Chapter 13 IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME (II)

Chapter 13 IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME (II)
EDWARD

I sit in my car on the way to the hospital, images of my wife in another man’s arms playing in my head like a terrible song on repeat.

I shouldn’t care. 

Whatever Hayley does with her life should not concern me. After all, she chose to leave me after everything I had done for her. After six years of marriage.

But there’s no denying the raw, unbridled fury that still simmers in my veins. I have never been jealous or possessive of anyone in my life. I hate this feeling.

“Dean, are you done with your investigation? What happened to my son?”

The news of Toby’s death shook me.

I may look okay on the outside, but on the inside, I’m a fucking wreck.

Dean’s lean fingers fly over the keys of his laptop as he responds;

“Recent police reports show that he wandered out of Mrs. DaSilva’s apartment and into the storm while she was away. Apparently, he was trying to look for her. 

He was found three hours later by a Good Samaritan and taken to the hospital. Sadly, he didn’t make it.”

Victoria grabs my arm, her eyes shining with pity.

“I’m so sorry about this, Edward. I’m here for you. If you need anything, you only have to ask.”

I nod without looking at her, keeping my eyes glued to raindrops on my window.

That one sentence keeps ringing in my head: “apparently, he was looking for his mother…”

Rage burns in my lungs like poison.

If Hayley had stayed home with Toby, none of this would have happened.

She abandoned our son to meet her lover. 

She killed our child. And I swear, she will pay for this. 

No matter how long it takes, I will make sure my dearly beloved wife never escapes my wrath.


HAYLEY

I’m convinced that I must have skipped out of town when God was sharing supportive husbands. 

Silvan is patting my back, trying to calm me down after I suffered my third panic attack, when the hairs on my arm tingle with unease.

I don’t have to look up to know he’s here. 

His dark baritone seeps into the hallway, those harsh, acidic words landing like a curse.

“It wasn’t enough that you abandoned our son to whore yourself out for this bastard. You had to bring him here too?”

Beside me, Silvan stiffens.

I lift my gaze and sure enough, Edward stands a few paces away, his face a black mask of rage. 

After receiving news of Toby’s death, I was worried sick, wondering how I’d break the news to him. In the end, I chickened out and let the doctor call him instead. Turns out, I was absolutely right to dread this moment.

I haven’t seen Edward anything less than perfect in over four years. Right now, his suit jacket is gone. The top three buttons of his shirt lie open, and his eyes are the reddest I’ve ever seen.

Was he crying? 

Despite everything that’s happened between us, guilt sits heavy in my guts.

Toby wasn’t just my child. He was ours. Edward might’ve been a shitty husband, but I know he loved his son.

“Edward, Toby…”

Three strides. That’s all it takes and he’s towering over me, breathing thunder and destruction.

I crane my neck to meet his gaze, shuddering slightly at the murderous rage in those steely depths.

When he speaks, I can sense the hatred that rolls off of him in waves. All directed at me.

“I have one question for you, Hayley. And don’t you dare lie to me.”

He leans closer and I tighten my fingers to quell the urge to turn and run in the opposite direction.

“Where were you when Toby left the house in the fucking storm?”

I open my mouth to speak and snap it back shut.

Edward cannot know where I was. No one can know.

“I…I…”

“Cat caught your tongue?” He snarls. “Or are you ashamed to admit you were with him?” 

His gaze strays to Silvan and I narrow my eyes, wondering where he got that idea.

“Edward, what are you talking about?”

“Don’t think you can play with my intelligence, Hayley. I know everything. I’ve seen the damn pictures.”

For a moment, I pause, confusion knotting by brows as I wonder exactly what he’s accusing me of.

Then suddenly, understanding slices through me and hurt blooms in my chest, sharp and cold.

“Wait… you think I was out sleeping with Silvan?”

His silence is all the answer I need.

I thought I had finally grown immune to Edward and his antics. I thought I stopped caring what he thought about me. But I haven’t felt so fucking insulted in a long while.

And deep down, it hurts that he thinks I would ever abandon my son just to have sex with a man. Any man.

It hurts like hell. 

Just like I’ve trained myself to do, I hide my feelings behind a cold mask and face him head on.

I will never give Edward the satisfaction of thinking his opinions matter to me. 

“In case you’re not aware, Silvan is married. Happily married. We’re strictly platonic friends.”

Edward expression says he doesn’t believe a word I just said.

“Then where were you tonight?”