Ronan has all the power, but I’m not about to sit back and let him abuse it.
I jump off the couch and make a beeline for Stephen. “What the hell is wrong with you!”
But Ronan grabs him by the collar and drags him out of the room, ignoring me completely.
I run after them, barefoot and breathless, as Ronan leads him to the front door like he’s a dog that needs to be punished.
“Ronan, stop! What thefuckare you doing?”
He throws open the front door, and Stephen doesn’t so much as look at me as he stalks outside, a purple bruise already starting to blossom on his cheek.
I want to pull Stephen back inside, help take care of the bruise he had no business getting. “You’ve got some nerve?—”
Ronan slams the front door shut so hard it rattles the entire house before turning on me, his face flushed. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
I blink at him, completely stunned. “Excuse me?”
“You’re curled up on the couch with another man like it’s date night. What the hell am I supposed to think?”
I throw my hands up in the air. “Oh, I don’t know, maybe that I was watching a goddamn movie? With the guyyouassigned to never leave my side!”
“He was too close.”
“Oh, my god, are you hearing yourself?”
Ronan steps toward me. “He’s married.”
“Exactly! He’s married and happily so, I might add. And I was beginning to think I was too, but the jury’s out on that now.”
Ronan looks like I’ve slapped him, but I need to make my point.
“What you just did to Stephen was completely out of order.” My voice trembles.
How dare he?
“You don’t get it?—”
“No,youdon’t get it! You keep saying you trust me, but every time I so much astalkto another man, you act like I’m cheating on you.”
His fists clench at his sides. “Idotrust you.”
“Then act like it! Because right now, the only person acting trustworthy is Stephen who, may I remind you, was. Just. Doing. His. Fucking. Job.”
Ronan’s expression darkens, but he can’t scare me into backing down. He needs to know that I can’t keep doing this.
“You’ll end up losing both of us if you keep acting like?—”
He steps closer. “Like what? Huh? Say it.”
“Like acrazy person!”
He flinches as he looks away. But instead of apologizing, he simply mutters something under his breath before stalking off down the hall and slamming the door to his office shut behind him.
I stand there with my heart racing and my hands trembling as the sound from the TV faintly filters through into the foyer.
I wrap my arms around myself. “So much for the mundane…”
I don’t bother going to turn it off. Instead, I head straight up the stairs and lock myself in my old room. Most of my stuff has been moved over into Ronan’s, but tonight I have no intention of sleeping in our marital bed. Not that I think he’ll even notice. It’s likely he’ll be spending the night in his office anyway.
