Page 56 of Vow to Hate You

damian

I leaned back in my chair, staring at the screen. I was supposed to be working on next month’s schedule but hadn’t gotten shit done. It was past three in the morning, and I’d been sitting here for hours, obsessing over where my wife was. I shouldn’t be. She made it clear she had every intention of keeping her life separate. It was driving me crazy.

My phone rang, and I picked it up from my desk, seeing Ashton’s name. I frowned, wondering why he was calling so late. He was supposed to be at his cousin’s bachelor party, tonight which was why he wasn’t working at the club.

“Everything okay?” I asked when I answered.

“Depends on how you take the information I’m about to give you,” he said, nerves in his voice.

I stood up, rounding the desk to pace the floor. “What’s wrong, Ash?”

“For the record, I feel shitty for doing this for more than one reason,” he muttered. “I don’t like snitching. But you deserve to know.”

My stomach knotted. “Know what?”

“We were at a club, celebrating, and I spotted your sister-in-law,” he said slowly. “She was with some friends. I kept an eye on her through the night just to make sure she was good.”

Anger brewed in my gut before he even finished talking. If he saw Charlotte, then he saw Talie, and if he was anxious to tell me, then it meant my wife was doing something she wasn’t supposed to.

“Talie is with her tonight. What was she doing?”

“That’s the thing.” He sighed. “Talie wasn’t anywhere the entire night. Not with Char or her friends. But then we were outside, waiting for the car, and I saw Talie appear before getting into a limo with Charlotte.”

I froze. “You didn’t see Talie in the club?”

“Not once. She wasn’t in there with her sister. But they met up after. So whatever your wife is doing, she wasn’t hanging out with Charlotte.”

Rage lined my veins, my grip on the phone going painfully tight. “Thanks for telling me.”

“Don’t flip out on her,” Ash warned. “You’ll only make it worse. You told me how you’re trying to make things work with her. If you demand answers, you’ll push her away more.”

“I know how to stay calm,” I gritted out through clenched teeth. “I have to go. When did they leave the club?”

“A few minutes ago.”

Depending on traffic, it would take them a half hour to get back to Charlotte’s apartment. My club was slightly closer.

“I have to go,” I said as I grabbed my jacket from the back of my chair.

“Damian—”

“I’m only going to ask her where she was,” I cut him off. “Don’t worry.”

He still cared for Talie since we all grew up together, and even though she left five years ago, he still considered her a friend. But he had loyalty to me, which was why he called.

I hung up and stormed out of my office. By the time I got to my SUV, my nerves were shot. Where the hell did Talie go tonight? Sheliedto me. I really should have seen it coming. But the thought of her possibly being with another man had me seeing fucking red. I didn’t care if our relationship was nonexistent—my jealousy was raging. Something I never felt for another woman. Only Talie. As much as that annoyed me. She stole from me and ran, yet my feelings never fully disappeared. Since she’d come back, they were slamming back into me.

I tore out of the parking garage, glad the traffic wasn’t too bad at this hour. My fingers were tight around the steering wheel, my imagination running wild about what Talie did tonight.

The minutes ticked by as I drove through the city, every red light further agitating me. I wanted to make it to Charlotte’s place before they got there. I turned onto her street, scanning the line of cars parked outside her building. There was one open spot on a red curb, but I parked there anyway, not giving a shit if I got a ticket.

I pulled out my phone, almost calling her. But then I spotted a town car pulling up, stopping near the entrance. Charlotte appeared first, and then I watched as Talie got out. Her skintight dress had my dick twitching even as rage slid through my veins. She looked absolutely stunning. The fabric reached her mid thighs, and when she turned around, I got an eyeful of her cleavage. I had no issue with how she was dressed—it was the fact that I didn’t know if she was dressed for another man that had my anger spiking.

Pushing open the door, I crossed the street. Both Char and Talie turned around, hearing my footsteps. By the time I was in front of them, they were staring at me in shock.

“What are you doing here?” Talie hissed in a low voice. “It’s four in the morning.”

I opened my mouth, but not a word came out. I didn’t want to explode, making this worse, but it was taking all of my self-control not to demand she tell me where she was.

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