Page 103 of Mind Maze

I wonder how many good punches I could get in before the other two men would pull me off him.

“Where. The. Fuck. Is. She?” Each of my words is punctuated by a new level of pissed-off. The liquor hisses through my veins like hot steam rushing through a pipe looking for escape.

“Show him,” Gideon urges. “Let him see what kind of screwed up girl my daughter is.”

Dad’s pathetic attempt to seem apprehensive about this is overshadowed by his gleaming eyes. He’s loving every second of this. “Promise you won’t lose your shit, Son.”

I don’t make any promises.

Gideon refills everyone’s glasses while Dad scrolls through his phone.

“There are some texts between them,” Dad explains. “That’s how it started.”

My eyebrow hikes up. I’ve had access to all her texts, and thus far, there hasn’t been anything alarming to me. This is all bullshit.

“I’m texting them to you now,” Dad explains. “Take your time. I know this is upsetting.”

I grind my teeth together as I fish out my phone. The text he sent me has some screenshots attached.

Theo: Why would you say yes to marrying him when we’re planning to run away together?

Romy: So he won’t catch on too early. He’ll try to stop us when we get ready to take Kaitlyn and leave. I don’t want him to be suspicious.

Theo: You love me more than him.

Romy: I only love you.

My eyes dart over to Dad. “She’s having a relationship behind my back with my brother?”

Dad nods, feigning disappointment. “I’m sorry, Son. I know how much you care for her.”

He has no fucking idea.

He also has no fucking idea that I know these texts aren’t real.

“There’s more,” Dad says, gesturing for me to continue. “There are a lot of text conversations between them.”

Romy: He almost caught me sneaking back to our room. We can’t be so careless in our affair.

Theo: I know, baby doll. But you’re so hard to resist. I’m counting down the days until we can leave.

I know for a fact Theo calls her “babe,” not baby doll. It’s almost as if some old guy created these fake texts…

Oh, that’s right.

An old guydidcreate these fake texts.

I read another screenshot, this one from this morning.

Romy: He’s gone. Hurry. Come see me. I need you.

Theo: I’m on my way. Take his ring off. I’m not fucking you with it on.

Despite knowing this is bullshit, rage burns hot in my chest.

“There are also these pictures,” Dad rumbles. “I must warn you, they’re difficult to look at.”

My phone buzzes with another text where he’s sent me multiple pictures. I open the first one and stare in confusion. It looks so real.

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