Page 29 of Mind Maze

It’s a lie.

He steps back, his dripping cock flinging cum on my thighs, and grabs my discarded towel. I watch as he cleans himself up,my legs spread crudely. I flinch when he tosses the towel at me, covering my most intimate area.

“Clean up,” he instructs, not looking at me. “We have things to do today.”

I’m confused at the sudden change in him. We were both enjoying it. We both came. I don’t understand the problem.

“What’s wrong?” I demand, sitting up, wincing slightly at the soreness. It’s a good kind of soreness, not like what I had after Gareth.

He continues to look elsewhere as he redresses. I swipe up the sticky mess on my stomach, feeling oily and gross and used. Moments ago, we shared something real. Now it’s as if I imagined it all.

Your mind is an unreliable narrator…

Prickly tears burn my eyes, but it dissolves to anger. How dare he treat me this way? I stand on shaky legs, letting the towel drop to the floor. My clothes from earlier remain discarded by the suitcase. Something hot trickles out of me.

He pulled out.

Late.

He pulled outlate.

Is that why he’s mad?

I’ve barely managed to pull on my panties when he’s slipping out the door. As soon as the door to the suite slams shut, I know he’s gone. I fall to my knees and finally release the hurt, sobbing until there are no tears left to come.

Theo and Kaitlyn babble about their day, while Orion and Caius speak in hushed tones up front. I’ve chosen to sit in the thirdrow of our rented SUV, eager to be as far away from Caius as possible.

How can he act as though nothing happened between us?

I have the evidence on my body. I noticed the hickey the size of Alaska when I’d gone in for a second shower, happy to wash the reminder of him off me. Even with makeup, the bruising remains. I know this because it’s the first thing Theo saw when we met back up. Shame burned hot through me. He just looked sad. Defeated.

Emotion burns at my throat, but I refuse to cry any more over Caius. He’s a prick. No bones about it. I don’t know why I thought I’d somehow wrangled the real him. The real him is the him he shows every day. That other man I’d glimpsed while making love was a fantasy.

The trip back to Dad’s building is a short one. I’m dreading seeing him after the emotional scene from yesterday, but apparently, my presence is required. At least Bastian and Megan are supposed to be here tonight. I wonder if they’ll lie straight to my face.

God, I feel so stupid.

Has everyone in my life let me down?

Yes.

Well, not Eva. Her only fault is putting up with my father.

As soon as we arrive at the building, Orion and Caius hop out, not bothering to wait for the rest of us. Theo dutifully waits for me to exit the vehicle and the three of us make our way inside. Kaitlyn is understandably nervous, clinging at my side. I’m able to disassociate from my own issues to focus on her. It’s not until we’re in the elevator, just the three of us, do I catch Theo eyeballing my neck again.

Hurt, once again, shines in his green eyes, and he forces himself to look away. I bite on my bottom lip to keep fromcrying. Maybe Dad’s right. Maybe I do need my meds. It can’t be good for me to just randomly quit taking them.

Even just thinking about dulling my mind has me rewinding that thought. I’d rather be emotional and misread people’s moods or intentions than to float around in a cloud of pretend. Reality hurts. I need to get used to the pain.

By the time we reach Dad’s floor and make it to the door, Orion and Caius are nowhere to be found. The door flings open before Theo can knock. Eva, again, greets us with a bright smile.

“Happy birthday,” I say to her, forcing a smile in return.

I reach into my purse and pull out a small, wrapped gift that I picked up after the debacle with Caius.

Her eyes light up. We both know what it is. Every year on her birthday, I get her a charm for her bracelet. It’s kind of corny and not nearly as fancy as most of her jewelry, but I think she actually looks forward to the gift. Since my own mother bailed on me, Eva’s basically been it for me. It’s a heartfelt gift that she’s earned.

“I’m so happy you came,” Eva says, tugging me in for a hug. “Your father.” She sighs. “I’m sorry.”

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