Page 157 of Reckless Obsession

And Maksim answers.

Not much. A thank-you GIF. A smiling face. A short reply that does not invite more conversation but doesn’t shut the door either.

Thanks.

That’s nice.

Don’t overwork yourself, old man.

Hope your day gets better.

It is nothing.

It is not nothing.

I know Maksim well enough to understand the difference. He doesn’t reply to people when he doesn’t care. He ignores messages for days. He leaves people on read without a second thought. He blocks numbers when someone annoys him too much.

But Dante still has a place here. A small one. Quiet. Persistent.

The only man, apart from me, Maksim has allowed to remain in his life this long.

My jaw tightens.

I scroll back only a little farther, then stop. There is no relief waiting for me deeper in the thread. Only proof that I am looking for a reason to be hurt.

“What are you doing?”

Maksim’s voice cuts through the room.

I look up.

He stands by the closet door with a towel in one hand, rubbing it through his damp hair. He’s wearing nothing but a pair of boxers, still warm from the bathroom, his expression caught somewhere between sleepy and curious. He’s looking directly at the phone in my hand.

And that is when I realize I have been standing here too long. Long enough for him to brush his teeth, shower, and come back out.

“I thought we were exclusive.”

The words come out low and even, which is usually when I’m closest to losing my temper.

“What?”

I turn the screen toward him. “Why are you still talking to Dante?”

For a second, he only stares.

Then his brows pull together. “Why are you going through my phone?”

“That’s not an answer.”

“No, it’s a question.” His voice sharpens. “A very valid one, actually. Why are you reading my messages?”

“I saw him calling.”

“And then you decided to unlock my phone and scroll through everything?”

“I saw enough.”

His laugh is short and without humor. “Clearly.”