Page 175 of Kiss the Villain

“Fuck, Gareth. You’re spiraling.” I pull out of the parking lot. “I’m on my way.”

“Did you?” The slashing starts again, louder, more unhinged.

“No, I didn’t.”

“How do I know you’re not lying?”

“I don’t know how to answer that if you’re refusing to believe me.”

“Hmm. True. You’re a liar.”

“Listen, Gareth. I need you to tell me who passed on the info.”

“I had a PI on you. For months,” he confesses. “But she’s been lying to me, too. She told me about Isabelle, Lena, Hadil, and Sophia, but not Cassandra. The most important one. The woman you married and looked happy with while you were doing it. While holding her hand and walking down the aisle and kissing her. You were smiling the whole time.”

A video?

How the fuck did he get a video?

Grant? Fuck. If he knows Gareth exists, wouldn’t he come for him?

I drive at supersonic speed, sliding between traffic. Gareth is reacting to this unlike a normal person. Because he’snotnormal. Other people wouldn’t care that much about a dead wife, but he’s obsessing.

He’s letting his nature take over as if she’s a real person standing right in front of him.

“How long were you married to her?” he asks in that same detached voice.

“Two years.”

“How long were you with her?”

“Two and a half in total.”

“Kids?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“She didn’t want them.”

“And you listened?”

“Yeah. I don’t particularly want them either.”

“Wow. You listened. You must’ve really loved her. You looked good together. Perfect match. Made in heaven, as they say. I bet everyone was jealous.”

“Gareth. You’re driving yourself in a loop. Ground yourself and stop spiraling out of control. Do breathing exercises. Count to ten. Go practice archery. Just stop with the illogical thoughts. I’ll be there shortly, okay, baby?”

“Don’t call me that!” he yells, his gruff voice filling the car. “I’m not your fucking baby!”

He hangs up and I curse under my breath, then dial him again, but he doesn’t reply.

Fuck!

I’m inhaling and exhaling so loudly, I think I spit my lungs out.

If he’s reacting this badly to Cassandra, he might actually hurt himself if the other stuff comes out.

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