Page 43 of The Butcher

That both intrigued me—and scared me.

My shift starts at 7, so you better get here before then.

I’ll be there soon.

I sat at the round dining table and tossed my phone onto the surface. My heart beat faster than it had a moment ago, full of adrenaline and dread. There was no escape from reality. The only time I felt a reprieve was when I was in the arms of a drop-dead gorgeous man with a magical dick. When I wasn’t with him, the world was in shades of gray. Everything felt mundane and mediocre…and sad. Whenever I was alone with my thoughts, Iwas suffocated by my loneliness. Adrien had two brothers and sisters-in-law and nieces and nephews and parents who thought the world of him—even when he’d cheated on me. My friends were his friends, and they wanted me to take him back. That way, they wouldn’t have to choose sides in the divorce. They didn’t actually give a damn about my pain.

I became so lost in my thoughts that I forgot about the sounds of the bustling city through the cracked window, the ambulance sirens when they passed down the road. I barely noticed the sound of the door when it opened down the hallway.

When I looked up, Adrien was there, dressed in his typical business attire as if he’d had a meeting right before this. He gave me a glance over with sad eyes, like a dog that knew he had done something wrong. He hesitated before he took a seat in the chair, one ankle resting on the opposite knee, his hands in his lap, looking anywhere but at me.

When a moment turned into two and then several, I broke the silence. “You came here to say something?” I found it ironic that I’d done nothing wrong, yet I was the one who’d lost everything. I lived in a shitty apartment alone while he kept the palace, his reputation, and everyone that mattered.

He released a quiet sigh as he continued to avoid my gaze. It took him a moment to look at me, his eyes overfull with pain. “You asked me if there had been anyone else…” His eyes faltered again, the fear making him lose his spine. “I lied.”

The adrenaline that spiked was hot, white-hot. When I thought I couldn’t be any angrier, I was proven wrong. My visceral instinct was to rip him apart with my words, but when I took a breath before I released the fire, I decided to let it go instead. Because it really didn’t matter. “How many were there?”

He was too much of a coward to look at me. “A couple instances…”

“Couple means two. You know that, right? So, was it two or more than two?”

He clenched his jaw like he wanted to grind his teeth into sand.

“You’re the one who decided to come clean, yet I’m pulling teeth.” If he didn’t want to talk about this, he could have kept it to himself. The divorce was happening, so there was no point in admitting all of his transgressions.

“There were about a dozen instances.”

I gave a slow nod, releasing a quiet chuckle because it was so ridiculous. “And I had no idea…” I gave another chuckle because I felt like an idiot. “If Cecilia hadn’t told me, I wonder if I ever would have found out. Maybe when I got an STI…”

Adrien turned quiet.

“Why are you telling me all of this?”

The pause was endless, his eyes scanning the kitchen behind me, just a counter with a stove and a microwave next to a dishwasher and laundry machine, all condensed into a tiny space. “I just thought you should know.”

I narrowed my eyes in suspicion. “How many times did I ask if there was anyone else?—”

“I’m telling you now, Fleur. Leave it be.”

“Leave it be.” I shook my head. “So, were these relationships or…?”

“Not relationships. Just…hookups.”

“Were you ever happy with me, Adrien?” I’d never let him watch me cry, and I wouldn’t start now. But the tears started all the way down in my chest. I’d never felt so worthless.

“Of course I was,” he said. “When I say they didn’t mean anything to me, I’m telling you the truth.”

“Then our sex was bad.”

“That’s not true either.”

“Then it doesn’t make sense, Adrien,” I snapped. “Make it make sense.”

“Beautiful women came on to me…and I struggled to say no. That’s all there is to it.” He gave a slight shake of his head.

“You do realize they only want to fuck you for your money, right?”

He released a heavy sigh.

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