Page 200 of Hate Mates

“Everyone’s fate rests in your decision, so choose wisely,” Kai pressed. He sensed I was considering his offer, weighing it against what I would be giving up. Was I okay with another man becoming my wife’s legal husband as long as I got to keep her, too?

Despite my best efforts, Kai had found the cracks in my marriage, and I was an accomplice to his sordid proposal because I chose to hear him out. Instead of punching him for insulting my marriage, I made the mistake of maintaining my poise. The hesitation gave away my insecurities, and he wasted no time exploiting them.

He was more calculating than I had imagined. He had set me up from the start: the run-in at the hospital, the dinner invitation, the kids’ section, hitting my sore spots. He even knew Bella would cling to Amelie toward the end of the night, giving him an opening for this conversation.

The suave, gentlemanly act was part of the trap, too. He knew I didn’t come from an affluent family. How he normalized the unsavory topic, I was convinced elites routinely discussed the monetary worth of other men’s wives and expected them to be civil about it. He preemptively subdued me by showing me how a ‘gentleman’ behaved, knowing that my desire to belong would compel me to mimic his demeanors.

I saw myself as inferior because of my lowly background and didn’t want him to think I was a savage. Despite everything, I was still fascinated with his life, which was unsettling. He had made me dance like a monkey.

I felt utterly insignificant because he made me waver with good points. Amelie was young. The novelty of our love hadn’tworn off, but it would when she realized we couldn’t start a family for twelve more years. She had endless options and would eventually leave me, and I was powerless to stop her.

Everyone’s fate rested in my hands. There were two roads ahead. With the easy one, our struggle would end tomorrow, and I would have peace of mind that my wife wouldn’t leave me. There was also the chaste path, where the only thing I would walk away with was my dignity.

I started to feel stifled, though the air conditioning was blasting at full speed. The clamminess and discomfort in my clothes made me want to rip them off. I felt weak and short of breath. Each inhale seemed like it could be my last, accompanied by chills, blurred vision, and trembling. I was shaking and tried to conceal it from him, but he was smiling because he had won.

I put up one last-ditch attempt to stop this from happening. “Just think about what you’re asking of me. You’re asking me to share the woman I love.”

“No,” he replied calmly. “I’m asking you to give the woman you love everything she deserves.”

THREE

Amelie

He was quiet on the ride home and climbed to the rooftop the moment we walked through the door. He hadn’t done this since our high school days when I used to sneak in after his parents fell asleep, and we would light up a joint and talk about our big plans of taking over the world. I had never met anyone as remarkable as Stefan, and he proved it when he moved home to take care of his siblings.

I sent the kids to bed and ascended the rickety ladder. He sat on the ledge, his long legs dangling off the edge of the roof. His striking boyish good looks, which made him look naturally youthful and carefree, couldn’t hide his worries tonight. He had the weight of the world on his shoulders, and the sight gutted me.

Nowadays, his moods were part happy, part sad, and fully bitter. He had wanted to escape his humble upbringing, only to be forced back to his hometown. It was a tough pill to swallow. He tried to shield me, but he was getting sloppier at hiding his resentment over how his life had turned out.

Tonight, I sensed there was more to the odd behavior than bitterness. What could have happened? Everything seemed fine at dinner.

“Hi.”

“Hi,” Stefan replied monotonously.

I waited for him to explain why he was meditating on the rooftop in the middle of the night. “Did you have a good time tonight?” I asked after realizing he was lost in a different world.

No response. It was impossible to predict what he was thinking. If only I could see his bright blue eyes. They always gave him away.

“Stefan, is everything okay?”

“He wants you.”

I stilled, and he continued to look out into the darkness. “Huh? I don't understand.”

“What’s there not to understand? Cavendish thinks you’re swell and wants to be with you,” he retorted.

Be with me!?But I received no such inclinations from Kai. “There must be a misunderstanding.”

“No misunderstandings. He was pretty clear about his intentions.”

I stared at his profile, confused. My husband wasn’t the jealous type. Sure, Kai was attentive tonight, but Stefan wouldn’t make wild accusations just because a man paid me attention. Kai must have said something explicit.

“When did he talk to you about this?”

“When you went into the tepee for story time.”

“That couldn’t have been longer than fifteen minutes.”

---