by Shayne Ford
He took everything away from me. He took my heart, my body and my life the way it used to be. My peace of mind. He even stole my lies, the ones that soothed my life and made me happy, and then he crushed them. He pulled the plug on me and watch me fall.
He does it now as well.
He knows no mercy.
Allan tugs at my hand.
“Let’s go, Tess,” he says.
A violent wave of anger spikes through me. I yank my hand out of his grip and flick my eyes to him.
“Fuck you, Allan,” I bark, seething with fury.
Blood spasming in my temples, I spin around and dash out of the room.
***
“You are going to be okay,” Anna says, patting me gently on my shoulder.
Viola brings a cup of hot tea to the kitchen table.
I nod, frozen.
“It will go away. You’ll see,” Viola says.
I tilt my head up and run my fingers across my cheeks, wiping away a few tears.
“That’s how he lost his wedding band, the jerk. He hid the fact that he was married,” I grump.
“Well... In all fairness, she didn’t tell him that she was married as well,” Viola says.
“How could he not know? Doesn’t he watch TV?” Anna asks.
“She has a different last name than him and usually cruises in the bohemian world. Allan’s too deep sunk into his work to care for trivia. Besides, why would he shoot himself in the foot digging for the truth that could’ve blown in his face? He lied to her, and he probably suspected that she lied to him as well. That’s what made them perfect for each other. ”
“That’s not exactly trivia,” Viola retorts. “The woman has a big-name husband.”
“Who fucked me for revenge,” I mutter, grim.
“That’s one way to put it,” Anna says, the faint flicker of a smile threading through her voice.
I look at her, sniffing.
“It’s the truth.”
“Could be.”
“You don’t know him.”
“Neither do you,” Viola interjects.
“That’s true,” I concede with a softer voice.
I brush away more tears before I take a sip of tea.
“How did they get to meet each other anyway?” Anna asks, absently chewing on a pretzel.
I shrug.
“I don’t know.”
“It can’t be their love for art,” she says, irony lining her voice.
“Business dealings, perhaps.”
“You know what bugs the hell out of me,” Viola says.
We both flick our gazes to her.
“There’s more than one thing actually,” she says.
“Welcome to the club,” I murmur.
“No, seriously. Why would anyone cheat on someone like Sebastien Rockford?”
I tick my shoulders.
“Maybe she wanted to get back to him.”
“The way it looks to me he got back to her way more than the other way around.”
“What’s the second thing?” Anna asks.
“Why would he mess with some woman’s life, who’s screwed up anyway...”
“Thank you, sis.”
“You’re welcome,” she says jokingly before she continues. “No. Seriously, now. Why would he do it? He knew this affair was going on all along. He didn’t do anything to stop them. Or, to confront his wife for that matter. Instead, he took his sweet time to destroy the woman who was in the same situation as him, if not worse.”
“Payback. Boredom. Too much power,” I murmur.
“A black heart,” Anna says.
“That too,” I mutter in agreement.
“He could’ve kicked her at the curb instead of ruining your life,” Viola says.
“He didn’t ruin anything. My life was already a big fat lie.”
“Well... If I were you, I’d stay away from that man,” Viola says. “Whatever stirred him up is more vile than everything I’ve ever seen.”
They both look at me.
“And I’d also give mom a more palatable version of what happened this evening. You don’t want her to go all psychological on you and send you back to the doctor.”
“Yeah... I probably will,” I say curling my fingers around the cup and siping more tea.
They leave close to midnight.
A text arrives from Allan at 2 AM in the morning.
Allan: I’ll send someone to pick up my stuff Monday morning.
I don’t reply.
He follows up with another one, fifteen minutes.
Allan: I’m sorry.
I don’t answer to that one either.
It’s 3 AM when the last text message arrives.
Allan: What is that man to you?
A small huff leaves my lips as I turn off my phone.
The better question is, what was I to him?
The answer dances around me, a big smirk on its face.
I was nothing but collateral damage.
To Be Continued.
Also by SHAYNE FORD
NIGHT OF THE KINGS SERIES
A Billionaire Romance
JAMES (Night of the Kings Series #1)
DARK JAMES (Night of the Kings Series #2)
TAMING JAMES (Night of the Kings Series #3)
LEX (Night of the Kings Series #4)
HARD LEX (Night of the Kings Series #5)
LOVING LEX (Night of the Kings Series #6)
DARK HEART SERIES
A Dark Romance
JADEN (Dark Heart Series #1)
WILD JADEN (Dark Heart Series #2)
JADEN’S HEART (Dark Heart Series #3)
SHADES OF LOVE
A Billionaire Dark Romance
DARK MCKENNA (Shades of Love #1)
REAL MCKENNA (Shades of Love #2)
BREAKING MCKENNA (Shades of Love #3)
GOLDEN HEIR SERIES
A Billionaire Romance
SHADE (Golden Heir Series #1)
LOVING SHADE (Golden Heir Series #2)
FOREVER SHADE (Golden Heir Series #3)
WILD HEART SERIES, A Menage (MMF) Romance
JAGGER (Wild Heart Series #1)
LOVING JAGGER (Wild Heart Series #2)
LOVING BRAXTON (Wild Heart Series #3)
WILD NIGHTS (Wild Heart Series #4)
FINDING HOME (Wild Heart Series #5)
STEEL SERIES (A Rock Star Romance)
A Rock Star Romance
Layla’s Story
River Steel (Steel Series #1)
Loving River (Steel Series #2)
River’s Story (Companion Books to Layla’s Books)
RIVER (Steel Series #3)
River’s Heart (Steel Series #4)
About the Author
I write what I like to read-- hot, steamy romances with layered, character driven stories. The lead men are hot, the women are soulful, and the narrative is spiced with a dose of realism to make the stories believable. I like stories that have a dash of mystery and a lot of depth. My stories are not the typical romance, nor are they formulaic or fit a mold.
I currently have 23 books published.
My books are intended for mature audiences only.
For updates on new releases and promotional campaigns, please sign up for my newsletter.
www.shayneford.com
[email protected]
