I turned slowly to Ocean, a cold realization settling over me. The conversation he had with Enzo, the teenage girl stuff he mentioned…it was true. My stomach dropped, and I felt a momentary stab of guilt for not acting sooner.
Mom handed me and Ocean a laptop. “Here. You two…you need to see this.”
I opened it, heart pounding. The video loaded, and instantly, I recognized Kory’s face as he stood at the edge of a bed in what looked like a hotel room. My mind raced as I tried to brace myself for what I might see.
But nothing could have prepared me for what unfolded.
The video wasn’t of my sister’s husband shoving his dick into some teenage girl from behind. My hand flew to my mouth, eyes wide in shock and horror. My heart hammered as the scene became clear. It was of him…having sex with another man.
I gagged, turning away for a split second before forcing myself to look again.
My stomach turned.
“Where did you find this?” I asked Leera.
“It was in a recent folder on his laptop. I was trying to see his work schedule so I could plan something for when he got back. He keeps all of his devices synced, so it’s not outside of the norm for me to do that. But when I tried to log onto his laptop, therewas a password. That threw me for a loop because he’s never had a password before.” She rolled her eyes. “Granted, it wasn’t hard to figure out what it was. The idiot didn’t even have enough sense to use something that didn’t include our son’s birthday.”
Dummy.
“Does he know that you know?” I asked.
“Yeah. I sent him a recording of me watching the video.”
“Oh, wow,” Ocean mumbled.
Before I could ask another question, the front door flew open, and Kory walked in.
I felt my pulse quicken, dread curling through my veins.
“Get your shit and leave!” Leera screamed from the couch, voice cracking. “Don’t come near me!”
He froze, then stepped forward cautiously. “Babe, I can explain. Please, just talk to me.”
“Talk to you?” she screamed back as she stood up. “How about you explain why you never told me that you liked men? Why you married me? Why I...why I saw that video?”
He stuttered, trying to deny it. “That’s not me! That’s not?—”
My sister pointed at him. “Stop lying! That’s you! The tattoo on your neck, your voice...I know it’s you. I know every inch of it is you!”
He froze, swallowing hard, then he turned toward me. “Skye! You did this! I know you made that video and sent it to break us up!”
“Don’t even try it! I had nothing to do with that!”
Ocean stepped in front of him, eyes blazing. “One move toward her, and I swear I’ll break you in ways you won’t forget.”
He hesitated, looking from Ocean to me to my sister, then back. “I?—”
“Get the fuck out.” Ocean pushed Kory toward the door with enough force to make him stumble.
I could see the mix of shock and fury on Kory’s face, but he knew better than to challenge Ocean.
The door slammed behind him, and Ocean turned to me. His chest heaved slightly, adrenaline still coursing through him, but there was no mistaking the relief in his eyes.
I went to Leera, crouching down beside her. She was still trembling, sobbing uncontrollably, and I pulled her close, letting her bury her face in my shoulder. “Shh, it’s okay,” I whispered. “He’s gone.”
Mom hovered nearby, tears streaming down her face, but she stayed silent.
“I can’t believe it,” Leera whispered. “I…I didn’t know. He’s been lying to me all this time.”
