Page 182 of Forgotten Prejudice

“You lied to me, Kai—ouch!” I cried when he twisted my wrist in his hand until it hurt so bad.

“Who are you to lecture me?” Ignoring my pain, he leaned in closer, his spit hitting my face each time he spoke. “Who are you to talk about lies when you’re the one going around letting him fuck you like a common whore?”

Shocked by his violence, I tried releasing myself, only for him to shove me so hard my back slammed against the wall, the force of the impact making me lose all the air in my lungs.

“You think I don’t know you’ve been fucking him behind my back?” he rasped, and I had no fucking idea who this man standing above me was because this wasn’t my Kai but a complete stranger—That’s not true. I did know this version of Kai, only that I hadn’t seen him in years. Not since he was—

“What are you high on?” I hissed, my whole body in pain.

“Oh, come on, babe. Give me some credit.” He snorted, voice mean. “I’m not fucked-up, just pissed off my boyfriend is a fucking slut.” He bent down to eye level with me. “We can always share you if that’s what you want. I know your slutty ass is always hungry for a cock.”

I raised my hand to slap him, but he grabbed my arm before I could.

“How many times did you fuck him?”

“K-Kai, you have to stop.”

He tightened his hold.

“Answer me.”

“It doesn’t matter—” He shut me up by slamming his lips to mine, pushing his tongue inside my mouth while twisting my wrist harder in his fist. As he continued to violate my mouth, tears rolled down my face. My heart was breaking in ways I never imagined would happen again. It was as if I were sent back fourteen years ago, where he punched me to the ground after he’d used me for his own pleasure.

“W-Why are you crying?” He breathed the words into my open mouth. “It’s me, Ashy.” Finally, he let go of my wrists only to press our foreheads together. “You loved me once. Why can’t you do it again?”

Under different circumstances, I might have felt sad for him, but not right now, not when he made my whole body hurt.

“Because I love him.”

And there it was.

The truth.

Finally, it was out, in the most ugly, brutal, and unpleasant way it could be.

Kai slowly pulled back until we were eye to eye, and I saw the crystal blue I used to adore as a young, foolish guy. But just like the ocean, the deep blue would fool you before swallowing you whole.

“And you know what?” I held his stare, not flinching at his threat. “I never stopped loving him.”

Kai’s face twisted with rage, almost like he snapped, and he raised his hand in the air. “You fucking whore,” he shouted, nostrils flaring.

I prepared myself to get hit when the door to the room slammed open and Kai was yanked away from me. For a moment, I thought that Diesel had come back home, but then I looked up and saw who was standing before me with a fucking knife pulled out, pointed at Kai.

“Put the knife down, Jessie,” I said, my voice cracking just as Levi and Andrei got inside the room.

“What the fuck, Jess?” Andrei yelped, voice nervous.

“He hit him,” Jessie hissed, knife still pulled out. “He fucking hit him.”

“Kotik—”

“It’s okay.” I raised my hand in Levi’s direction, letting him know I could handle it. “I’m okay, Jessie, you see?” I said, slowly moving to step before him. Jessie’s scared eyes jumped to mine, and the fear in them crushed me. Growing up in foster homes, Jessie had been subjected to domestic violence from a young age, and hearing the fight between Kai and me probably triggered him. Seeing how scared he was only gave me more reasons to resent Kai in that moment.

Slowly slipping the knife from between Jessie’s trembling fingers, I then pulled him into a hug, pressing his head to my chest. “I’m okay, Champ,” I promised him. Once Jessie submitted himself into my arms, I realized how nothing else mattered. Kai, Soren, all of them meant so little when one of my boys was at risk.

“Ashy—”

“Get the hell out of my house,” I warned Kai through gritted teeth, not caring for what else he had to say. “Just get out.”