Page 96 of Checkmate
Without letting her reply, Marcus leafed through the book. He turned it to show her a clear image of her and Alex in the back of his car, kissing like teenagers.
The silence between them was electric, the tension making the room feel smaller. Sophie stared at him like a deer in headlights, her mouth opening and closing as she scrambled for words. He stayed silent, letting her dig herself further into a hole.
“Nothing happened! I mean…”
“Lie to me one more time. I dare you.” Now her expression changed. There was a gleam in her eye that wasn’t there before, a smirk lingering on her lips.
“Are you threatening me, Marcus?”
He laughed harshly. He couldn’t help it.
Immediately, he saw the angle she was going for. Make him angry enough that she gets to play the scared little victim. Anything other than admitting her mistakes.
“Behave, Soph. I’ve seen you do this before and it won’t work now. Believe me, my eyes are finally wide open, and I see you for the bitch that you are.”
“Marcus, come on…”
“Fuck you. I’d like you to leave,” he said plainly. He wouldn’t argue or demand an explanation. He had no interest in begging her or fighting for her. His lawyer could do all his talking for him.
“You can’t make me leave! It’s Christmas fucking day. I’ve got nowhere else to go!” It was the first time he’d heard genuine emotion from her.
Fucking bitch.
“Not my problem.”
He turned his back on her, walking through to the kitchen. No matter how angry and hurt he was, he refused to show her even an ounce of emotion. He refused to allow her to turn him into a brute who yelled and smashed things. To keep his cool, he needed to be away from her.
But of course, she wouldn’t give him that luxury.
She followed him into the kitchen. She stuttered over her words, starting her sentence many times. “Will you just talk to me?” She finally said.
“I have nothing I want to say.”
“Why not? Don’t you love me, Marcus? Aren’t you going to fight for me?” He gritted his teeth, focusing his attention on the coffee machine. He was too sober to deal with her right now. “Seriously? How can you just throw me away like this? Did I mean not—”
“Did I mean nothing to you?!” He turned to face her, shrinking at his tone and having the decency to look ashamed. “Don’t you fucking dare, Sophie.” He chuckled without humour, running his hand through his hair. After a moment, he met her gaze, curling his lip in disgust.
“You know what the worst thing about all this is?” He waited for a response from her. He received nothing. “The worst thing is, I do fucking love you. I worshipped the ground you walked on. There was nothing more important and more precious to me than you.”
“So then—”
“I’m not finished.” He gripped the edge of the kitchen counter, letting it bite into his skin as a distraction from the pain in his chest. “I do love you. But fight for you? Not a fucking chance. No way I would degrade myself, or make a bigger fool of myself than I already have.”
“You haven’t made a fool of yourself.”
“Oh, but I have. See, I told anyone and everyone who would listen how lucky I was to have you. How fucking perfect you were! Now, they’ll all know I was being taken for a ride and my marriage was nothing but a sham.”
“No, it isn’t!” Sophie rushed towards him, taking his hand before he could stop her. “It’s not a sham, Marcus. “I do love you!”
“Don’t go there,” he warned, pulling his hand from her grasp. “I don’t want to hear your fucking lies. People in love don’t fuck their married boss.”
“It didn’t me—”
“Mean anything?” He asked, finishing her sentence. “Was it just sex? You were thinking of me the entire time? My god, did you read a manual on all the things to say after getting caught cheating? Or do you believe the bullshit coming out of your mouth?”
“I think you’re being a bit harsh, Marcus.”
A bit fucking harsh?
