Free Obsession (Magnetic Desires Book 4) by Misti Murphy Page B

through me, a thousand tiny explosions erupting. “Hello to you, too.”
    “Hey.” He turned, leaned against the cabinets as though he couldn’t hear the snarl in my voice.
    It was too fucking much. I bolted out of the chair. “How could you fucking do this to me? How could you?”
    He just stared at me. Nothing. He said nothing in his defence. Didn’t even ask what I was yelling about.
    “I knew…” my voice cracked, as acute pain racked my chest, “something was wrong, but this.” I threw an arm out, gesturing at his journal.
    His jaw clenched, his mouth pinching.
    “An affair?” I sobbed. “Please tell me it isn’t true? Please tell me I’m making something out of nothing?” I reached for him, wanting him to pull me into his arms and tell me I was wrong. That I was being crazy.
    Instead he stood there, as if he was a statue, or worse, as if he was relieved I’d finally found out. “How long has it been going on, Mike?”
    I’d flipped through that planner from front to back. There were weeks where her number hadn’t come up at all. That there hadn’t been dates marked out as meetings when he’d told me he was out of town, or lying about staying at the office to catch up on work. But they’d been few and far between. He’d boxed out her number, outlined it in ink over and over on the first page. All those months, but they only went back to January. Things had shifted before then, hadn’t they? “How bloody long?”
    He didn’t even wince as I accused him. Didn’t bat an eye. Couldn’t he deny it? Tell me I’m wrong and I’ll believe you. I gulped. “It’s true then.”
    All this time I thought he was different – thought he was the one I was going to spend the rest of my life with. But he’d turned out to be just like my father, and I couldn’t deny it any longer.
    I grabbed my purse from the back of a stool and bolted from the house. Swiping at the tears that dashed down my cheeks, I jumped in the car and drove out of Reverence. There was a pub where no one would come looking for me. A place I’d promised never to go to.
    The car park was filled with the usual vehicles as I slipped my car into a spot between two trucks and raced inside. A lanky young guy was behind the bar, and I tossed my purse on the counter and ordered double after double.
    The night had become a blur, all my training when it came to drinking nothing against the ever growing black hole inside me.
    “Hey, baby, you’re looking awfully lonely tonight.” His thick voice against my ear caused a shiver to run up my spine, and I turned to glare at him.
    “Go away, Rabid.” I twisted away from the creep and pulled out my phone. Mike hated the guy, wouldn’t be able to stand the idea of him even talking to me, let alone hitting on me. Surely he’d come for me if I told him where I was. I’d promised him never to come here without him. He wouldn’t think to come here if he was looking for me. It was the last place he’d expect to find me. I’d only ever stepped foot in Wolf’s with him by my side, never letting me out of his sight, never taking his gaze off me. Still, we’d had fun here, made memories and caused havoc. Without him it was just another bar, with dirtier, creepier patrons and the oil over water gut feeling that nothing could make things better. That the pain would never be less than what it was right now. Mike gave no response to my message. He didn’t want me anymore.
    A meaty hand landed on my shoulder, gripped it as he dragged his mouth against my ear once more. “So Knight cast you away, did he? Found a better piece of ass?”
    I stifled a sob and tossed down the rest of my scotch, eyeing the bartender all the while. “Just go away.”
    “I know how to make you feel better.”
    I fiddled with my phone. Maybe if Mike knew the guy he hated more than anything was hitting on me he’d remember he loved me. Maybe he’d fight for me. I typed out a message, but my thumbs were fat and the screen