Page 63 of Ruin

How dare he! How fucking dare he!

“You cheated on me!” I yell. “You slept with another woman behind my back, and then you told me over the phone when you were thousands of miles away! You broke my heart, Zeus! And I haven’t seen or heard from you in five years. Now that you’re back, you think you can just turn up here, saying these things, telling me you still love me? Well, you fucking can’t!”

“I didn’t cheat on you.”

I stop. “What did you say?”

His eyes hold mine as he gently shakes his head. “I didn’t cheat on you, Dove.”

“But you said—”

“I lied.”

Five Years Ago

After a long day of classes, I climb into bed after brushing my teeth. I check my cell for messages before turning off the lamp, but there aren’t any.

I was hoping to have a text from Zeus. I haven’t heard from him in a few days. I sent some texts, but he hasn’t replied to any of them. I know he’s busy with training for this fight he’s got coming up, and the time zone difference doesn’t help. But it’s not like him. He always makes contact with me every day when he’s away.

I have this feeling…like dread. I’ve been trying to ignore it along with the voice in my head that keeps saying he’s recently been pulling away from me.

But this is us.

Zeus and I are solid. We’re the real deal.

I’ve loved the guy since I was fifteen years old.

It’s just the long-distance thing. It’s rough. But it’ll get better. It has to.

I’ve just closed my eyes when my cell starts to ring.

My eyes flash open, and I grab my cell. My heart rate spikes at the sight of Zeus’s name on the caller display. Even now, after all these years, he still has that effect on me. I hope it lasts forever.

I connect the call. “Hey, handsome.” A yawn escapes me, and I cover my mouth with my hand.

“Are you in bed?” Zeus’s voice rumbles down the line.

“Yeah, but it’s fine.”

“I can call you tomorrow if that would be better.”

“Zeus, I haven’t talked to you in days. Now is better.”

“Okay,” he says.

“So, how’s training going?” I ask.

“Good. Look, Cam…”

He called me Cam. He rarely calls me Cam. Only when he’s pissed at me or he has something to tell me that I’m not going to like.

“Are you gonna be in England for longer than expected?”

“No, it’s not that.”

“Then, what?”

His silence down the line worries my insides.