her telling me to leave again.
When I need her most.
I just want Kat back and the life we once had. It’s all I need to live.
My blood turns ice cold when I stop at the top of the stairs and see Kat talking to that asshole from the café.
My legs feel like they’re trembling; my body’s shaking from the sight of him. Jacob, the supposed client Kat said was no one. No one, my ass.
Anger rises quickly as I watch them. I’m not an idiot. I knew there was something between them. I could tell. I know my wife. The thought steals the breath from my lungs and the love I thought I had, the love I thought she had for me, it all crumbles into dust.
“You motherfucker,” I sneer the words without thinking twice. The door to my townhouse is still cracked when this prick looks up at me.
“What are you doing!” Kat screams as she stands in the doorway. I turn just slightly, just enough to see her frantically pushing the door open. It bangs hard against the wall as she pleads with me to stop. But there’s no way I can.
I won’t let anyone come between us. She’s all I have left.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
KAT
It’s not because I hate him,
It’s not because of love.
It’s because I only have myself,
When push comes to shove.
I knew better than to fall for him,
To think that we had grown.
I knew better than to believe in love,
I’m meant to be alone.
I’d recognize Evan’s voice anywhere. But the anger is something new. Something terrifying even. The second I grip the cold handle and open the door, my body freezes and the shock makes my mouth hang open and my eyes go wide. My heart beats in what feels like slow motion.
“Stop it!” I scream at him. My words echo in my head as he slams his fist against Jacob’s jaw. It’s instantly red and swollen. And Evan’s already got his other fist up.
“Evan!” I scream as I run out of the foyer and into the hallway. “Stop it!” I yell and grip onto Evan’s arm. I try desperately to pull him away, but his hard, hot body is a force I can’t control and I’m still hanging onto him, my nails scratching his arm as I try to pry them apart.
“Evan, stop!” I slam both of my hands into Evan’s chest, managing to squeeze between the two men as Jacob grabs his jaw.
“You fucked my wife,” Evan yells over me, screaming at Jacob and this time I want to smack Evan straight across his face. I don’t. I don’t give him any reaction except to turn toward Jacob to apologize.
But Jake is smiling, a cocky grin plastered across his face like this is some sort of joke or game. Like he thinks it’s funny, and it does nothing but piss Evan off.
“You mother–”
“Stop it!” I scream again, and this time my voice feels raw and it pains me to scream. My body’s hot and shaking, adrenaline coursing through my blood as my heart races.
“Get out of here!” I yell and push Jacob away. His green eyes flash with something, perhaps disbelief, or maybe something else. I’m not sure, but I don’t have time for him.
“You’re cheating on me,” Evan says it as if it’s a question, his nostrils flaring and his hands still clenched into fists.
“I’m not the one keeping secrets, you fucking asshole. He’s a client and nothing more.” My gaze almost shifts away from him. I know there was something, a chemistry that kindled between Jacob and me. A tension that I wanted to push. But it’s only because I was hurting, and I never submitted to the temptation. I couldn’t hurt Evan like that. I never would.
“What is wrong with you?” I ask him with nothing but disdain. For a moment I think of all the questions on the tip of my tongue, asking him why he’s doing it and when he turned into this man. But this is the man I married. I’m the one who’s changed. Not him.
Evan takes a step forward and his hand raises to my shoulder. I smack him away, barely feeling his hot skin against mine. “Don’t touch me!” I yell at him. My hand stings from the impact and I can’t stand it.
I can’t stand what we’ve become.
Evan’s shoulders rise and fall steadily. The heavy breaths and furious look in his dark eyes make me take a step back. I’d never think he’d hurt me,