“Yes.” I wait until she looks at me. “And you never defended yourself. You never told us the truth.”
“Would you have believed me?” Her question is quiet. “Three months ago, when you barely knew me?”
She’s right, and we both know it.
“Come on.” I straighten. “We’re leaving.”
“Enzo, no, I have work to do.”
“It can wait.” I’m already moving toward the door. “You need to clear your head. And I need to drive before I hunt Damon down and finish what I started.”
She studies me for a long moment, then nods. “Okay.”
Twenty minutes later, we’re in my Range Rover, heading out of the city with no destination.
Remy stares out the window.
I put my hand on her knee. “Talk to me.”
“About what?”
“About what really happened with Damon. All of it.”
She’s quiet long enough that I think she won’t answer. Then she starts talking. “We were together for eighteen months. At first, it was good. He was charming and attentive. He made me feel special.” She traces a pattern on the window with her finger. “But slowly, things changed. He became controlling. He questioned where I was and who I was with. He got angry when I worked late or went out with friends.”
I grip the steering wheel tighter but don’t interrupt.
“I told myself it was because he cared. That he was just protective. But it got worse. He started criticizing my work, my clothes, and my friends. He made me feel like I was never good enough.”
I rub circles on her knee, staying quiet so she can have the space to say whatever she needs to get out.
“The cheating wasn’t a one-time thing. I found evidence of at least three other women during our relationship. But every time I confronted him, he’d turn it around. He’d make me feel crazy for being suspicious. He’d gaslight me until I questioned my own memory.”
My heart clenches at everything she went through. But I don’t respond. I need to give her space to say everything on her mind.
“The day I walked in on him, I’d come home early from a conference. I was going to surprise him.” Her laugh is bitter. “Surprise. There was a woman in our bed. In the bed we shared. And he looked at me like I was the one inconveniencing him.”
I pull off at the next exit, parking in an empty lot overlooking a lake. I turn to face her fully.
“What did he say?”
“That it was my fault. That I was never around. That I cared more about my career than our relationship.” She finally looks at me. “He made me believe I deserved it. That I’d driven him to it.”
“That’s bullshit.”
“I know that now.” She blinks rapidly. “But in the moment? I believed him. For weeks, I convinced myself that if I’d been different, better, more available, he wouldn’t have cheated.”
I take her hand. She doesn’t pull away. “None of that was your fault. You know that, right?”
“Logically, yes. Emotionally?” She shrugs. “I’m still working on it.”
“Is that why you ran from Breck? Why you pulled back from Ansel?”
Her fingers tighten around mine. “Partly. Damon made me feel disposable, like I was only valuable when I was useful or entertaining. And when I stopped being those things, he moved on.” She meets my eyes. “I’m scared that’s what will happen with you. With your brothers. That once the novelty wears off, you’ll realize I’m not worth the complication.”
“That’s never going to happen.”
“How can three men be in a relationship with one woman?” she asks. “I already ruined your relationship with your bestfriend. I won’t destroy the relationship between the three of you.”
