Page 95 of Forever Mr Black

A fresh wave of anxiety floods through me.

“I never stopped loving you. But you’d flirt with other guys and wear short skirts, and that just made me jealous and angry,” Theo mutters, head in his hands.

Tears well in my eyes. I shake my head. She’s delusional, and so is he.

“No, I didn’t. It was all in your head.”

“Little tart,” Aisling interjects, spewing her bile.

“What about you cheating on me?” I say.

“You made me feel like shit, like I wasn’t good enough. The others didn’t.”

“So, it was my fault?”

Rage flashes in his eyes. “They wanted to fuck me; they didn’t have to be held down.”

“Raped, you mean.”

“That’s your fucking duty as my girlfriend. To have sex with me.”

“Everything’s your fault, Sophie. This is what I’ve been telling Theo. We’ve become good friends. He trusts me. Don’t you, Theo?”

He nods.

What the fuck?

She stands up, a sly smile spreading across her face. “It’s about time you’re taught a lesson. Theo’s going to teach you one. He’s going to make you realise that you do still love him. You’re just fighting it.”

Theo gets up and walks over to the other side of the room, pulling off his jacket. Nausea swirls in my stomach at the thought of what he’s got planned.

“You crazy bitch. Why, Aisling? Why now? What’s triggered this? I can’t believe for one minute it’s because I told Barbara you fucked her son. You don’t give a shit about her, so what’s happened to push you to do this?”

Her eyes harden. I’ve touched a nerve. Then, I realise.

“It’s today, isn’t it? Art told you he doesn’t want to see you again and that he doesn’t want you.”

“And he definitely won’t want you after this. I’m making sure of it.” Her eyes slide to the couch behind me. “On the very same spot where I fucked your fiancé, Theo’s going to take back what’s his.”

My mouth fills with saliva.

Aisling smirks. “If Art can’t be happy with me, I’m going to make sure he’s not happy with anyone.”

I launch at her with everything I’ve got. She screams as I send her flying back into the wall, her framed certificates crashing to the floor around us. But Theo’s hands are on my shoulders, and he hauls me off.

Aisling lunges forward and slaps me around the face. “You silly little cow.” Her lips twist into an evil smile. “I was going to leave, but now, I think I might stay and watch.” She looks at Theo. “Over to you.”

“You evil bitch. You’re sick, do you know that? You’ve got a twisted mind and a black soul, all because the man you love doesn’t love you back. And he never will.”

Anger burns in Aisling’s eyes at my truthful words. She slaps me across the face again. “Shut the fuck up!”

Art bursts into the room. I cry out in relief at the sight of him, but Theo’s arms are around my neck, and I feel the sharp tip of a blade press into my throat.

Art registers the panic in my eyes and gives me a look that says, Everything’s going to be okay.

Please let it be.

“Darling,” Aisling gasps.

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