Reeve tips the valet before sliding behind the wheel. Beads of rain cling to his hair and the shoulders of his black tuxedo jacket as he straps himself in. He doesn’t speak or look at me as he starts the engine and glides out onto the semi-busy street.
Reeve avoids the highway, choosing to travel home on less busy roads. I stare out the window, wrapping my arms around myself as I cry invisible tears. Turmoil has been my constant companion since I got the results, and the pain in my heart is so intense I wonder if this is what it feels like when you are on the verge of a heart attack.
Reeve says nothing, quietly seething, until we’re on a quieter stretch of open road, and then he rounds on me. “Is there nothing you want to say to me?”
Slowly, I turn to face him, flinching at the angry look on his face. “I think we should wait until we get home to talk.”
His grip tightens on the wheel, and his nostrils flare. Rain pelts against the windscreen, and the wipers are working overtime to keep it clear. “Are you fucking him?” He takes his eyes off the road for a second to stare at me. “Are you fucking my twin?” he hisses, his tone elevating a few notches.
Oh God. He knows who Dillon is, which means he must know what we once meant to one another. “What? No! Of course, I’m not! Why would you say that?”
“Where did you disappear to when you gave Leon the slip last week?”
Shit. I bite down hard on my lower lip. “I can explain, but not like this, and you should slow down. The rain isn’t showing any signs of stopping.”
“Just answer the goddamn question, Vivien!” He slams his hands down on the wheel, and I jump.
“I was with Dillon, but it’s not what you’re thinking. I haven’t been with him. I would never cheat on you, Reeve. Never. You’ve got to believe me!”
“I waited for you to tell me. It’s been almost two weeks, and you said nothing!” he shouts as all his pent-up anger flies free.
“You’ve known all along? Why the hell didn’t you say something?”
“Because I needed to hear it from my wife! I needed to know the trust I’ve placed in you all these years wasn’t for nothing. I needed to know we are a solid team.”
“We are, Reeve.” I reach for his arm, but he shucks me off, sending splintering pain ricocheting throughout me. “How did you find out?” I ask, hastily swiping at the tears rolling down my face. This is all going to shit, and it’s my fault for making the wrong call. I should’ve risked it and spoken to Reeve the instant I returned home from the laboratory.
“Your reaction the day he showed up at our house tipped me off, and I saw the way he was looking at you. His reaction to Easton’s birthday was a major trigger.”
My brows knit together in confusion.
“He said he thought E’s birthday was in June,” Reeve clarifies.
Maybe my brain is foggy because I’m so stressed, but I’m still not getting the point.
“We hadn’t exchanged names in advance. Our identities were supposed to be hidden. I can understand how he might have recognized me, but knowing our son’s birthday was reported as being in June, not May, was a major flag. I knew for sure something was amiss. Then I remembered that photo you sent me when you were in Ireland, and I recalled seeing a guy with the same kind of hair behind you in the hallway at the Oscars. Things started slotting into place. I was praying I was wrong. That it was just a coincidence your ex had bright blond hair and my twin used to.” Our tires squelch as we race along wet back roads. “Until last night when I met with the owner of the private security firm I’d hired to watch you in Ireland.”
“What the what?” I shout, my eyes popping wide. “What do you mean?” I splutter. The fact he went to a stranger instead of asking me—his wife—speaks volumes. But that’s secondary to the main issue.
Reeve pins me with sharp blue eyes. “Did you really think I’d let the love of my life wander around Ireland without someone protecting her from harm? In case you’ve forgotten, you’d been viciously assaulted a couple of months previously, and I wasn’t taking any chances.”
“You had someone spying on me the entire time?” Disbelief lies heavy on my tongue, even as I recall the guy Dillon spotted hanging around outside my apartment one time. Dillon was sure he’d seen him outside Whelans too. Back then, I’d assumed it was paparazzi, but when nothing appeared in the media about me and the guy never reappeared, I forgot all about it.
“Not spying. Protecting. I hired a guy in L.A., and he found a reputable local firm in Dublin. They had guys watching you twenty-four-seven to ensure you were safe.”
“That is… I can’t believe you did that.” Shock splays across my face. “What did they tell you? Have you known who Dillon is all along?”
“If I knew who he was, I would’ve thrown the motherfucking asshole out of my house the second I laid eyes on him!” Reeve yells, his voice cracking. When he looks at me, tears fill his eyes. “Back then, I knew there was a guy before you told me because the security firm sent me weekly reports.”
I clamp a hand over my chest, rubbing at the sudden tightness. “That is such a massive invasion of my privacy. I can’t believe you did that, Reeve. I asked you for space!”
“And I fucking gave it to you!” he shouts. “Every week when I got the reports, I wanted to hop on a plane and bring you back home. It took colossal willpower to stay away, but I did it because you asked me to. It almost killed me, Viv. I legit felt like my heart was breaking on a daily basis. I knew you were with him, and I risked losing you permanently. The only thing I could do was try to make amends and hope to fuck you were still mine when you came back. If you came back.”
His chest heaves, and the car swerves a little when he places his head down on the wheel.
“You need to slow down,” I caution again. “Please, Reeve.” Tentatively, I touch his arm. “Why don’t you pull over and I’ll drive?”
“That day in Mexico was the day I found out about him,” he continues, ignoring my pleas. “There were photos, but I refused to look at them. I knew my heart couldn’t bear to see that, so I never saw any photographic proof.” A tear leaks from the corner of his eye as he glances at me. “They were left out of my reports because I couldn’t tolerate seeing you with him. I got trashed that day to numb my pain.” A bitter laugh bursts from his mouth. “My twin was fucking shit up for me even then. This is all his fault. I found out about him, got drunk and high, and ended up screwing that psycho bitch.”
7
VIVIEN
Vitriol spills from Reeve’s lips and pours from his eyes, and it’s so unlike him. He’s starting to sound as twisted up and angry as his brother. And just like Dillon, he’s blaming his twin when it was others who were responsible. Simon set everything in motion. And Saffron manipulated Reeve in Mexico to aid her agenda.
Will this cycle of blame and hostility ever end?
“I saw the photos last night. They confirmed my suspicions about everything.” He shakes his head, and the look of disappointment etched across his face is crystal clear. “You let him fuck you against a cross at the top of a hill in the middle of the night? And in the sea when others were around?”