Page 12 of Depraved Desires

“Caroline,” I began. “This is Rocky. He’s the one who saved Aspen’s life. I mentioned him to you before, remember?”

Caroline turned her head to get a better look at him before her upper lip lifted in a sneer. “And we’re so thankful for that,” she retorted condescendingly.

My jaw might as well have dropped to the floor at that harsh statement. Flicking my gaze over to the girl beside her, I watched with bated breath, fearful of how this would play out. Surprise was etched into her face as she turned to look at the drunken mess of a woman seated beside her.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” she demanded in calm voice, but I didn’t miss the bite to her tone in which she said it.

A slow, malicious smile stretched across Caroline’s face seconds before she turned to look at Aspen. I’ve never seen her look so…evil and unhinged before. This situation must have been weighing on her more heavily than I thought.

“People like you are no good,” she answered. “You’re a waste of government funding, a waste of time, and a waste in general. You won’t grow up to live a successful life. You’re destined to steal, cheat, and manipulate the system for the rest of your pathetic existence because you arenothing.”

Rage consumed me. In fact, all I saw was red. Aspen almost died and Caroline was so selfish that her own desires outweighed any kind of logical thinking. I did believe that alcohol only opened you up to being more honest when in a drunken stupor. For my wife, that was accurate considering everything she was saying right now backed up what she’s told me in the past.

“Caroline,” I snapped, angrily. “That’s enough.”

Aspen held up her hand to silence me, her face twisted in what appeared to be pain—as if she actually believed the words coming from Caroline’s mouth. “People like me?” she questioned carefully; her jaw clenched.

“Yes. Delinquents. People who don’t give a shit about other people as long as they get what they want.People like youuse people for their own gain.” She released a humorless laugh. “What? You think you’re going to graduate from the academy and go to college? Not likely. You’ll end up in the hood, probably knocked up by some low life who didn’t give a fuck about you, or the baby and you’ll scrape by working some dead-end job.”

Aspen stood so abruptly, even I jumped. Her hands curled into fists at her sides and she visibly trembled, probably trying to talk herself out of beating the living shit out of Caroline. I wouldn’t blame her, but that wouldn’t end well for her if she did. Caroline had a lot of connections and could have her life turned upside down with the snap of her fingers if she wanted. Ironically, a lot of the things she was saying about Aspen were exactly how she was.

“And you’re a trophy wife who will never be satisfied until you drain the man of everything he’s got,” she snapped back. “But as long as you’re happy, who cares, right?”

I wasn’t sure how she knew this, considering I hadn’t told anyone of our marital problems. But it didn’t take a genius to figure it out. Our apartment was decorated with expensive items and Caroline, and I didn’t even look like we belonged together.

“You don’t know anything about me,” Caroline sneered.

Aspen snorted in response, her eyes blazing with fury. “And you don’t knowme.” Without another word, she turned on her heels and stormed out of the house, letting the door slam shut behind her.

Rocky shifted uncomfortably in his seat before rising. “I’m just gonna…yeah,” he murmured and took off after her.

When the door closed, I turned to my wife, glaring daggers at her. There weren’t enough words to describe how embarrassed and appalled I was by her behavior tonight. Caroline just shrugged nonchalantly and reached for her water, taking a long sip before returning it to the table.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” I hissed.

She released a loaded sigh and tilted her head to meet my gaze. “Nothing is wrong with me. What’swrongis that little slut taking up my space.” I’ve never heard her talk like that about anyone. Was it possible that she knew about the two of us? Unease coiled around my gut at the thought. The only way she would was if Aspen had told her.

I knew I wasn’t going to get through to her like this. A different approach was in order. Sucking in a long breath of air, I slowly exhaled, attempting to regain my composure. Unfolding my arms from around my chest, I made my way over to the sofa and took a seat next to her, turning my body in her direction so we were closer and so I was less intimidating. If she thought I was angry, it wouldn’t work.

“Why do you think Aspen is a slut?” I began in a leveled voice. “You just met her today.”

She lifted her shoulder in a shrug. “Call it intuition. It could also be because she was supposedly raped by multiple guys in a single night, right before she was supposedly killed. Sounds kind of convenient if you ask me.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “You think she lied about all of this?”

She shrugged. “Ithinkshe put herself in a bad situation. She met up with some guys to get railed and when things went sideways, they tried to kill her and Rocky was conveniently there to save the day.”

Pursing my lips, I mulled her words over while trying to think up a collected response. Truthfully, I’d heard enough and wanted her the fuck out of my house, but things were more complicated than that. This had been an arranged marriage, and it came with conditions.

“Caroline…” I trailed off. “Regardless of what you think, she still went through something traumatic. She’s been out cold for the last week and doesn’t need this kind of drama on top of everything else that she’s been through. Aspen is one of the students at the academy with the most potential. She actuallywantsto do something with her life, and she’s trying to take the steps to make it happen. I know for a fact she didn’t meet up with those boys willingly. They’ve been bullying her since she started school here.” I hoped my words weren’t falling on deaf ears. It was hard to tell how drunk she was or if she’d even remember this come tomorrow, but it was worth a try.

As if I was getting through to her, she nodded. Guilt contorting her features. “I…I just thought this was another attempt of one of your students trying to get with you,” she admitted sheepishly, her voice smaller now that the buzz was wearing off.

Since I started working at the academy, I’ve had countless numbers of students throw themselves at me. Boys and girls. I’ve stayed faithful up until Aspen. It wasn’t that she was different from the others who had tried in the past; I didn’t know her well enough to draw that conclusion, but my life was complicated at the time, and I was weak. This time, it was my turn to feel guilty. My relationship with Caroline was far from perfect, but I’d never been a cheater. As guilty as I felt about the whole thing, some secrets were just meant to be kept. It wouldn’t happen again. Being faithful was something I prided myself on and betraying her trust again wasn’t an option.

CHAPTER FIVE

Aspen

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