Breaking Him (Love is War #1)(68)

“Have you ever wondered why Leo and Adelaide never got divorced?”

I shrugged. “I’ve no idea.”

“They despise each other.”

“Yeah. They seem like a perfect match. They’re both pretty easy to despise.”

“True. But I’m starting to get the distinct impression that things are even more messed up than they appear. I think Adelaide has something bad on Leo. I think she’s blackmailing him and has been for a very long time.”

Was I surprised? No. Was I disgusted? Yes.

“Nothing that woman could do would surprise me,” was my response, “but I don’t know one way or the other. Why did you think I would? Adelaide hates me more than anyone. I’d hardly be the one she’d tell her dirty secrets to.”

He shrugged. “I figured it was a long shot, but you’re one of the few people associated with this crazy family that might actually tell me the truth. I thought maybe if Dante knew something that he might have confided in you at some point. Because you know he’d never tell me anything.”

“He never gave you a fair shot,” I said absently, my mind on Adelaide and blackmail. That woman was capable of anything.

It was terrifying.

“He didn’t, but there’s still time. Maybe I’ll grow on him. And I get it. All he ever wanted was our father’s approval, and being the firstborn and legitimate it must have felt particularly demoralizing to be treated the way he was. What he’s never understood is that our father only sees our mothers when he looks at his sons. We get treated, loved or loathed, based on whatever connection he had with the women he impregnated.”

I thought about that, and it added up perfectly. It was so horribly simple for something that had brought so much sadness to a young Dante. “And he loathes his wife,” I murmured.

He nodded.

“You’re a good guy, Bastian. I hope someday you and Dante can find some middle ground.”

He smiled but it was weaker than his other efforts. “I keep hoping.”

“It’s strange that your father never had any daughters,” I added, watching his face.

“There’s always that rumor that Durants only have boys.”

I knew firsthand that rumor was absolute rubbish, but I nodded. “There is that,” I said evenly.

“But that’s only a rumor. I think my dad probably has at least a few daughters. He just never bothered claiming the girls.” He saw my face and his mouth twisted. “I know. Believe me, I know. My dad is a piece of shit. What can I say? You don’t get to pick your father.”

“What’s with this cozy f*cking scene?” a familiar voice boomed from the doorway of the kitchen.

Bastian and I had been huddled close together. It was completely innocent. Well mostly. We just hadn’t wanted to be overheard. But at the sound of Dante’s voice we sort of jumped apart guiltily, which didn’t look innocent at all.

Because I liked Bastian, in fact, I liked him more the longer I spoke to him, I set down my coffee and moved forward as Dante did, intercepting him before he got close to his brother.

I pushed into his chest, getting his immediate angry attention for myself.

“Are you f*cking kidding me with this?” he raged, pointing a finger at his brother. “You’ve still got a whole night’s worth of my f*cking cum inside of you and you’re already, what the f*ck was that, rubbing up against my brother?”

My brows shot up. Wow. He’d gone full out crazy without much provocation. Bastian and I hadn’t even been touching when he walked in. Had it looked like we had? I tried to picture the angle he might have seen as I said, “Calm down. We were talking and you’re acting like a nutjob.”

For that he pointed his furious eyes at Bastian. “I’ll show you a f*cking nutjob. She is off limits. Do you f*cking hear me, brother?”

Bastian looked completely unfazed, which somehow just made me like him more. “I’m well aware of how you feel about her, brother,” he shot back, holding his coffee mug in both hands like he sensed no threat at all.

I pushed at Dante’s chest. He didn’t budge but that hadn’t been the point. Getting his attention back to me had been, and it worked. He turned his gaze on me, and I could tell he was about to lose it. “You need to take a walk, Dante. Walk away. Remember your anger management steps.”

He didn’t like that, but he responded to it, backing away and glaring at me.

When he was gone, I retrieved my coffee. It wasn’t hot enough anymore, so in silence I poured it out and fixed another.

“It never made sense to me, the way it went down with you two,” Bastian said quietly.

I could feel his eyes on me, but I didn’t look at him as I shrugged. “Didn’t make much sense to me, either. Well, anyway, nice chat. I’ll see you around, yeah?”

“Yeah. Take care, Scarlett, okay?”

“I always do, not that it helps me a damn bit. You take care of yourself.”

“I will.”

I started to leave, taking my mug with me.

I was at the doorway when he spoke again. “Will you do me a favor?” he called out.

I stopped and looked at him. “Sure,” I said lightly before I even knew what it was. I must have trusted him. That wasn’t like me.