Page 26 of Sunshine & Sinful

I arch a quizzical brow at Dark and swallow. “Who’s gonna start?” I gesture to him with the tine of my fork, then swing it to Sunshine. Neither of them are eating. I don’t know if it’s because they mowed down before I left the bedroom or if they’re not hungry. Either way, I’m not letting this spread Dark threw together go to waste. Not when I can count on one hand how many times he cooked for me when we were married, and I don’t mean separated, but actually together. You know when he was off every few months dipping his dick in random pussy.

Dark thrums his fingers on the arm of the chair, and his leg bounces as if he’s nervous.

The man beside me clears his throat. I wait for him to begin, but apparently, he just needs to clear his throatwhen another uncomfortable silence descends, and I dig back into my meal. I’m not letting them off the hook. They started this. I’m not going to pry it from their mouths. Not that I could if I wanted to.

“Fuck.” Dark slams the side of his fist onto the top of his thigh.

Again, I wave my fork like a magical wand and urge him to do more than cuss. He’s never had a problem talking before, so I don’t know what’s stopping him now. The same goes for Sunshine. They’re not quiet, broody men. Well, broody, maybe. But never quiet. At least not in my presence.

“Guys.” I sigh. “Talk or get out. I don’t have time for this.” I pluck a piece of strawberry from my plate, put it in my mouth, and stare intensely at my ex as I chew. They need to pull up their big girl panties and get on with it.

“Christ, Kali.” Dark throws his head back and speaks to the ceiling like it’s too difficult to look at me. “What do you want from me? Do you want me to admit I cheated on you?” The tattooed flesh of his throat moves when he swallows.

I hum thoughtfully and push an orange slice around my plate. “Is that what you want to admit? Something that I already know?”

Dark throws his hands in the air in exasperation. “I gave you what you wanted. A divorce.”

“Which I’ve been asking for, for literally ever.” Years. Years upon years. He doesn’t become a hero all of a sudden because he stopped being a pain in my ass for half a second.

He continues to speak to my dull ceiling. “I can’t change what I did.”

“Do you still do it? Besides what we did on the yacht, do you still cheat on Abby?” I ask, needing to know if he’s trying to be a better person. We can’t change what happened on the ocean, but he can choose to stop hurting people anytime he’s ready.

Tilting his head back down, Dark’s eyes narrow into slits as he glares at me. “Yes. You already know this.” His jaw ticks as if he’s annoyed I’m seeking clarification in the first place.

“Have you done it since we got back? Ya know, cheated since I found out?” I ask again, in a different way, hoping for a different answer.

“Yes.”

Beside me, Sunshine curses under his breath.

“You’re an actual piece of shit,” I announce to the room and shake my head at the audacity of this man, who gives zero fucks about his actions and how they affect other people—real humans with feelings and aspirations. As much as I love Dark, in that platonic, you’re-my-hot-ex-husband thank-you-for-giving-me-children way, I don’t like him very much most of the time. Today, I’d go as far as to say I despise him. You don’t get to take a wrecking ball to everyone’s life and shrug it off.

My ex cringes but doesn’t back down, which I don’t expect him to. “Don’t ask questions you don’t want the honest answer to.”

“Does Abby know?”

“No.”

“Are you going to tell her?”

“No. I’m not. I have an entire life outside of our little world here.” He waves his hand with flourish. “I’m a different man dealing with dangerous people.”

That’s not an excuse to be a dickbag. I’m sorry, it’s not. You can play a role and deal with shady people while you still avoid hurting the ones you claim to care about.

“Then which is the real you, hmm? Maxim or Dark?”

My dickhead ex rolls his eyes as if that’s the dumbest question he’s ever heard. “Maxim isn’t real, Kali. He’s a front. You know this.”

Cocking my head to the side, I point my fork at him. “But do I?”

“Christ. You married me. You know me. You know who I am. You’re the mother of my kids.”

“I’m the mother to two of your kids. Abby is the mother of your daughter, in case you forgot. You know, the woman you’ve been ignoring down the street.”

“Yeah. I get it. I’m an asshole. I should have kept in touch, but I don’t love her. I’ve never loved her, and I’m never gonna love her. Not in the way it counts.”

“Then leave her. Do your Maxim Drake cheating bullshit for the club and leave Abby. That’s the right thing to do, Dark. You can still see Lily. You can still help them. But give the poor woman a chance to be with a man who will actually love her. Not keep her around because he can’t… Never mind.” Having already said too much, I shut my trap.

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