I sit back with a thud, my arms so heavy that they curl around my spread legs.
He touched me…
Kaden touched me…
Oh, my god! I cheated on Dylan! What the fuck?!
Okay, how could this be cheating? I didn’t know it was Kaden. That doesn’t count, right? Not if I was touched against my will.
My stomach twists so hard at the mere thought. The room feels too small—personal. The events of last night flash unbidden in my head.
The way he stretched me, the way he was holding onto me so tightly that I’m sure my hips are bruised, and the way he made me orgasm twice until I was dripping down his face…
“I didn’t know…” I whisper brokenly, wetness tracking down my cheeks.
I didn’t know it was Kaden. Even though all the signs were there, Ididn’t.Know.
I drag my fingers through my hair, tugging on it slightly as if the pain will shunt me back to the present. “It wasn’t cheating,” I try to reason with myself. “I didn’t invite it. I didn’t choose it.”
Did I?
I rewind further, to my frantic breaths and undulating hips. The way I held him in place as I fucked his face desperately, chasing an orgasm I hadn’t had inmonths. The curl of my fingers that scraped his scalp, begging for him to go harder,faster.
No! No, no, no!
I didn’t invite him to do that to me. He doesn’t get to fucking touch me. I’m happy with Dylan, and I refuse to let Kaden taint that.
My chest tightens with rage as I push up from the ground. I smooth my hair down, taking a deep breath as I try to still my heart. I swipe at my tears, drying my cheeks before I head back downstairs. I go straight for the terrace doors, sliding them open as Kaden rises from his chair.
“What the fuck are you doing out here without shoes on?” He asks sharply with a scowl. “It’s fifteen degrees out—””
I cut him off, stomping over to him as I point a finger at his chest. “Shut up! I know what the fuck you did. Youviolatedme!”
He scoffs, his head rolling back. “Please, Dylan is doing far worse behind your back.”
“You—” My words die on my tongue as I take a step back. “No! No! You don’t get to try and turn this around on him!”
He tucks his hands into his pockets, rocking back on his heels. “Ask me the right question, baby.”
“Stop calling me that!” I shout, my eyes flickering to the door to see that my fiancé is no longer downstairs.
Kaden leans in, gaining my attention as my spine straightens. “Ask me the right question, Melody.” He whispers, his head tilting. “I know you’re curious about what he’s really doing in the dark.”
“I…” My voice trails, those secrets tugging deep in my gut. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about what Kaden said last night. It’s remained in the back of my mind, floating aimlessly like a haunting presence.
It makes me pause, assaulting me with every implication it possibly can. There’s a rush of wind that bites past my robe as it chills me to the bone, and my toes feel like ice blocks, but none of it is a balm for the twinge of hurt I experience at my core.
Is there something I’m missing?
No.
No, there can’t be. Dylan loves me. We’ve built a life together…
He would never hurt me. Not like someone else would.
My face hardens as I glare at Kaden. “I’m not asking you jack shit.”
He sucks his teeth before his pierced tongue darts across his bottom lip. It catches my eye, giving me an intense flashback that makes my neck flame.
