Page 2 of Dark & Deceitful

“You’re my wife.”

And there it is.

The same bullshit… a different day.

He’s right, though.

I am his wife. We’ve been married for over twenty years and have two grown sons together.

There’s a lifetime of memories between us.

And a lifetime of deceit.

Shaking my head in disgust, I scoot the mugs to the edge of the counter and give them both a final stir before I remove the spoons and the infuser and set them in the sink to wash later.Retrieving the popcorn from the microwave, I dump it into a bowl from the cupboard and set it next to our drinks.

“Lily,” I call to my adorable, dark-haired, gray-eyed visitor, who looks exactly like her father. “Come get your hot chocolate and popcorn.”

Lily skips in from the living room in her fluffy slipper socks and takes one look at her dad, who blows her a kiss. She catches it with a giggle and smacks it to her cheek before snatching up her goodies and carrying them into the living room for our girls’ night.

“Thanks, Kali!” she hollers around a mouthful of popcorn.

“Pick a movie. I’ll be there in a bit,” I respond with a fond smile, knowing exactly what she’ll choose. It’s tradition. You know how kids are. They get an idea in their head, and it turns to cement. I’ve watched the same movie every month for the past eighteen months. Not that I mind. We recite certain spots, word for word, and made it a game to see who can do it the most. I’ll tell you a secret—I let her win.

The telltale sound ofCoralinebeginning is my cue to get Dark the hell out of my house and on the date with his woman. This is Lily’s and my time together.

Knowing the only way to get Dark to leave, I return to my spot on the side of the island and pull open the drawer with the hidden compartment. Dark’s eyes widen when he realizes what I’m doing. I extract one of the many guns hidden throughout my home, set it on the counter, and make a show of unlocking the safety. You don’t marry a Sacred Sinner nomad without knowing how to protect yourself.

“Leave,” I growl, staring daggers at him.

The asshole grins and out pops those stupid dimples. “You and I both know you won’t use that on me.”

“Do we?” Because I’m not so sure.

“Kali,” he placates, like I’m a child who needs a pat on the head.

“I asked you to leave.”

“Why are you so fuckin’ pissed at me today?”

“You know why,” I growl.

Most days, I’m civil to Dark. I can be the bigger person. Put on a smile. Endure. Today is not that day… and if he’s asking why I’m pissed, why I’m edgy, why I want to rip his too-attractive throat out, then he’s already forgotten. Not that that surprises me. It’s been years. One never forgets the eve of the anniversary of the day your husband returned from a club run with a new woman and a newborn baby. For eighteen months, he disappeared—fourteen months longer than we had planned. Nobody knew where he was. Nobody could find him. Not even his father.

Eight years tomorrow, he showed up on this very doorstep with that little girl sitting in my living room. He begged to explain what happened and asked for forgiveness he doesn’t deserve. That same week, he bought the house two down from mine, making us neighbors. A month later, he and his new family moved into that house… and he’s been here ever since.

After nearly a decade, you’d think I’d let it go.

I haven’t.

Can’t.

Dark stares at me with his impossibly gray eyes, deep in thought. I know that look well—the wrinkle between his brows, the purse of his full lips.

When nothing registers in that brain of his, I die a little more.

Another crack forms in my already broken heart.

I swallow hard to keep myself in check, refusing to show weakness.

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