Chapter 397
“I thought… I mean… yeah,” I said softly. “We aren’t…” I couldn’t finish the sentence; I hated how vulnerable and weak I sounded at this moment.
He cupped my face with his hands, forcing me to keep my gaze on his.
“I don’t fuck multiple women at once, Judy,” he told me firmly. “It’s messy and never ends well. I’m old enough to know better, don’t you think?”
I nod slowly; I shouldn’t have assumed the worst about him. But if he only saw it from my perspective… how would he feel if a guy answered my door and he was wrapped in only a towel.
I shuddered at the thought; that’s something Ethan would do and honestly, I’m surprised he hadn’t yet.
“I saw her in a bathrobe, Gavin. How would you have felt if the roles were reversed?”
His eyes darkened at my words, the image sinking in and making him feel like shit.
“You should know me better than that by now,” he told me, his tone almost cold, though there was a twinge of hurt.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “You’re right. I shouldn’t have assumed the worst. But we need to focus on the bigger picture. Ethan is out there, planning shit. He did this, Gavin. That’s terrifying.”
He nodded.
“And I will find him and make him answer for his crimes. You should get back to the suite for the night. I don’t trust him not to show up here and try something.”
He released me and suddenly I felt cold without his touch. I bit my lower lip and nodded, hating how distant we still felt from one another. If there was one thing that this whole thing taught me, it was that maybe I didn’t trust him as much as I thought I did.
Did I ever trust him?
“Where are you going to go?” I asked him after a beat of silence.
“Don’t worry about that,” he said with a gruff voice. “I have something to do.”
I nodded and without another word, I went back to my suite. Nan, Chester, Irene, and Matt were in the room when I turned. Nan and Chester were packing their things, while Irene sat on the bed, looking like a ghost of herself. Matt was on the couch, scrolling through his phone mindlessly.
“What’s going on?” I asked Nan who paused her packing when she noticed me at the doorway.
“Our flight is tomorrow. I figured it’d be better if we prepared,” she told me with a shrug. “I assume we’ll be leaving quickly.”
I nodded in agreement.
“Yeah, we will definitely be leaving quickly,” I told her. “I’m sorry that this entire trip
is messy, Nan. The last thing you wanted was messy.”
“Are you kidding me? This trip was awesome. Plus, you won the fucking competition, and I got to see it firsthand. Totally worth it,” she said with a grin.
“Pretty awesome that you won,” Chester said, giving me a high five.
I looked at Irene, who wasn’t engaging in conversation, but I could tell from the fact that she wasn’t in her own suite that she wanted to be around people. I sat beside her on the bed and gave her a sympathetic look.
“Are you okay?” I asked her.
She blinked a few times and shook her head, releasing some tears that fell onto her cheeks.
“I can’t believe he was here, and he didn’t come find me,” she whispered. “I truly meant nothing to him.”
“Ethan isn’t worth your time, Irene. thought you knew that by now,” I told her gently. “He’s manipulative. I mean look at the mess he’s made in such a short time.”
She nodded and nibbled on her lower lip.
“A part of me still loves him and I hate myself for it,” she whispered.
I knew that all too well; having Ethan as my fated mate made things extra complicated. When he was around, my wolf was still drawn to him because she felt a bond. She will I be able to feel it until he either marks another, or other marks me, replacing his mark completely. For a long time, Ethan was my everything. Growing up, he was my best friend. Then I found out he was a mate, and
I was over the moon, but now I
regret every little thing and I’m questioning if any of it was ever real, or some bit elaborate plan to break me.
“We aren’t going to let him get away with this,” I say, putting my hand on her knee.
“He will regret the day that he fucked with us.”