CHAPTER 4
OOPS! HE DID IT AGAIN
DEX
He fucking hit her again.
That piece of walking human garbage dared to lay a hand onmyMargaux.
My fingers curl into fists, the urge to fly over there and drive them straight through his pathetic face—to castrate him—is nearly overwhelming. The thought of Timmy’s bloodied, broken form sprawled out beneath me is almost soothing.
But I can’t intervene—not yet. Not now.
I know she won’t accept it.
I pace the length of my office, replaying what I’ve read in their messages, their emails. The way he’s wormed his way back in with those manipulative, sugary apologies. “I’m so sorry, baby. I’ll change. I promise. I love you.” Reminding her that he doesn’t deserve her—he’s right about that. Making her promises he never intends to keep. It’s all so fucking predictable, like he’s ripped a page out ofHow to Gaslight and Manipulate 101: A Textbook for Abusive Boyfriends. It makes me gag.
She’s so damn smart—way too smart to fall for his bullshit—but when it comes to him, all logic flies out the fucking window.
She wants to believe his lies, and so she does.
And I can’t blame her. It’s not her fault. I know what she’s been through.
I know how she’s been conditioned to believe that scraps of affection are worth clinging to.
He’s aging, he’s balding, but he sweeps his long hair over his receding hairline and always wears a cap. I can see through it, though. The way his scalp flakes all over his black T-shirts.
His medical records speak for themselves. Toe fungus, staph infections, an STD here and there. They speak to someone who doesn’t take good care of themselves, and puts themselves in avoidable situations.
She deserves so much more than him, but he’s already poisoned her self-worth so thoroughly that she can’t see it. Can’t see that she’s so much better than him. Can’t see she’s so much betterwithouthim.
Without him, she probably feels like she has nothing. And he knows it. That’s his ace, the thing that keeps her tethered to him, no matter how much he hurts her.
Pair that with her stubborn Taurus nature, with sunk cost fallacy kicking in strong—she’s already invested so much in this human dumpster fire—and she’s toast.
I sit down, but the chair feels like it’s on fire. I can’t sit still. I slam my hands on the desk, then push up, pacing again.
I know how this ends. ‘Men’ like Timmy don’t change. He’ll drain her, suck the life out of her, until she’s a shell of the vibrant, strong woman she was. And if I don’t stop him, he’ll destroy her.
But here’s the problem—she doesn’t see him as a threat. To her, he’s still her hero, the man who ‘loves’ her—he’s got her convinced they’re soulmates, meant to be, that he cares about her more than anything. He’s made her feel sure he’s justmisunderstood, and only she can help to fix his tormented mind. Heneedsher.
In reality, he doesn’t care about anything but himself.
He’s so much like her brother. The same slimy charm, the same knack for turning a room in his favor. It’s probably why he’s still breathing despite all the people he’s screwed over. But unlike her brother, Timmy has no one watching his back. No one but his enabler of a father, and even that won’t be enough to save him when the time comes.
“Dex. Are you in there, bro?” My workmate, Jordan, taps me on the shoulder, and I almost jump out of my skin.
“Fuck, you scared me, man.”
“I was talking away to you, telling you all about my date last night. And then I just made up a bunch of bullshit. You didn’t bat an eyelash at the stripping pizza dancers. That’s when I realized you weren’t listening to me.”
“Stripping pizza dancers?” I’m so confused.
Jordan shakes his head. “Never mind, man. I’m just messing with you. You had your head in the clouds.”
“Uh, yeah. Sorry…”
“Hey, it’s not a problem. Are you still thinking about that girl? What’s her name? Mary?”