained completely composed as he addressed her.

"
I
'
m happy and it kills you
,
"
he said smoothly, his voice unaffected
.
"
I want her and you know it and i
t
'
s fucking killing you
.
"

"
You always did think a little too much of my need for you, Rhys
.
"
She waved him off, though her statement was far from convincing, her want for him evident in the way she regarded him.

"
Really, is that why you made a house call for my cock just a few short weeks ago
?
"
He nodded toward Alex and Chris
.
"
I
'
m sure they would be interested to know their mistress is
n
'
t satisfied
.
"
Chris stiffened, his face contorted in anger while Alex remained impassive and unimpressed. Rhys took a step toward Sandra and she cringed slightly as he addressed her with nothing short of hatred
.
"
When I walk out the door with my future in my hand, I will never see you again.
I
'
m done with this place, with you, for good. If you come anywhere near me, Violet, or my son, I will ruin you
.
"
He leaned in closer so only the threat was heard by the three of us
.
"
I will hurt you and you know I know just how to do it
.
"

Rhys took my arm in an attempt to pull me out of the club. I passed her, but I had to get my digs in. I gripped the back of her head, digging my nails in her scalp as I whispered in her ear
.
"
Your inability to keep your hands off what did
n
'
t belong to you led me straight to the arms of the man you wanted most. Your son will call me mother while the man you want fucks me, loves me, and worships my body. Keep Alex. We both know it was
n
'
t really a fair trade, was it, Sandra? Enjoy the short end of the stick
.
"
I pulled back, inches from her face to see her shocked expression. She did
n
'
t think I had it in me, and that made two of us.