Chapter 44 Scared

Chapter 44 Scared
Omniscient Narrative

As the week wore on, he found himself constantly looking over his shoulder, paranoia creeping into every waking moment. His phone became a virtual Pandora's box, and no matter how many times he pressed the screen, the worry never ceased.

Finally, the day came when he ran into the man again, this time at an event filled with buyers and sellers—an industry gala where faces glimmered under the warm lights. 

As he struggled to maintain composure against the sea of laughter, he caught sight of the man standing at the bar, relaxed yet alert.

Fear gripped Vincent as he approached carefully, each step measured, his heart aching inside his chest. "You can't leave me alone, can you?" he hissed, voice breaking under the weight of threat felt inside.

"Why would I want to?" The man replied softly, unhurried and nonchalant, sipping from a glass. "I'm enjoying the view from here."

Vincent took a breath, grappling with anger, resentment, and shame churning together in that moment. "If you have something to say, just say it," he pressed, unable to spin in circles any longer. 

"Oh, I have lots to say," he professed, his dark eyes narrowing with delight. "But why say it now when I have all the time in the world to watch you sink deeper? It's really much more entertaining to see how you unravel all on your own."

"I'm done playing your games," Vincent warned, fists clenching tightly at his sides. 

"Such passion," the man mused, barely concealing his amusement. "Why don't you take a look down memory lane? I have some little souvenirs I've saved. You might find they hold more weight."

Vincent froze, dread tightening around him as the memory of every hidden meeting merged into a flashing reminder of his mistakes. "Stop it, stop it!" 

"I think not." The man walked away, glancing over his shoulder with a smirk that sent tremors through Vincent's core, leaving him perpetually on edge.

....

The nights became longer, sleepless shadows lurking within his mind, his thoughts spinning over the landscape of deceitful whispers. 

Vincent began hearing echoes of laughter, twisted memories morphing into nightmares, and during a moment of pure exhaustion, he shot out of bed in the dead of night. 

Frustrated tears burned his eyes. He was being crushed beneath the weight of dread he had projected into his life.

He even went out of his way to spend time with Kai, taking the man out on dates and even went ahead as to try cutting ties with his lovers. 

So you can imagine his shock when his son was graduating and his husband unknowingly invited half of his lovers to the function.

But one cannot blame Kai, he didn't know his husband was sleeping with half the people they knew. 

Vincent was on the edge throughout the party, he made it his motive to try and make sure Kai had no contact with anyone for too long or at least without him there. 

He didn't was the mysterious man to show up and cause a scene in his party, he was certain it could happen. 

Vincent has never been more scared in his whole life, what had he gotten himself into.