Chapter 5 She belongs to me

Matthew

The vase shattered against the TV, glass scattering across the living room floor. The giant screen cracked, then crashed off the mount. I stood there, chest heaving, fists clenched. I was so pissed, I could barely breathe.

That bastard.

"How dare he!" I roared.

"How dare that bastard touch her, kiss her and carry her right in front of me?!" I gripped my hair, yanking hard at the roots as my pulse thundered in my ears. He acted like she was his to take, like I didn't exist. "Does he not fear for his life?!"

She left with him. She left me. Violet fucking left me.

I reached for another object to throw, but a scream stopped me.

"Matthew!"

I froze, then slowly turned around.

Nora was standing in the doorway, wide-eyed, her face pale, hands trembling at her sides. She looked like she didn't recognize me.

My grip loosened. The picture frame in my hand slipped and hit the floor.

"M-Matthew-" she whispered, barely audible as her eyes swept over the mess I'd made. "Matthew, w-what is this?"

I barely heard her.

"He took her right in front of me. And she went. I'm her fucking boyfriend, but she left me for some complete stranger."

I didn't care how irrational I sounded. I didn't care that my voice was breaking.

"Please, calm down, Matthew," Nora said gently. "She broke up with you. You shouldn't bother yourself with her anymore. If she left with him like that, then maybe she was never in love with you to begin with."

My head snapped toward her, eyes burning.

"No," I growled. "She belongs to me. I'm not letting her go."

I brushed past Nora, my shoulder barely grazing hers as I moved toward the hallway. "I'll find her, and bring her back to me."

"Ahh!!" Nora's scream pierced the air.

I spun around. She was clutching her chest with pain. Her knees buckled, and she collapsed to the floor.

My heart stopped.

"Nora!"

I was beside her in a second, dropping to my knees and catching her before she could hit the floor. I carried her to the couch, every nerve in my body switching from rage to panic.

"Nora! Nora, are you okay?!"

Her eyes fluttered open weakly, and she reached for my hand, her fingers icy against my skin.

"It's...my fault," she whispered. "Everything that happened tonight, it's because I came back into your life."

Tears welled in her eyes.

"That's why your girlfriend hates me..." She sniffled. "If I didn't have this heart problem, if I hadn't come back into your life, you wouldn't have to go through this. I'm so sorry."

I shook my head. "No, don't blame yourself, Nora. It's not your fault."

"It is-"

"It isn't," I said, firmer. "You didn't do anything wrong. You didn't cause a rift between Violet and me. She's just... being difficult. She's always been sensitive about you, because she's jealous. That's all."

Nora looked away, still trembling.

"You need to get changed," I said gently. "You're drenched. You'll get sick."

I called out, "Sofia!"

The head maid entered quickly, bowing. "Good evening, Mr. Matthew."

"Take Nora upstairs," I said, "to the spare room. And help her change out of these clothes."

Sofia nodded. "To what, sir?"

I glanced at Nora. My first instinct was to tell her to wear something of Violet's, they were about the same size, but Nora shook her head quickly.

"I... I don't want to wear her clothes," she whispered. "Please Matthew, I'm scared she'll hate me even more if she finds out. Can I just wear yours?"

My jaw tightened.

My clothes?

I hesitated. It would be strange. It was too intimate, and Violet would get more jealous if she found out. But then Nora looked up at me with that wounded, scared expression.

I sighed and nodded. "Give her one of my shirts, and shorts."

"Yes, sir," Sofia said, already guiding her gently toward the hallway.

I let out a long sigh and dragged a hand through my face. I kept my palm pressed against my head.

Why?

Why the fuck was she acting like this?

Like I was the villain. Like I'd done something unforgivable. Like I didn't love her.

Fine.

I agreed I made a mistake. My body moved before my brain had the chance to catch up. That was it. It was purely reflex, and instinct. I saved Nora because she was sick. That was all. And Violet was alive, wasn't she?

So what was the big deal?

God, I'd been trying. When Nora came back into my life and everything inside me cracked wide open. I held back, didn't I? Even when my mind spun every time Nora smiled, even when the memories came crashing back, I didn't let it take me over.

Even the kiss I had with her a week ago was a mistake. I stopped it before it went further.

She should've been grateful. Most men would've given in completely, I didn't. And yet here she was, running off with some asshole, putting on a dramatic little show.

I scoffed under my breath, as I remembered his words.

"You look like a kid who just lost his favorite toy to someone better."

My teeth clenched. I am not a kid, and I haven't lost Violet.

"Sir," Nicolas called, stepping into the room. He gave a small bow. "Apologies for interrupting."

"Did you find out where they went?" I asked, lifting my head.

Nicolas shook his head. "No, sir. We lost track of the car."

"Fuck." I swore under my breath.

Nicolas added cautiously, "There's one more thing, I heard from someone on the inside, your father might be in the country. He may have even attended the party."

My heart dropped.

"What?" I stood up so fast the chair scraped against the floor. "My father?"

Nicolas nodded once. "That's the rumor."

I closed my eyes, my breath catching for a moment.

There was one man in this world I feared.

Only one, and that was my adoptive father.

I'd only met him once, when I was eighteen. He looked at me like I was nothing more than a pawn to him.

"I'm your new father," he said back then. "Don't disappoint me."

Even now, years later, I remembered that single moment. He had the kind of presence that made every fiber of your body tense with fear.

"Do you think he actually came?" I asked.

Nicolas shook his head. "No, sir. I heard he didn't meet with your grandfather either. So he likely didn't attend."

I exhaled slowly. Thank God.

The last thing I needed was him witnessing me get humiliated like that.

"Keep this quiet, and make sure it doesn't reach him."

"Understood."

I nodded, pacing slowly. "What do you think about Violet and what happened?"

Nicolas stayed quiet for a moment, then said in a calm, reassuring voice, "You don't need to worry, sir. Miss Violet was just angry. You know how she is, she is sensitive and emotional. She was putting on a performance to get a reaction from you. That's all."

I narrowed my eyes slightly.

"She's probably somewhere cooling off," Nicolas continued. "I doubt she left with that man for real. I don't believe she would take it that far."

I nodded slowly.

Yes.

That made sense.

Violet always tried to make me happy. She was always soft, always apologizing even when she wasn't wrong. She wasn't like Nora, who needed protection, and care. Violet had always been independent. She just wanted attention.

This was her way of getting it.

There was no way in hell she actually meant to break up with me. And definitely no way she'd sleep with another man.