I snorted when he went into detail about how often I called and whined that I missed him. That he constantly had to deal with clinginess and my obsession of him.
Onyx reached for my hand, but I pulled away. Something seemed… Wrong with him comforting me over his nephew’s lies about our relationship.
Yes, I knew that was weird when I’d let him help heal Kole’s emotional abuse. Then again, that had gone wrong for me, so maybe that was my hesitation?
That actually seemed smart and I forgave myself my earlier snark. Somewhat.
Kole continued and ranted how it was all about my parents dying and the fact they never loved me and now I was too full of myself because I was broken. That I had always been too full of myself, but he’d kept me under control because he was such the man and could.
No one would now because I’d gotten the bigger crown before mating and I’d be too wild. Clearly, since he’d not been able to do it after all the years of effort and handling me.
Fucking. Asshole.
Then he went into his whole bullshit about Onyx. That he was basically the black sheep of the family and a total pussy Kole could handle in seconds. That I wanted apussysince I thought I was the man of any relationship now and that was why I would consider a loser like Onyx.
On and on andonhe went how he was so much better than his uncle that it was fucking pathetic.
All of it was. Honestly, it was so grossly pathetic that I hadn’t been mad about it. He sounded desperate and ridiculous.
I’d been pissed because of how people responded. Giving him a pass on everything horrible he’d said because he didn’t know he was being filmed.
Oh, fuck them. If the situation was reversed, there was no world where I—nor any female—would have gotten that same consideration. Why did men get it? Boys will be boys?
Fuck themhard.
We were the weaker sex but always expected to rise above, be stronger, and act better? So… Weaker how? Physically?
But stronger emotionally, mentally, and all the other ways. How did that balance out to anyone with a brain?
Sometimes I really thought I was crazy for feeling like the only one sane among the lunatics who spewed this shit. Did an actual crazy person worry if they were crazy?
“I’ve seen four segments of panels discussing the situation and all are on his side after that,” I told him, nodding when he started chuffing. “What did I expect when he’s so much more attractive than me?”
“What?” Onyx exclaimed too loudly for the car.
“It had to be horrible for him to deal with such a clingy woman who also wanted to be the man somehow—not hearing how that really conflicts logically,” I continued, my voice dripping with sarcasm.
I told him the rest and what was said about him. The whole media shitstorm of stupid and fucking pathetic to the point I was pretty sure Vex had done some damage control and bribed people to put this together so fast.
I let out a slow breath when we stopped at the castle and the door was opened for me. “I had some choice words in my interview with June. Staying quiet has done nothing. The public’s opinion of me can’t get any worse.” I shot him a quick glance. “Goodnight, Onyx.”
He was out of the car and around the side of it to escort me before my door was even closed behind me. “Please, Sagan, don’t let this…”
I swallowed a snort. “Thanks for a… Evening.”
He flinched. “I’m sorry I didn’t do this right.”
“It was nice to have a night out,” I whispered, feeling the lie down to my soul.
A boring place that was just the fanciest and most expensive.
A place he’d taken other dates to before.
He talked the whole time and didn’t seem to care about what I liked.
Yeah, it was just a night out basically.
One I wished I could have skipped and that made me sad. I’d thought he was different than the others and that could make up for the insanity he came with since he was related to Kole.
