Page 75 of A Bloom in Winter

The phone going off was just perfect fucking timing really, the vibration in Apex’s ass pocket, the demand from God only knew who, absolutely not welcome as it shattered the moment.

“It’ll go to voicemail.” Apex shoved his hand at the thing and silenced the interruption. “It’s nothing.”

Callum glanced around the kitchen as if he didn’t know where he was. Then his eyes passed over the groceries like he didn’t know what they were.

And of course the fucking phone started ringing again.

“You better get that,” Callum mumbled. “It’s important—”

“You’re important.”

“Will you excuse me? I have . . . to . . .”

The wolven tore off like he was the one having to take a call for work.

Left to his own devices, Apex swung round, braced a hold on the counter, and leaned into his arms. In the silence, the cell phone’s sarcastic purring was like a scream in his ears.

CHAPTER TWENTY–SIX

As Mahrci closed herself and Remis in the bedroom, she made sure to stay next to the door. She hadn’t lied to Hemmy about there having been no violence between them during their relationship, but there was a lot going on. A lot that she knew now that she hadn’t before.

And as Remis’s nostrils flared and he looked at the messy bed she hadn’t yet made up, she realized she had made one mistake.

His expression went dark. “You . . . fuckingbitch.”

She forced herself to hold his glare. “Do you honestly care I was with someone else—”

“You’re fucking thehelp?” He slashed a hand through the still air. “That’swhy you ended it with me?”

The sad thing, she thought,was that as topics went, this was better than so many others.

“Just stop,” she said with exhaustion. “I know you didn’t come up here to fight for me.”

“Is that what you want?” He gestured around. “For me to beg you to come back? Is this whole drama some kind of attention-getting bullshit? Because you’re right, that’snotwhy I’m here.”

“So why did you make the drive,” she said in a low voice. “What are you doing this far upstate in the snow.”

“Your father sent me.”

“Ah, yes. I should have known—”

“You’ve made himsoproud. I mean, who wouldn’t want a daughter like you, who doesn’t give a shit about who she disgraces.”

Fuck you, she thought as a wholly uncharacteristic rage hit her.

“Oh, I care about that,” she shot back. “Trust me. I’m pretty happy I disgraced you. It’s the best thing I got out of our relationship.”

That actually shut him up for a moment. And as he stood there, blinking like an idiot in that slick, dark gray suit, she just—

“I wanted to make it work,” she blurted. “Even though I knew you didn’t love me. I wanted to be the good female, do the right thing, but then I realized . . . I don’t know who you really are. Underneath your fine clothes, and the manners that hide your true nature, you’re not what you pretend to be. So I’m not sacrificing myself anymore to the lies—”

“Oh, spare me the vestal virgin shit,” he spat. “You’re not innocent, and I know that firsthand, don’t I. You’re lucky I was willing to stick around after that little news flash.”

Mahrci shook her head and told herself to shut up.

She didn’t. “And you only love my father, that’s who you care about. I was just a way for you to cement your connection to him—”

“In case you haven’t noticed”—Remis leaned in—“he and I are doing just fine without you. The only thing that’s changed is you’re out of his will, and I’m right by his side.”

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