Page 38 of The Sweetest Revenge

I hoped that put an end to this bullshit.

"Your father ignores my calls." Her voice rose, that familiar edge creeping in. "So just call me next time you're at the house."

The same script, different day.

My shoulders sank. "Mom?—"

"Zaiden," she cut me off. "That is my house. I built it from the ground up with your father."

There was no point in telling her it wasn't hers anymore or arguing with her. I would lose. "I gotta go, Mom." I didn't bother waiting for a goodbye before disconnecting because it wouldn't come.

A part of me felt sorry for my mom and her situation. She'd lost her daughter and then found out my dad was having an affair with her best friend. What my dad and Claire did to her was wrong, but I didn't want to be in the middle of it.

CHAPTER19

ZAIDEN

Lying in my bed, staring up at the ceiling, I remembered how much I hated this house. I hated it even more now that Ariella was in Kacie’s room down the hall from mine.

I rarely stayed there anymore. It had been hard enough to come back after Kacie's death, but the day my mom left and Ariella's mom moved in, I started staying in the frat house more and more.

Pushing up, I threw my legs over the edge of the bed, my hands curling around the corners of the mattress. I'd spent all night waiting for Ariella to get home, and she'd come home trashed, which didn't exactly surprise me since the dance team and the football team went to the local sports bar after the game.

Pushing to my feet, I strolled out of my room, through the hallway, stopping in front of her door. She'd been home for over an hour now, and my guess was that she was passed out cold. I twisted the knob and smirked when it caught.

"Smart girl," I whispered, my fingers finding the cold metal in my pocket. I turned the key over, feeling its ridges against my thumb. "Too bad the boogeyman has a key."

The locked door gave Ariella the illusion of safety, the comfort of closing her eyes without fear, the ability to drift into dreams, and the feeling that she was protected.

She was so wrong.

I slid the silver key into the hole and twisted as I turned the knob, and the lock clicked open, quiet as a promise.

I stepped through the doorway, silently closing the door behind me before strolling up to her bed.

My gaze swept over her as she slept, the bedside nightlight casting a soft orange glow across her face. The gentle light highlighted her features and traced the curve of her shoulder, fading where the thin blanket draped across her tits.

She was naked under that blanket. I was positive.

I stepped forward, my knee slamming into something hard enough to rattle the nightstand. My lips curled around a curse, but I managed to keep it from escaping.

She stirred.

My entire body turned to stone. My heart surged into my throat, pounding so loudly I was certain it would wake her.

Her breathing remained deep and even.

I wasn't worried about her catching me standing over her bed like some midnight predator. The fallout would be manageable—another battle in our endless war. I didn't want the fight tonight. I wanted to watch her.

Her arm shifted above her head. A small sigh escaped her lips.

I didn't dare breathe as my gaze dropped to the drawer hanging open, and my eyes widened on the fluorescent pink vibrator lying next to her black lace thong on the floor. The drawer was opened because that was where she kept her pretty pink toy, and afterward, she'd discarded her panties with the toy.

"Fuck—" The word escaped as barely a breath. My cock strained painfully against my boxer briefs, the thin fabric doing nothing to conceal my reaction. I took a step closer to the bed.

I leaned down. The black lace was soft against my fingers as I lifted it from the floor. I rolled the damp material over my hand, the fabric still warm.

The house fell silent around me. Just the sound of her breathing. The distant tick of the hallway clock.

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