Free Obsessed: Part Three (The Obsessed Series) by Deborah Bladon

begins drumming extraordinarily fast against the hardwood floor. It's a sign that he's panicked. I remember it clearly from the day I confronted him about his affairs. "Fuck her. She told you about the forgery, didn't she?" he asks, his voice cracking.
    I nod my head. Forgery? Did Mark forge my name? Was he using my proxy before I signed the documents giving it to him?
    "When Tom died I had to do something." He starts pacing back and forth in the foyer. "Jax could have taken over. Putting those shares in your name was the only thing I could think of."
    I stare at his face. How could I have not realized how destructive he was? How did I not see through the thin veil of goodness that he wore for me?
    "You're not going to the FTC with this, are you?" He lunges at me and grabs my arms. "Is she going to testify that I made her impersonate you? Or that I paid her off to keep quiet?"
    I almost feel my knees buckle. I can't speak. I can't believe that all of this has poured out of him. All I wanted when I called him over here was some closure. I just wanted to know why Brooke had mentioned those shares right after the gala when Mark and I were still together. I wanted this to be the last time I'd ever see him.
    "What do you want?" He takes a step back from me. "I'll give you the apartment. You can sell it and buy one in Boston. Do you want money? What? Tell me what?"
    "Nothing," I whisper. "I want nothing."
    He glares at me as he marches towards the door. "I'll be back. Think about what you want and I'll be back."
    I slide to the floor as the door slams behind him.

Chapter 14
     
    "If you knew something about someone that you didn't care about but that information could damage someone you love, what would you do?" I ask while I stare at my hands in my lap.
    "That depends, dear." Mrs. Adams takes a heavy breath. "Is this about your fellow?"
    "It is." I smile lightly. "Someone has done something that is illegal and if I report it, the consequences of that could hurt Jax and me."
    She squints her eyes as she looks toward the midday sun pouring into her apartment. "I think you need to ask him about it."
    "I'm not sure I can do that." I rush back in my mind to that moment at the restaurant when Jax was seething with anger about Mark and his father. If I give him this ammunition there's no telling what he will do with it. At the very least the three of us will be pulled into a very complicated investigation with the FTC. All I want at this point is to leave Mark behind me. I just want him to stop being such a force in my relationship with Jax.
    "Ivy, come sit here." She pats her wrinkled hand on the couch next to where she's sitting.
    I move from my position in a chair next to the window, to sit with her. She reaches for my hands. "Dear, lies break people apart. You know that."
    I nod. I know she's talking about Mark and it's ironic that she has no clue that my problems have come full circle right back to him.
    "Don't be like Mark. You're better than him." She lightly squeezes my hand. I can tell it takes a lot of effort for her to do it. "Do the right thing. Your fellow will understand."
    I sigh. I know that she's right.
    "Never tarnish your heart." She taps my chest with her finger. "You have to tell him. If you don't, you're a liar too."
    Her words bite not because they are cruel or malicious but because they are grounded in fact. She's completely right. I have to tell Jax and I have to report Mark.
     
    ***
     
    "You're such a good cook," I say as I place the fork down on the plate. "Where did you learn how to cook pizza that's this good?"
    "My mother was an amazing cook." He reaches for my plate and places it in the sink along with his own. "It was one of the things we always did together when I was child."
    I smile. I love when Jax talks about his childhood. Each time he has it's always brightened his face and brought a lilt to his voice. "That's such a beautiful memory to have."
    He reaches for my hand to pull me from the chair.