Page 35 of King: Darker Than Romance

King snapped his fingers in my face. “You don’t have to feel bad. Ken has a secret of his own.” He turned away from me to face Ellis. “Don’t you?”

Ellis glared at King.

King waved his gun towards him. “Should I tell her, or will you?” King paused long enough to make sure he had my attention. “Well, since you don’t seem to want to tell her…” He sounded giddy.

Ellis stood up from his chair so fast it fell over. The bang startled me, I jumped.

King’s reaction was to aim the gun at Ellis’ head. “Sit your ass back down.”

Ellis hesitated for a few seconds. King tapped the gun with two fingers. He nearly growled. “Pick the fucking chair up and sit down or I won’t let her shoot you. I’ll gut you like a fucking pig and I’ll take my time.”

Not even waiting for him Ellis to comply, King turned to face me while pulling my right hand into his, acting as if I would need comfort for what I was about to hear. He retrained his gun on Ellis

Nervously, I chewed at my bottom lip waiting on bated breath for what would come next. I knew about the affairs. I knew about his vasectomy. What more could there be?

King pulled out a cellphone that had to be at least four years old. He scrolled through it for several seconds His tongue was stuck between his teeth. He did that when he was excited.

When he found what he was looking for he turned the phone in my direction. I took it.

The shock of what I saw had my mouth falling open. The first picture was Momma on her knees in front of Ellis. My stomach roiled. I almost dropped the phone. My head snapped in the direction of my husband.

“This is from back in high school.” Ellis still had his toned body. I didn’t even know Ellis and my momma knew each other then.

The world felt like it shifted on its axis.

Ellis looked about ready to murder King. His face was a mask of rage. He looked how I felt. His eyes kept darting towards the gun, like he was considering going for it.

King laughed drawing my attention. “When I told you to stay away from him it was for your own good,” he said, with a condescending smirk on his lips. “Boy Wonder is a local mother fucker, literally. Long before I knew he was interested in you I saw him going in and out of the hotel I was holed up in with all the local cougars, your momma was one of them. I told him to stay away from you or there would be consequences.” King sighed and sneered at Ellis. “But your husband likes to play loose and fast with his life.”

I took a tentative step back, raised my hand and massaged my temples in an attempt to stave off the migraine.

“You want to shoot him now?” King asked eagerly.

Aggravated, I glared at him, while my mind kept replaying all the times my momma came to visit me. Her and Ellis acted like a couple. One incident in particular came to mind. I couldn’t sleep so I got up to get a glass of water. I caught Ellis coming out of the guest room where she slept at like four in the morning. I hadn’t even questioned it. I hadn’t cared. But now I felt dirty.

“You knew this entire time?” I asked King in a small voice because that’s all I could manage with bile in my throat. I dry heaved. I had exchanged fluids with my momma.

Before King answered I turned to Ellis, our eyes connected. I needed answers.

“Why would you marry me? Why force me to stay?”

He shook his head at me. “I didn’t even know she was your mother until the day of the wedding. I stopped when I found out. It lasted until she told me about your secret phone calls and visits to him.” he spat out. “She wanted me, you didn’t. Not while your King was in the picture.”

“What secret calls and visits? There were never any visits or phone calls,” I sputtered. “My momma?” I felt like I needed to walk away before I lost my mind. “All you people are fucking crazy.” I made a move to leave the kitchen. King grabbed my shoulders.

Again, he shoved the gun at me. I looked at it in his hands, so shiny and black.

I felt numb. I wanted to shoot Ellis. I had dreamt of killing him. I had spent four years with him beating my ass, ridiculing and humiliating me.

His parents had degraded me so badly when he told them I was the reason they didn’t have grandkids and it was not even my fault. He knew that and on top of it he was fucking my momma.

I took the gun. It was heavy in my hand. I was almost mesmerized by the feel of it. Ellis was talking but I couldn’t hear him, only the blood rushing into my ears. Without even aiming for any spot in particular, I pointed the gun at him. I felt nothing when I pulled the trigger, nothing happened. I pulled the trigger again, nothing happened. Again, and still nothing. I yelled. I reared back to throw the gun at him. King took it from my hand. I turned to find a satisfying smirk on his face. I knew then he had only been testing me. “You fucking asshole” I shoved him with all my might but, he barely budged.

Before I could stop myself, I slapped him. King stepped back out of my reach, so I couldn’t do it again. He raised his hand to his bleeding lip, brought it down to observe the blood.

“You hit me.” He smiled. “Seems like you’re feeling more like your old self. Good.” He laughed as if my fucked-up life and heartache was a joke.

My mouth opened then shut, then opened again. “The moment I start trying to trust you again I find you’re still the same old King. I fucking hate you for these mind games you play.”

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