Page 181 of Forgotten Prejudice

My eyes bulged. “Still cared?” I took a step toward him. “Are you out of your fucking mind? Who does that?” It wasn’t just anger twisting my insides but pain over his betrayal. The fact that he used the one thing he knew would work on me. The one thing Soren never agreed to give me.

“I’m sorry, okay?” That empty word came out of his poisonous mouth again. “I panicked and lied. It was stupid, and I regret doing it.” Reaching for me, he grabbed my arms and held me tight. His face was so close, all red and sweaty, as he continued to apologize, spitting the word “sorry” over and over again.

I then understood something. Kai wasn’t carefree; he was careless. He wasn’t easygoing but a selfish man who did whatever suited him at the moment. Mostly, he wasn’t the good guy but a fucking liar.

“What else have you lied about?” I hissed.

“W-What?”

“I said, what else have you lied to me about?”

He shook his head. “Nothing. That was the only thing.”

“Bullshit.” I shoved him away from me, and he wobbled back.

Breaking our stare, I looked down at the floor and took a deep breath, my whole body vibrating. “If you believe that there’s the slightest chance for us to be together, you better start talking.”

“Ashy—”

“I mean it, Kai!” I raised my voice, not about to fall for his charm this time. And oh, was he charming. With that smile and his hair, rolling laughter, and sense of humor, it was impossible not to forgive him. Impossible not to look the other way and ignore his mistakes. But not anymore. I’d had enough of this bullshit.

“I don’t know what to tell you,” he said, keeping his arms close to his sides. Understanding it was my turn to speak, I nodded.

“Very well. So I’ll ask.” I crossed my arms over my chest and held my head high. “All the things you told me about Soren, him sending someone to beat up Jones. The stalking our house thing. Was any of it true?”

He nodded. “All of it. I can even show you the proof my guy sent me, like bank transactions Soren sent to the kids’ school. He’s a fucking lunatic, babe.”

Bank transactions? What was that about? I would have to find out later because at that moment, it wasn’t relevant.

“He’s not a lunatic,” I spat out, annoyance oozing through my words. “He’s a good man who loves me.”

“He’s crazy.” Kai’s forehead creased as anger took over his features, turning his calm face tense and ugly. “Have you forgotten how he dumped you like yesterday’s trash?” He attempted to step closer. “Did you forget who was there for you after he did?” Another step. “Who was the one to hug you on all those nights you couldn’t sleep?” Another step. “Tell me, Ashy. Who the fuck was there for you?”

By now, he had me backed against the wall, his taller frame looming over me. “I protected you from him, don’t you get it? If not for me, he would have dumped you a hundred times over.”

His words struck me hard. “W-What do you mean?” My bottom lip quivered as fear took over every inch of me. “What did you do?”

Kai’s jaw twitched as he looked at me through dreadful eyes. He looked dead crazy, and for a second, I was scared, but then I remembered I was also a strong man, just like him, if not stronger.

“What did you do?” I pushed him away from me, and he stumbled back until he fell on his ass. He grunted, and as he got back to his feet, Soren’s mumbling from last night about blocking his number returned to me.

“Tell me you didn’t block his number.” In my heart, I prayed it was false and that it was all in my head, only it wasn’t.

Looking the other way, Kai kept quiet, and that was all I needed to know.

“How could you do this?” I asked, unable to believe this shit. No wonder Soren never called me if Kai blocked his fucking number. “How could you do this to me?” I demanded, my voice louder.

“Because I loved you, for fuck’s sake!” he shouted. “And still do, Ashy. I love you so much it hurts.” In a second, he was on me again, his arms hugging me tight.

I was so stunned that pushing him away wasn’t even an option, and instead, I just stayed frozen as he went on telling me things I wished I never knew.

“He came to see me?” I asked once he was done talking, my voice choked with tears. “He came to see me, and you pushed him away?”

Kai pulled back so he could meet my eyes. “You said to tell you the truth if I believe in us. And I do. So yes, Ash. I got rid of him back then, but I did it for you, for us, babe. And I would have done it all over again because he’s wrong for you.” He moved his thumb over my cheek to wipe away my tears.

“No.” I raised my hands between us while shaking my head. “You’re the one who’s wrong for me.” This time, when I pushed back, he didn’t budge and instead grabbed my wrists in a lock hold.

“How can you say that?” he hissed, his mouth crimping. “After everything I’ve done for you. After all the years I wasted chasing you?”