Jamie closed his eyes for a minute, grounding a civil sanity. Daddy Spencer didn’t.
“Oh, you mean the same Tom who dumped Jamie at a boutique with nothing in the middle of a snowstorm?” Daddy Spencer said, voice sharp.
Tom cleared his throat. “That was a misunderstanding due to Jamie not following orders.”
Tom’s voice had that familiar smug tilt to it—the one he used when he wanted to sound reasonable while twisting the knife. He was standing there, mask off now, posture perfect, blazer crisp, acting like Jamie was the one making a scene. Like Jamie was the dramatic one. Like Jamie hadn’t been left in a boutique with nothing but a hoodie.
Jamie felt his chest tighten as heat rose up his neck. The surrounding walls blurred for a second—just twinkling lights and muffled music and the sound of his own pulse roaring in his ears. Tom’s words were polished, practiced, designed to make Jamie look unstable. Like he was overreacting. Like he was the problem.
Jamie scoffed, the sound sharp and bitter. “You’re a fucking liar.”
The words came out before he could second-guess them. And for once, he didn’t care. It was the first time he’d ever let himself publicly swear at Tom. Jamie didn’t swallow the anger or try to smooth things over. He felt it—raw and real—and he let it out.
Tom shot him a death stare, surprised. He wasn’t used to Jamie talking back, not like this. Tom penalized public disobedience. In Tom’s world, he was the only authority orchestrating humiliation. Jamie had spent too long being silent, being polite, being the one who didn’t make a scene. But now? Now he was done.
“I bet your new daddy doesn’t know what you really are,” Tom shouted to Jamie.
“Stop making shit up about me,” Jamie shouted.
Everything surfaced at once—every moment Tom made him feel small, every time he’d been told he was “too sensitive,” every time he’d been left out, dismissed, or made to feel likelove was something he had to earn. Jamie would not play that role anymore. Not here. Not tonight. Not with Daddy Spencer standing beside him, ready to fight for him if he had to.
And for the first time in a long time, he felt powerful. Not because he was loud, but because he finally stopped letting Tom silence him.
Billy looked uncomfortable, but Tom just smirked. “Jamie, always the drama queen. Overly sensitive and habitually clingy.”
Daddy Spencer stepped forward. “You don’t get to rewrite what you did.”
Tom rolled his eyes. “And you don’t get to play hero, cowboy. Jamie’s fine. Look at him.”
“You don’t know what condition he was in when I found him frozen on the side of the road. Not even a fucking jacket!”
“Why don’t you ask Jamie what our arrangement was?” Tom asked, scowling at Jamie.
“Whatever it was, it doesn’t give you the right to abuse him.”
Tom’s voice cut through the room like a blade, sharp and smug. “He can play any role you want for money,” he sneered, loud enough for people nearby to hear.
Jamie froze for half a second, the words hitting him like a slap. His stomach twisted. That wasn’t just a dig—it was a public humiliation. Tom knew exactly what he was doing, painting Jamie as some kind of paid plaything, like their relationship had been transactional. It was cruel. It was calculated. And it was a lie.
Jamie’s face flushed hot, a mix of shame and fury bubbling up fast. He felt the sting of old memories—trying so hard to be enough, to be loved, to be seen. Tom had never paid him for anything. Not dinners, not gifts, not even gas money. Jamie had given and given, and Tom had taken without a second thought.
“You never paid me for anything. You’re lying!” Jamie shouted, voice cracking with emotion.
It was the first time he’d ever raised his voice at Tom in public. And it felt good. Messy, raw, but good. He wasn’t going to let Tom rewrite their relationship just to save face. Not tonight. Not when Jamie had finally found someone who saw him for who he was—not a role, not a fantasy, but a real person worth loving.
Daddy Spencer didn’t wait. He shoved Tom hard enough to make him stumble back a step against the wall.
Tom shoved back.
And then it was chaos.
Jamie tried to grab Daddy Spencer’s arm, but fists were already flying. Daddy Spencer landed a punch to Tom’s jaw, and Tom swung back, catching Daddy Spencer’s shoulder. Billy shrieked and backed away, knocking over a tray of drinks. People gasped, someone yelled for security, and Jamie stood frozen for a second before diving in to pull Daddy Spencer off.
“Daddy Spencer, stop!” Jamie shouted, gripping his arm. “He’s not worth it!” Jamie wouldn’t put it past Tom to press charges against Daddy Spencer.
Daddy Spencer was breathing hard, eyes blazing. Tom wiped blood from his lip, glaring.
“You don’t get to hurt him again,” Daddy Spencer growled.
