Page 164 of Syndicate of Sin Bundle

Why doesn’t she believe me? Does she really think that I would ask Constantino to hurt her best friend like this? I wanted her to choose between us, but ripping off all her fingernails and giving her bruises and bumps everywhere? That wasn’t me.

Laila sighed softly. “Please, go get me an ice pack, Sage.”

I hurried to the kitchen and grabbed an ice pack for stupid little Bethany, who had gotten herself in trouble and was now trying to pin this all on me. Once I returned, Laila was crouched in front of Bethany and handed her the ice pack.

The front door opened.

“Laila!” Constantino shouted, his footsteps pounding against the floor. “Are you okay—”

When he reached the bathroom and spotted Bethany on the toilet seat with an ice pack on her forehead, he growled. “You have some fucking audacity, coming here.”

He lunged toward her, but Laila stepped in front of her.

“Stop it, Constantino!” she shouted. “What did you do to her?!”

“Move, Laila.”

“You nearly killed her!” Laila screamed. “I’m not moving away from her!”

“Move!”

“No!” Laila seethed. “Are you fucking insane, Constantino?! Why did you do this?”

“That bitch is not allowed in my house anymore,” Constantino growled, his nostrils flared and his knuckles bleeding too. It looked as if he had hurt more than just Bethany tonight. “If she’s not out in one fucking minute, I will kill her.” Constantino’s voice was as sharp as glass.

“You won’t,” Laila said, glaring at her husband with her arms crossed.

“Try me, Laila. Fucking try me right now.” He looked at Bethany. “I will fucking kill you.”

With tears heavy in her eyes, Bethany stood up and rushed out of the house, crying.

Part of me wanted to reach out my foot and trip her while she ran by, but I thought against it. Laila already thought that I had caused her husband to beat up her best friend. And I needed Laila to trust me.

When the door slammed closed, Constantino growled in my direction, “Leave now, Sage.”

I sucked in a sharp breath and hurried out of the bathroom. After taking the boiling pot of water off the stovetop, I grabbed my phone and rushed out of the penthouse. Constantino was fuming, and I didn’t want to be in the way of his wrath right now.

Some shit had gone down with him and Bethany. For him to come home to find her in his bathroom, crying to his wife … I could only imagine how he felt right now. If I were him, I’d be more than angry.

He wouldn’t hurt Laila, but I feared what was about to happen between them.

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laila

“I’m going after Bethany,” I said, rushing past him.

“No,” my husband growled, grabbing my wrist. “We need to talk.”

“Get your bloody hands off me,” I snapped and pushed him back.

Blood dripped off his hands, the skin on his knuckles broken open. What is he thinking? Is beating Bethany up what he had to do for work today?! How can he do this? We had been on vacation all week long. She couldn’t have done anything!

Blinded by rage and upset that my husband—who I trusted—would nearly kill my best friend without telling me anything, I shook my head and glared at the man. From the moment that I’d met him, I had known he was a monster, but I … I couldn’t believe what he had done.

What he was capable of doing.

He had completely mutilated her. He had made Bethany so ugly that even surgery wouldn’t fix it. He had embarrassed her to no end, and, God, I hated him right now for it. He had threatened my relationship with her.

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