My fingers gripped the edge of the cart. Mythic’s brow furrowed, his eyes flicking between me and the phone. It was obvious that he’d killed her, but hearing her say the words made it real.
“He told us everything,” Detective Randall continued. “He confessed to killing Mia. He killed her the night that she bonded out. He admitted to posing as her when you received those threatening messages to make it look like she was still alive. He was behind the explosion of your car and the fire at your home.”
I waited for my world to tilt, but I felt nothing. No shock. No anger. No sadness. I was numb. After everything Mia and Damar had done, it was like nothing could hurt me anymore. My heart didn’t even flinch.
“He has a court appearance this afternoon where he will be pleading guilty to both murders. He should be sentenced right away.”
Mythic’s eyes searched my face, waiting for some kind of reaction, but I had none to give. “Thank you for letting me know,”I finally managed, my voice flat. I ended the call and slipped the phone back into my purse.
Mythic stepped closer. He rested his hand on the small of my back.
“You good?” he asked gently.
I nodded, staring down at the cart like it held all the answers. But deep down, I knew there was nothing left to feel. Damar and Mia had taken enough from me already. I wasn’t going to give them anything more.
After that mess at the grocery store with my dad and the call from Detective Randall, Mythic wasn’t about to let me out of his sight. He could feel something was off, and honestly, I wasn’t about to fight him on it because I didn’t want to be alone. So, after I cooked us dinner, I went with him to Enchant.
Everyone around me was vibing, dancing, laughing, living it up like they didn’t have a care in the world, but I just couldn’t get there.
I sat at the bar, nursing yet another glass of Rosé. My mind was spinning, stuck on everything Detective Randall said. Damar’s confession didn’t shock me, but hearing how deep his lies ran was mind boggling. His level of deceit was disgusting, and no matter how much I tried to shake it off, it clung to me.
I swirled the wine in my glass, watching the bubbles rise. My father’s voice echoed in my head. His words stabbed at my sense of judgment. How did I miss all the signs? How did I let myself get played like that? It made me doubt my judgment, my common sense, my ability to see people for who they really were.
Was I just too gullible? Too trusting?
I sat there, questioning myself, wondering if I’d let my heart blind me from the truth for too long. Maybe my dad was right. Maybe Iwasa fool.
I couldn’t even muster up the energy to pretend like I was having a good time. I took another sip of my Rosé, feeling the buzz but knowing it wasn’t enough to drown out the noise in my head. I didn’t want to be alone, but being in this loud, crowded club wasn’t doing me any favors either. The music was too loud and the laughter too carefree. I wanted to be home with Mythic.
I slid off the stool and started moving through the crowd. My irritation grew with every step. Folks were dancing like they had no sense and bumping into me left and right, spilling drinks without a care. Somebody’s elbow hit me in the side, and I shot them a look, but of course, they were too busy wilding out to even notice.
I kept moving, dodging and pushing through the bodies. I figured that Mythic was in his office, handling business, or speaking to some staff. That was his usual routine.
Finally, I spotted him upstairs in VIP, and for a second, I was relieved. But then I squinted, staring hard. There was a woman right up in his face, smiling and laughing like she didn’t have a care in the world.
And just like that, the memories of him being a player, cheating, all the lies I had let slide in the past hit me. I felt my blood start to boil, and before I knew it, I was charging upstairs. I didn’t even think; I just drunkenly reacted.
As soon as he saw me coming, he came toward me. His expression was painted with concern as I lashed out at him.
“Who the fuck is she?” I spit as I tried to walk around him. My eyes were staring a hole into the woman. I was so drunk that I wanted to hear it from her that she was fucking my man.
But Mythic stopped me with a stern arm stretched out, blocking my path. “Whoa, baby. What you doin’?”
“Who is she?” I hissed, glaring up at him.
His eyes narrowed with concern. “I don’t know—”
I scoffed. “Mumph.You don’t know?”
“No, baby. She’s just some chick who wanted to get bottle service. I just happened to be walking by.” Then he laughed at my rage.
“Ain’t shit funny,” I snapped.
He shook his head slowly. “You’re drunk.”
“No! I’m done being a goofy bitch. You played me before, and let’s not forget that you were fucking me while you had a woman.”
Now, his humor was gone. Had I not been so drunk, I would have noticed the offense in his eyes. But as he took my hand, I snatched away from him, “Let me go!”
