CHAPTER 83
Dominic’s POV
I’d been silent for hours, watching, waiting. Tyler’s every move had been calculated, predictable even, but that didn’t make it any less infuriating. I’d kept my patience for as long as I could too long, probabl but tonight, I wasn’t going to let it slide anymore.
The living room was dimly lit, the soft glow of the city lights spilling in through the blinds. Ethan was in the kitchen, fiddling with some paperwork, oblivious to the tension in the air.
I had been watching Tyler from across the room, pretending to organize some boxes but really tracking every subtle gesture. He moved with that smug, slow ease that always irritated me, leaning just enough to suggest casualness, speaking just enough to seem innocent.
Tyler’s hand brushed against Ethan’s wrist or maybe it was more than that. I froze mid-step, my heart hammering in my chest. My mind replayed it in slow motion: the way Tyler’s fingers lingered, the faint, too-quick glance toward me, the almost imperceptible smirk. My blood boiled, my control slipping.
I stalked forward, silent as a predator. Tyler didn’t even notice me until I was close, close enough to see every detail of his smirk. “Do you think I wouldn’t notice?” I growled, my voice low, dangerous.
Tyler looked up at me, eyes widening just enough to feign surprise. “I… I don’t know what you mean, Dominic,” he said smoothly, keeping his tone light, innocent even, but I could smell the lie in it.
I wanted to lunge at him, to make him pay for the nerve, the audacity. My hands curled into fists at my sides. Every ounce of restraint I had cultivated over weeks was slipping, melting like wax in a flame. I could feel the urge to strike, to show him that boundaries weren’t suggestions.
“Dominic what’s going on?” His voice was calm, confused, but he froze when he saw the expression on my face, the barely contained fury, the tension coiling in my shoulders.
Tyler immediately shifted, his eyes wide with mock horror. “Dominic! You can’t just, he didn’t…look at what you’re doing!”
“Tyler,” I hissed, seething. “Don’t even start.”
Ethan’s eyes darted between us, uncertainty etched in every line of his face. “Dominic… what’s wrong? Are you okay?”
I wanted to explain, to make him understand, but Tyler had already started weaving his little web. He stepped back, hands raised in exaggerated defense, and his voice trembled with faux indignation. “Ethan! Dominic just… he came at me! I didn’t do anything! You have to believe me!”
I could feel my anger spike again, but Ethan stepped in, moving between us. “Dominic, stop!” he said firmly, hand on my chest. “What’s going on? Why are you yelling at Tyler?”
The touch, the concern in his eyes, it grounded me slightly but not enough to quell the fire roaring inside me. “He….” I started, but Tyler cut me off, his face contorted into the perfect mask of wounded innocence.
“I can’t believe this,” Tyler said, voice breaking just enough to seem sincere. “You think I’d do something like that? Ethan, I would never, Dominic just… he’s out of control.”
Ethan’s hands tightened on my chest. “Dominic, you need to calm down. I don’t understand why are you so angry?”
I clenched my jaw, forcing the fury into check, though every muscle in my body screamed for action. “Ethan, he…he crossed a line. I saw him…”
“Dominic,” Ethan interrupted, voice shaking with confusion and concern, “I… I trust you, but I don’t understand. You can’t just assume things.”
Tyler’s smirk had returned, subtle but infuriating. He leaned casually against the doorframe, arms crossed, playing the perfect victim. “See? Ethan, I told you. He’s losing it. Calm down, Dominic. You’re embarrassing yourself.”
“Ethan,” I said finally, trying to regain control of my voice, my tone calm but measured, “I need you to listen. I’ve been patient. I’ve let things slide. Tyler isn’t who he appears to be. You have to trust me..just this once.”
Tyler gasped, mock horror, but I ignored him. “I saw him…just now…he did something… inappropriate. He’s been pushing boundaries, manipulating both of us, and I can’t let it continue.”
Ethan’s face was a mask of confusion and concern. “I… I don’t know what to say. Are you sure?”
I nodded, trying to breathe through the rage. “Yes. I’ve seen enough. I need you to be careful, Ethan. Don’t let him twist your perception. Don’t let him make you doubt what you feel, what you know.”
Tyler’s smirk faltered slightly, but only for a second. He quickly replaced it with a wounded, pitiful expression. “Dominic, you’re ruining everything. Ethan, he’s… he’s out of control. Please, you have to see that.”
Ethan’s eyes darted between us, uncertain. I could feel my frustration building again, but I forced myself to step back. Tyler had drawn the scene exactly as he wanted, and any overt move now would only confirm his narrative.
“Enough,” I said finally, voice calm, but edged with steel. “We’ll discuss this later, privately. Ethan, I promise you…I will explain everything. don’t let him manipulate you. Not now, not ever.”
Tyler tilted his head, as if trying to look pitiful and reasonable at the same time. “Fine, Dominic. If that’s what you want. But I swear, Ethan, I didn’t do anything wrong. I’m just trying to help.”
“I know,” I said quietly, gripping Ethan’s arms gently. “I know you trust me. Just… give me time. I’ll handle this. You don’t need to do anything. Just stay out of it.”
Ethan nodded slowly, still shaken, still unsure, but trusting me enough to step back. I could see the conflict in his eyes, the tension between what he felt and what Tyler had planted.
I clenched my fists, breathing through the tension. Tyler would test every limit, probe every boundary, try to destabilize everything I had built. But he had underestimated one thing: my patience had limits, my loyalty was unshakable, and my determination to protect Ethan was absolute.
I would not let Tyler win. Not here, not now, not ever.