Page 68 of Bad Duke

“Get the fuck off me!” I shove him as hard as I can, surprised at the strength I find.

“Okay, okay, but we have to go to the hospital.” He holds his hands up defensively, still clueless and fucking smiling.

“I’m not going anywhere with you. You fucking monster!” I hold up the photo of my brother, in front of his face, and his smile slips away. The guilt that replaces it is all the confirmation I need.

“You told me you were looking for him,” I cry, looking at the man I’ve given all my trust to, and feeling like he’s pulled my heart out of my chest.

“I was looking for him. I didn't do this, you have to believe that.” He swallows thickly, and for the first time since I’ve known him, he looks scared.

“You're lying.” My whole body is trembling and I have no idea what to do. All the walls that I’ve built up around me have just come crashing down and I feel like they are crushing me. “You did this, Alex.” I point my finger at him before pushing past him and making my way towards the door.

“Olivia, where the fuck do you think you’re going?” He marches after me.

“Away from this prison and away from you!” I move as fast as my body will allow me to.

“Don’t be ridiculous, come back and let me explain.” He gets in front of me and blocks the door.

“Yes, I knew about your brother being dead, and I kept it from you. But I didn’t kill him. I swear I would never have done that. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to upset you.”

“You really expect me to believe you didn’t do this? You're a murderer, Alex, and you always get what you want, you told me that yourself. Now, move out of my way.” I stare at him through my tear-blurred eyes as the devastation of his betrayal sinks in.

“No.” Alex stands firm, refusing to budge.

“Please.” I close my eyes because I don’t want to look at him.

“Olivia, you have to listen to me. I did not do this and you aren’t safe out there.” He grabs my arm, squeezing it so tight I feel his fingertips bruising me.

“I’d rather take my chances out there than be here with you,” I growl through my teeth, and suddenly, as if my words just triggered him, he releases me and takes a step back. All the determination in his expression has gone and he just looks blank. I ignore the tug of pain it puts in my chest and keep moving forward.

“Wait!” he calls after me. “I’ll go.”

“What?” I spin around, checking I heard him right.

“I’ll go, you stay here where I know you're safe and if anything happens, someone can drive you to the hospital.” He looks and sounds defeated, and it doesn’t suit him, at all. “I need you to calm down and think about our baby, Olivia. I’ll leave so you can do that. Then, when you're ready to hear me out, we’ll talk.” He slowly steps towards me and when he raises his hand to stroke my cheek, I freeze. “Listen to my words. I didn’t kill Jamie,” he whispers so softly that I’m desperate to believe him, but there's too much wrong with this situation. I see now why he’s kept me so detached from the world and I feel like a fool for buying into it. “My conscience may be fucking dirty, Olivia, but it’s clean of this.” I stand in shock as he presses a kiss into my forehead, then rushes past me out the door.

“Do not let her leave,” he warns Patrick as he gets behind the wheel of his car and skids off the gravel.

ALEX

I grip the wheel as I speed through the lanes and feel my rage burning through my flesh. I hate that I had to leave her back there, but she was losing control of herself, and I was the fucking trigger. My hurt is far outweighing my anger, right now, because my wife, and the woman who’s about to give birth to my child, has no fucking faith in me. After all these months that I’ve spent trying to show her I can be a good man, she still sees me as the cold-hearted asshole who she made a deal with.

I head toward The Residence because I know it’s closed for refurbishments. Right now, I need to be alone. I need to know who sent Olivia that fucking photo so I can string them up by their guts, and make them suffer. My heart is beating too fast, my head is spinning with vile thoughts, and knowing that she’s alone at such a vulnerable time is driving me fucking wild. I should be with her, comforting her through her grief, massaging her back, and rubbing her feet. Giving her all the things she needs. She could go into labour at any second and I’m not fucking there.

I’m surprised when I get to the club and the doors are unlocked, all the decorators would have left by now, and when I storm through to the office, I get my answer when I see Marina behind the desk.

“What are you doing here?” I snap, I should have gone to my old apartment.

“I’m enjoying the peace and quiet and getting some paperwork done. And you?” She stares at me, having no idea that my whole world has just fallen apart.

“I’m freaking the fuck out,” I admit, breaking down in front of her and telling her everything that's just happened.

“I’ve lost it all, she’s never going to believe me. I can’t prove that I didn’t do it, and even if she did, she still wouldn’t forgive me for lying to her.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, you're not going to lose her, she’s bearing your child.” She plays the whole thing down, but she wasn’t there. She didn’t see the hate in Olivia’s eyes.

“I don’t think you understand. I love this woman.” I grip my hair and tug it from my scalp in frustration. “I can’t imagine my life without her now, and I’ve built my future all around her.”

“I understand, Alex, I can fucking see it. But you're going about this all wrong. You know who sent her that photo. It was the same person who took it, and the same person who killed him. You need to start looking at what's in front of you.” She turns her laptop around so I can see the screen.

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