Page 12 of Once in a Lifetime, Part 2

“What happened?” she asked, already getting to her feet. “Did you talk to him?”

“Leave me alone,” he said, trying to push past her.

She stepped in front of him, blocking his way to the stairs. “Tell me what happened. He doesn’t want to continue with you, is that it?”

Kash let out a sharp breath, running a hand through his dark hair, like he was holding something back. “It’s all his fault…” he muttered, not even looking at her.

“Whose fault?”

He didn’t answer.

“You said once he came back from Serifos, you two would keep this thing going,” she pressed. “So what changed?”

“He’s hooking up with Mano, that’s what changed!”

He froze. Shit. The second the words left his mouth, he knew he’d fucked up.

Stella went still. Then a slow, knowing look crept onto her face. “Wait…” she said, a small smile forming. “Which Mano?”

Kash immediately moved toward her, panic breaking through. “Stella, no. Don’t. Forget it. Just forget I said that.”

“My… Mano?” she went on, disbelief sharpening into something else. Her eyes lit up. “Mano and Odysseus?” she let out a laugh. “Oh my God… that’s insane!”

“Listen to me,” Kash said, grabbing her shoulders, pulling her back to him. “You didn’t hear that.” His eyes searched hers. “You didn’t hear anything.”

She looked up at him, that same smile still on her lips. “Of course,” she said, a hint of amusement in her voice. “Like I never heard a thing.”

Kash dragged a hand over his face, still gripping Stella’s phone. “Tell me what Mano was doing here. Why did you tell him to come?”

“Oh, relax,” she said, completely unfazed. “I just wanted to teach him a lesson.”

Kash shook his head, panic setting in. “What did you do…?”

Ody heard keys at the door and shot to his feet. Mano stepped inside, his face still red, the skin irritated. Ody closed the distance fast. “What happened? Why is your face like that?” He reached for him, but Mano pulled back before he could touch him.

“Did you talk to her?” Ody asked. “Is she going to tell Anna?”

Mano didn’t answer. He kept his gaze down, hands hidden. He walked past him, heading straight for the living room.

Ody followed. “Mano, talk to me,” he pleaded. “What did she say? What does she want?”

“I don’t know what she’s going to do.”

Ody frowned. “What do you mean?”

Mano sat down, still avoiding his gaze, his hands kept behind his back.

Ody reached for his arm, but Mano pulled back, and that froze him in place. “Mano… What’s going on?”

A second passed. Then he reached for him, grabbing his wrist and yanking it forward. Red marks circled his skin. Ody’s breath caught. “What is this?”

Mano said nothing. His gaze stayed fixed on the floor, jaw clenched, like he couldn’t bring himself to look at him.

“Mano, look at me,” he said. “What is this?” He pulled Mano’s other hand forward, holding both in front of him. His thumb brushed over the marks. “What happened to you? Who did this?”

His mind went straight to her. Stella. No. That didn’t make sense. She couldn’t have. “She did this to you, didn’t she?”

Mano’s expression hardened, but something in his eyes gave him away. He pushed himself up and turned. “No.”