Page 104 of Mark

“She’s using you,” Danny announces.

Mark shrugs. “I’ll take what I can get from her,” he replies. “But that isn’t your issue. You prefer thinking she’s still hung up on you. Probably makes you feel like areal boy.”

“He’s not Pinocchio,” I point out.

Mark leans forwards, his eyelids lowering. “I don’t know, his nose is looking a little bigger since we first met.”

I turn my head to hide my amusement.

“Fuck you!” Danny growls. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Maybe. But I do know you still want her. You’ve all made a point of stating you chose Esther over Freya, but after getting to know you all, I don’t think that’s the case. You may love your wife, but I’m willing to bet everything I own she wasn’t your first choice.”

I force a laugh. “Yeah, I don’t think it’s that.”

“I love Esther. I ended it with Freya so I could be with her.”

“See, after speaking to your family earlier, and from what Maya has already told us, I call bullshit. You wanted Freya to settle down, to get married and to have children. You wanted her to quit school so you could have those things. And you wanted them because you knew it was only a matter of time before she left your sorry arse. You wanted to tie her to you in every way.”

My lips part as I glance at Mark. “How did you…” I shake my head, clearing my thoughts. I haven’t told anyone except my nan and Summer about what Danny had wanted.

He shrugs a shoulder. “People talk when they’ve had a drink.”

“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” Danny grits out.

Mark’s smirk is smug. “I think I do. You were hoping that breaking up with her would make her realise what she would be missing. It didn’t work. Once you realised that, you went after the one girl who you knew would give you those things. Who you knew put you and your needs first.”

“Mark, I love that you are trying to stand up for me, but you are completely wrong,” I state. Even just replaying his words in my head makes me snort.

“Oh, I’m not. Just ask Mike. He told us how Esther turned up to his birthday party and saw how upset Danny was that you weren’t coming home. He told us how he remembered Esther telling Danny that if he was her man, she wouldn’t be able to be apart from him for long. He also told us how she comforted you,how she stroked your leg, and he showed us a picture of how turned on you were about her touching you.”

I gulp because that exact birthday was over a year before we broke up. I knew they were cheating, but until now, I didn’t realise how long it had been going on.

I glance at Danny, who isn’t looking at me. He’s glaring at Mark. “You wouldn’t let me in your flat the morning after. I thought you were just mad at me for not making the party, but it was really because Esther was still in there, wasn’t it?”

“Lost for words?” Mark taunts when he doesn’t speak. “Let’s face it, you had an amazing woman and you traded down. Esther is probably picking up on it and you feel guilty. Which is why you are really here.”

“That’s not it at all. I don’t like seeing Esther hurt,” he remarks, before turning to me. “It was a mistake that night. We were both drunk and one thing led to another. I didn’t mean to fall in love with her, but I did. I can’t change that and I wouldn’t, even if I could.”

“Leave,” I demand. “Just leave. You came here blaming me for Esther’s problem, when all along, it’s not even really been about me. Just leave me the fuck alone.”

He looks like he might say something, but he decides not to and leaves.

“You okay?” Mark asks when he’s gone.

“You didn’t need to do that,” I remark, feeling embarrassed about the whole thing. I feel pathetic and so vulnerable.

I let out a breath, calming myself. I don’t want to shoot the messenger, not when his actions come from a good place.

“I’m sorry.”

I glance up at him as he tugs me against his chest. “You don’t sound sorry.”

“I don’t?”

I smile at his goofiness. “How did you get Mike to talk?”

He snorts. “Please, the guy wants to be one of the cool kids. It was piss easy to get him to talk.”

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