Chapter 4 Dumbfounded
MIREILLE’S POV
I stood there completely dumbfounded, my mind spinning as I tried to figure out what I was supposed to do. Do I stay and ruin his love life the exact same way he had just dismantled mine? Or do I just walk away with whatever dignity I had left?
I watched as the woman, Arie, peeked over Slaine’s shoulder, her piercing grey eyes flashing a mocking, triumphant smirk at me. A sudden, violent surge of pure adrenaline and anger flooded my veins. Bypassing every single survival instinct, I marched straight up to them and slammed my hand heavily onto Slaine’s shoulder.
He spun around in genuine shock, looking at me as if he had already completely forgotten I was standing there.
“Aren't you going to introduce your lady friend to me?” I threw his own jab right back at him, my voice dripping with false sweetness.
He sneered down at me, his green eyes narrowing into a fierce, silent warning to back off.
“Or...” I slowly caught a few strands of my copper hair, twisting them around my finger playfully, mocking his earlier tone. “Do you not want her to know that you cheated on her last night while you were out 'searching' for her?”
The low, dangerous growl that ripped from Slaine’s chest made a satisfied smile spread across my face despite the hollow ache in my heart. Slaine grabbed Arie by the waist, physically throwing his large body between the two of us to shield her. I smirked at him, turning on my heel to walk away. They could murder each other for all I cared.
But Arie wasn't done. She leaned out from behind Slaine’s broad back, her eyes locking onto mine.
“I see you’re just another cheap, used product Slaine jerked off with to relieve his frustration,” she said, her voice dripping with an innocent, sugary malice.
My vision practically went red. What the hell did this bitch just call me?
“Slaine, darling, you really need to start letting these pathetic women know they are nothing but toys for you to use whenever we have an argument,” Arie continued, stepping out from behind his shield. She walked right up to me and insolently grabbed my hand. “I am so sorry, sweetheart, but you were nothing more than a temporary one-night stand to him.”
The fury I had been trying to trample down erupted. I violently jerked my hand out of her grip, stepping directly into her personal space until we were staring eyeball to eyeball.
“Oh, it’s completely fine, honey,” I said, my voice shockingly calm, lethal. “I would absolutely hate to get serious with a man who is nothing more than the community dick.”
Her mouth popped open in absolute shock, but no words came out. She raised a shaking finger to point at me, but I just let out a dry chuckle. I marched right past her, intentionally slamming my shoulder hard into hers. I could hear a long, screeching string of curses being hurled at my back, but I just shrugged it off and kept walking.
The ride back to the two-bedroom apartment I shared with the girls was slow, brutal, and agonizing. The second I unlocked the front door and stepped inside, Janet and Jacenta swarmed me, pulling me into a suffocatingly tight group hug. The moment their arms wrapped around me, the floodgates opened, and I let the tears fall freely, finally mourning the absolute wreckage of my life.
“I messed up so bad,” I choked out between heavy sobs.
“Come inside, come on,” Jacenta urged gently, grabbing my hand and pulling me over to the living room.
We sank down onto the bare hardwood floor, both of them holding my hands tightly, squeezing them in silent reassurance.
“What happened?” Janet asked in a quiet, hesitant whisper.
“That man...” I began, a fresh wave of tears threatening to spill. “The one I slept with last night...” I closed my eyes tightly against the memory. “He is Kian’s older brother.”
“What?!” Jacenta shrieked at the top of her lungs.
“Holy shit!” Janet gasped at the exact same time, her jaw literally dropping.
“We are so incredibly screwed,” Jacenta whispered, her face going pale. Janet nodded in horrified agreement while I curled into a ball, sobbing into my knees.
“Oh, baby,” Jacenta said, pulling me back into her arms. “This is entirely our fault.”
“Yeah,” Janet agreed instantly. “We never should have forced you into that stupid dare.”
We sat in heavy silence until the well of my tears completely dried up, leaving me numb.
“What did Kian say?” Janet eventually asked, breaking the quiet.
I shook my head wearily. “He doesn’t know I slept with his brother. But he treated me like absolute garbage in front of his dad. I had to lie and say I was a waitress at the bar and met his brother there just to cover up the truth.”
“I always knew that bastard was a text-book narcissist!” Jacenta fumed, her eyes flashing with anger. “Honestly, it’s a good thing you broke up with him. He is way too conceited to deserve a sweet soul like you anyway.”
“Exactly,” Janet chimed in. “He should be kicking himself for losing a treasure like you.”
I offered them a weak, grateful smile. But as the silence settled back over the room, my mind began to twist the details. I thought about Kian. I thought about the life I had planned.
“Girls,” I said slowly, a thought taking root in my brain. “Kian doesn't actually know what happened between his brother and me. All he thinks is that we had a misunderstanding at the bar while I was serving him drinks.” I looked at them. At Jacenta’s deeply skeptical look, I rolled my eyes. “Don't you see? That means we can still fix this. I can still work things out with Kian.”
“Are you out of your mind?!” Janet erupted, her face contorting with anger. “There is no way in hell you are getting back with a bastard who couldn't even defend you from his own father!”
“Mireille, think about what you're saying,” Jacenta pleaded. “Do you honestly believe the truth won't come out eventually?”
“It won’t. Not if I go to Slaine and convince him to keep his mouth shut,” I countered, a desperate determination taking over.
For the first time all day, a small, calculating smile tugged at the corner of my lips.
