Chapter 132

The first instinct was not to accept any information that would suspend his disillusionment. He fought hard not to disregard Thomas’ admissions as blatant lies. Could he have been mistaken? No. What about all those times he felt uncomfortable with their interactions? He wouldn’t have formed his opinions out of thin air. “I’ve seen them sneaking around talking to each other and when he found out about the child…” Austin’s voice trailed off as unwanted images flooded his mind, “she’d let him stay in our house.” That was the short version of it. The only details he was content in recalling. Anything more would send him in a frenzy. Days had passed and he his mind was mess. Skylar a potent, intoxicating image in his mind’s eye and despite everything his body craved her. His cock stiffening at the thought of her inflicting her cold gaze upon him. *Fuck me.* His alter ego, his sub-conscious voice grinned at conflicting emotions.

“Need I remind you that you poisoned me because you thought I was having an affair with her?” Thomas retorted, wondering if his friend would realise just how far gone he actually was.

It wasn’t his proudest moment but Austin found himself without guilt. “And I am regretting giving you that antidote right about now.” Austin licked his parched lips, waiting for the point to be made.

“Is it that you’ve never experienced jealously before?” Thomas squinted, rolling his shoulders back to alleviate the stiffness forming, feeling as if he’d just cracked an age old mystery. He’d been racking his brain trying to understand why the logically minded Austin Cyner was reacting so strangely. But strange wasn’t the appropriate word—emotional was. That one singular word put everything into perspective for Thomas.

“You’re straying from the topic at hand,” Austin shook his head in an attempt to drive the tip-toeing headache away. Thomas refused to get caught up in any train of thought that would derail his thinking, “You don’t know how to logically analysis male attention when it comes to Skylar and instead you automatically assume the worst.”

“You still haven’t proven to me that I am assuming,” he responded coldly, his drawn. His body calling for rest. Could he dare to have hope again? What if it was ripped out of his chest a second time?

“Is my word no longer weighty?” Thomas couldn’t believe that Austin was maintaining his stubbornness. “My point is, you are too afraid to lose her, too afraid to accept that she might actually want you as much as you want her to comprehend that other people’s interest may only be one sided. You are more ready to give her up than to fight for her and if that’s the case then by all means let her go,”

Austin became quiet, “Did she say the words?” Austin needed confirmation, he didn’t care about what happened before him. He wanted her and the hope Thomas was dangling before his eyes was absorbing all his doubts. “She told you she had no feelings for him? In plain and simple words? No sub-context involved?” He was waiting for Thomas to answer him, even before he was finished speaking when the bedroom room pushed open.

“What the fuck happened to you?” Colin had been thoroughly distracted by the bruising on Austin’s face, his manner unkempt, he was barely clad in anything. His trousers torn up and a gaping wound on his leg. The sight was ghastly for Colin who’d seen minor injuries and bruises. His stomach turned and the porridge his mother fed him this morning was threatening to be repurposed outside of his stomach. He’d almost forgotten why he came here.

“When did my bedroom turn into a public venue?” Austin drawled, training his eyes to Thomas. The last person he wanted to see in his house was Colin. Did he come here to gloat? Austin couldn’t guarantee the life of the man if he did.

“Well perhaps you should ask Colin about this,” Thomas also ignored Colin’s enquiry, speaking to Austin directly.

“Don’t you dare.” Austin’s hands balled into fists and he did nothing to hide them.

“Ask me what?” Colin retorted instantly, ignorant of Austin’s anger boiling over.

“Thomas…” Austin warned, “Don’t.” The last thing he needed was Colin knowing he was…jealous.

“What is your relationship with Skylar? Did she leave Austin to be with you?” Thomas glanced at Colin, who turned his attention to a seething Austin.

“For fuck’s sake.” Austin shook his head in disbelief. The last thing he needed was to be taunted and that was the expectation from Colin. Not even Thomas could save the man if the wrong words spilled from his tongue. “God, I should have let you die,” Austin threatened, pinching the bridge of his nose and wondering why he’d even given the man the antidote that day? Because of some bond they had? Seemed overrated right now.

“You’re a fool. You know that right?” Colin almost laughed as he regarded his half-brother. It was the second time today that Austin had been called a slur with the intent of attacking his intelligence. “You love her too don’t you?” He followed up before Austin could grasp the opportunity to issue a threat.

“That he does,” Thomas pipped in, crossing his arms over his chest, watching the scene.

“Just shut the fuck up,” Austin snapped at Thomas, uncomfortable that everyone in the room sensed his feelings without him having to voice it.

“Too?” he glanced back at Colin with murder in his eyes, “Are you telling me to my face that you also love *my* wife?”

Thomas made a low guttural sound at Austin claiming Skylar as his wife to Colin’s face.

“That goes without saying and I know that I’m a piece of shit but you don’t deserve her love either and I can’t believe you’re the one she loves. You don’t even trust her.” Colin wanted to scream, his lungs deflating and his throat scorching. He’d thought about coming here a thousand times after he’d spoken to Skylar and today was the day. He couldn’t comprehend her in the condition he saw her in last.

“What did you say?” everything else fell away leaving behind certain key words. The biggest one being the allegation that Skylar loved him. “She told you she loves me?” he sat up straighter his eyes wide and receiving. Without realising it he was holding his breath for the answer.

“She didn’t have too. I have been begging her to be with me before you came into the picture and now you’ve left her.” Colin ranted on, upset that he was helping this man. Austin couldn’t find the words, the things Colin was saying to him was rewiring his brain and everything he’d believed for the past few days. “You know,” Colin continued, “I’ve made a lot of mistakes, but the biggest one was falling for a woman that already belonged to you, I didn’t have a chance.” He scoffed at himself.

“Why are you telling me this?” Austin was back on his feet, the pain barely registering in his head.

“The fuck should I know.” Colin laughed sardonically at himself, “perhaps it’s because I care about her more than the petty hatred I had for you. I want her to be happy, even if it’s with my bastard brother.”