Page 31 of I Replaced His Husband
"Look," I said, "I get it, I really do. Probably better than you think. Brian also left me for another guy… though at least he told me straight up that he met someone else. He didn’t cheat; he just ended it. And it still felt like getting hit by a truck. So I feel you."
"Tom didn’t find his High Mate like Brian did, Rain. No better match excuse. He’s just a plain old cheater."
"How was the relationship otherwise? Were there… problems?"
A pause.
"Okay," Storm said, letting out a long breath. "You’re not gonna start in with the ‘maybe you didn’t give him enough emotional support’, that his cheating was justified? ‘Maybe you were bad in bed’, ‘maybe it’s all your fault’ and ‘you’re being too hard on the poor, delicate omega’ bullshit? Cause if you are, then save it."
I let out a dry laugh. "Relax, cranky. I wasn’t going there. You know where I stand on cheating. You’re either all in or you’re out. One hundred percent. Unless both people agree on something else, of course. Some people do open relationships. Just not my thing."
"Not mine either. You’re either in or out. That’s it."
At least we saw eye-to-eye on that.
"So what now?"
"Lawyer. Court case. What else? Tom’s already threatening to clean out my accounts. He wants the apartment, too. And yeah, damages for emotional trauma."
"What about the bruises? I heard he got checked out by a doctor."
"He got those from his little rough sex games. Apparently, that’s his thing. Never told me that. But now he’s using it against me, reporting it to the cops."
"Being a purple alpha probably doesn’t help."
"When did it ever?" he muttered.
"Sure helped when you used to beat the crap outta me and Skye."
He gave a dry snort. "I’ve been the freak my whole life. I know how you all looked at me, like I was a time bomb, an enemy in the making. I’m not stupid, Rain. I know where I stand in this family."
Yeah. I’d been part of that problem, in my own way. And I suddenly felt like crap about it. But I couldn’t fix a lifetime of shit in one phone call. And he wasn’t exactly guilt-free either.
"I’m sorry you feel that way. But you know… nobody is blameless in all this."
He growled low, sour. Yeah, that temper of his. Purple alphas came with all the intensity, dominance, and mood volatility you could handle. If our father wasn’t in a True Mate Bond with our dad, even he would’ve had a hard time keeping Storm reined in, especially during his teenage years.
"Well, sure. You could say that. But having the whole family gang up on me as a kid didn’t exactly help. That kinda pressure brings out the beast in most people."
Our truce was probably only going to last as long as this call. Too much history between us. And right now I already had enough of my own crap to deal with.
"Fine. Just keep your head calm, Storm. Focus. If the Omega Red Line Agency gets involved, you’re looking at serious trouble. Maybe even jail."
He let out a long sigh. "Yeah. I’ll probably have to cave to Tom’s demands. And I worked so hard for that apartment."
"I get it. But it’s either that or your freedom."
Silence for a moment.
"True. Well. Thanks, Rain, for the call. I mean it. But I gotta go. I’ve got another call coming in. Probably Skye."
"Good. Maybe it’ll take his mind off his own mess. I heard Martin dumped him."
"Yeah, it seems like the whole family’s dragging through it lately. Dark clouds are coming. Thanks again for calling. Take care, bro."
He hung up.
I stood there for a moment at the edge of the lake, the tips of my shoes just barely touching the cool water, staring down at the little schools of colorful fish gliding just beneath the surface. A whole different world, innocent and simple.
