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I should be the one filling her with my children.
Patience. I can’t act on impulse, no matter how strong the urge. I need to find something concrete, something to bring him down. So, I force myself to return to the file, to keep searching, to keep digging. I won’t stop until I find what I’m looking for. Andrew won’t know what hit him.
My phone rings, distracting me from the firestorm brewing inside me.
“Yes,” I bark.
“Christé mou. Who pissed in your coffee this morning?” Xander snaps back.
I rub my temples. I really need to get my fucking temper in check. But when it comes to Aria, I can’t control it.
I sigh. “What is it?” I ask in a calmer tone, listening as he gives me an update.
My heart pounds like a drum in my chest. “What the fuck?”
As I weave through the streets on my motorcycle, I can’t shake the feeling of urgency eating away at me.
Aria does hot yoga a couple times a week at a studio in the town square, right next to Black Bean café, a quaint coffee bar. It’s customary for her to stop in after a session. But she fucking went with Andrew today? I asked Xander to start monitoring her again the day after our forest meet-up.
After only a week of being engaged, they’re already doing normal couple activities. Fuck that.
Realization hits me like a ton of bricks—I’ve become completely obsessed with Aria. Every move she makes, every word she says. Having her tracked like some kind of stalker. Still, I don’t give a damn, and I won’t apologize for it.
When I pull up to the shop, I park my bike in front of the door, quickly dismounting and striding toward the entrance.
If Aria thinks she can replace me, she has another thing coming. I’ll make sure to be a constant presence in her life, in her thoughts. She’ll never get rid of me. I refuse to fade into the background of her life. Every fiber of my being is determined to make sure she doesn’t forget me.
As I push open the door to the café, the scent of freshly brewed coffee hits me, distracting me. My eyes scan the room, searching for a familiar face—and there she is, engrossed in conversation with him, the sound of her laughter somehow reaching me. Seeing her so content should make me happy. Instead, it just stokes the flames of jealousy burning inside me.
Andrew leans into whisper something in her ear, and her smile widens. That’s when I notice the glint of the ring on her finger. It feels like a punch to the gut, and I struggle to contain the rage threatening to spill over. I can’t let my anger ruin the illusion of normalcy in public.
I take a deep breath, trying to compose myself before I approach the counter to order. I plaster on a fake smile and greet Anna, the barista.
“Hey, you,” she says with a smile. “Long time no see!”
I haven’t come to this side of town in a while. Ever since Ignatius died, I believe. We’ve been too preoccupied.
“I know. It’s good to see you again, Anna. How’s your son?”
“He’s great. He joined the Little League, so I’ve been busy!”
After a few short minutes of conversation, Anna hands me my coffee. I turn around, just as Aria’s eyes meet mine.
Her expression shifts from delight to shock in an instant, like she’s seen a ghost. Her fiancé follows her gaze, his brows furrowed in confusion.
Aria’s mouth opens and closes, though no words come out. Her eyes dart between me and Andrew, guilt and discomfort written all over her face.
I turn away without acknowledging her and seat myself at a table across the room.
From the corner of my eye, I see Aria continue to sneak glances at me. Andrew shoots her a puzzled look before turning his attention back to me. I’m picturing pulling out my gun and shooting him right between the eyes, his bloodied body slumping on the table.
Aria’s eyes widen as if reading my mind, and casts Andrew a quick, panicked glance before composing herself.
He murmurs something, but I can’t catch even a snippet of their hushed conversation, the ambient noise of the café drowning out their words.
If he suspects anything, he doesn’t show it. And it’s better that way because it’s taking every ounce of effort in me to not march over there, kill him, then drag Aria out over my shoulder.
I pull out my phone and send her a text.
