Page 95 of Married to My Grumpy Minotaur Boss

Justine nods. She’s not looking at me anymore, and it’s not lost on me the way her lip trembles.

“You want to get married, don’t you?”

Justine nods.

“And you want a family?”

She nods again. Then she covers her mouth with a shaking hand. “I-I’m sorry. Excuse me.”

Before I can stop her, Justine gets to her feet and rushes off stage.

“What have you done?” I snarl at Tabitha.

The werewolf raises her hands with an infuriatingly innocent look on her face. “Hey, I just say it like it is. Ask the questions we all want answers to. Seems like Justine wanted some of those answers, too.”

I crane my neck, but I’ve lost sight of Justine.

“You’re just stirring up trouble for the sake of it.”

Where has Justine run off to? I don’t like that she’s been upset by this. I need to find her and explain.

Quite frankly, I just need her near me.

I should be trying harder to put out the fire on the burning wreckage of my public image. Right now, I don’t give a fuck about that. “This interview is over.” I get to my feet. Behind thecamera, Reggie, my centaur director, is waving frantically at me to sit back down.

I give him the same glare I gave Tabitha. “There will be a meeting Wednesday morning and you will account for your actions today. The whole lot of you.” I gesture wildly at the whole production team. “And so help me, if I’m not satisfied with your answers, heads will roll.”

That shuts them up.

No one says a word as I storm off set, striding past alarmed crew and through tight corridors to the dressing rooms. I pass mine, searching the hallway for the one marked with Justine’s name.

When I burst through the door, the room is empty.

Fuck.

Where is she? She can’t have had time to get changed. She would hardly have had time to get her things.

I storm back down the hall, heading for the back entrance. My chest is tight. My head throbs with an oncoming headache and my tail swishes behind me. I feel like turning and putting a horn through the wall, but I somehow restrain myself.

A terrified assistant darts out of my way as I round the corner.

I catch her scent in the air. It’s bitter with anger and disappointment, rather than sweet like it should be. I curse. Doesn’t she understand I’m giving her as much as I can?

I should have explained it better. Told her how my heart is damaged in more than one way. I can’t give myself to someone completely. Not like that.

Not when I could be snatched from them—from a family—at any moment and leave them bereft like my father left me.

My chest burns and my hooves clatter over the floor as I race the final steps. I call out to her when I spot her pushing open thefire exit, but my voice is drowned out by the sudden blare of a wailing alarm. “Justine!”

She doesn’t stop. She shoves open that door and stumbles out onto the back alley behind the studio.

I push my way out after her. “Justine!”

This time she glances back.

“Stop!”

She keeps going, her hurried steps tripping into a run.

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