The icy temperature that wraps around me as my heels click across the landing matches my mood perfectly. There is only one reason any man would head to the dorms. There’s only one reason Drifter is down here, and deep down, my gut already knows what I’m about to walk into.
Music is blaring loudly from behind the door. My hand rests on the handle, but I pause for a moment to gather my composure.
A loud, deep moan hits my ears. There’s no mistaking it. I’ve heard it a million times myself. I grip the handle tighter. I could walk away, pretend it’s not happening.Plenty of women live like that, but I’m not like that. I can’t live a lie.I won’t.I will not stand to be treated like second best.I won’t be my mother.
“Holy shit, Pres.” The shriek of her scratchy voice bounces out the room, ricocheting off every single wall.
I glance down at the hand pressed to my stomach. It was a subconscious move, but one I know is my heart telling me to protect my little one.
I take a deep breath, square my shoulders, and push the door open.
For a second, everything around me feels like it stops. Like the world screeches to a halt, refusing to turn.
Drifter is lost . . . his jeans around his ankles, pounding into Siren, who’s face down on the pool table. He’s so deep in the moment, he doesn’t realise he has an audience.
But Siren . . . it’s like she senses me. Her head turns in my direction, and her eyes land on me. For a second, I think she’s going to tell him, but instead, a slow, smug grin spreads across her face.
I grip the doorframe, my heart shattering. This bitch is fucking my husband, and she grins like it’s amusing her.
I can’t hold it in any longer. I let the anger rise from my toes and spread through me like a disease. I clench my fists at my sides, my nails digging into my palms. “Are you fucking serious?” I scream.
Drifter’s head snaps in my direction. He stops thrusting, his jaw dropping in surprise. Then he looks back to Siren, staring down between them like he doesn’t quite understandthe dynamics now I’m in the room. And then he stumbles back, shocked.
“I said, are you fucking serious?” I grind out again, stepping further into the room.
He scrambles back away from Siren, pulling up his jeans in a hurry. He looks horrified, like the train wreck transpiring around us is news to him too.
I move with grace, closing the gap between us. His eyes find mine, and I see the guilt there, hiding amongst the shame. I pull back my hand and slap him hard. The sound cracks through the silence, and the sting in my palm is nothing to the pain in my chest right now.
How could I be so stupid?All this time, I believed him when he insisted there was nothing between him and Siren.
I turn my attention to her, noting she hasn’t got an ounce of remorse or self-respect. She’s still naked, jutting her chest out like she’s fucking proud. And her eyes are alight with what I can only surmise as satisfaction.
She twirls her hair through her fingers, staring right back at me like she hasn’t just helped rip my life apart. She opens her mouth to speak, but before her words can piss me off further, I grab her by the hair and drag her towards the door.
She screams, trying to scratch at my hands. “Let go, you fucking crazy bitch.”
I pull harder, feeling the roots snapping, gaining satisfaction knowing it’s hurting her.
“Oh, I promise you, princess,” I say with a cold laugh, “you ain’t fucking seen crazy yet.” She scrambles behind me, her feet slipping on the tiles as she tries to keep up.
I hear Drifter’s heavy boots rushing after us. “Hell,” he shouts, but I ignore him.
As I get to the lounge, people begin to turn, and then the room falls into silence, all eyes now fixed our way.
“Hell,” Drifter bellows again, and I hear his boots slow as he realises the room is packed out.
I drag Siren to the centre, her hair still wrapped in my tight fist, her fingers still trying to claw free.
I turn to Drifter, whose eyes are darting around like he’s waiting for someone else to put this fire out.
“Oh, all of a sudden you wanna fucking talk?” I spit, tipping my head to the side. “I don’t think so. You’re a little too late.”
I release Siren, shoving her to the floor before dropping a clump of her hair at her feet. She tries to stand, but I don’t hesitate, lifting my leg and kicking her in the face. “Stay the fuck down,” I yell.
Her nose bursts, and blood sprays through her fingers as she tries to contain it. “You bitch,” she screams. “You broke my fucking nose!”
I lean down so my face is inches from hers. “Darlin’, that was the warm-up. I’m not finished yet.”
