Page 107 of Merciless Obsession

Dominic put his hand up. “No. Although that is sensitive information that’s not supposed to be shared with just anyone. I’m talking about Ezra in particular. My son, although I love him and he’s my prodigy, is different from the rest of his brothers and those around him. From a young age I knew he wasn’t like everyone else. He didn’t like to share as a kid, even with his brothers, he would hyperfocus on things, and the first time he saw death he didn’t flinch. Ezra didn’t cry much as a kid and hardly ever showed any emotions, but when he became passionate over something, there was no reasoning with him. Growing up we made sure his urges were controlled. I never wanted to put a label on my son, but after his incident when he turned eighteen, I knew I needed to get a better handle on his erratic behavior.”

Incident at eighteen?I had looked into Ezra and nothing stood out. Of course, with their resources it could have easily been buried and hidden.

I shifted on my feet and rubbed my hands together. “So what are you saying? He’s clinically a psycho or something?” I laughedit off, but Dominic didn’t join in. Instead the deadpan expression on his face grew.

He stood and walked around his desk. He fumbled with his desk for a second before pulling a tan file out and coming back around. He held the file out. I hesitated for a second before stepping forward and grabbing it.

I peeked at Dominic then opened the file and scanned the material inside. It was medical files.

My brows furrowed seeing Ezra’s name on the top of the report. My chest grew taut as I read the notes.

Exhibits traits aligned with psychopathic conduct.

Thrives on manipulative behavior.

Superficial charm.

Impulsive.

Shows signs of obsessive behavior.

The more I read, the more my stomach sank. A knot built in my throat.

I went to the next page:

Behavior: confident, often feels bored, lacks empathy, remorse or guilt, compulsive actions

No substance abuse.

When I finally got to the end of the forms, I blinked a few times, flipping back and forth on the forms to reread them.

It took me a couple seconds but when I lifted my eyes back to Dominic he was watching me, waiting for my reaction.

“What is this?” I asked thickly.

“I had my son evaluated when his behavior became too serious to control on my own, discreetly of course. While the medical professionals don’t like to use the term, I will. Ezra is a psychopath. He exhibits antisocial personality behavior and that’s something not everyone is prepared to deal with.”

It was a little too late to warn me. Since I first met Ezra I knew there was more to him than met the eye. I had mysuspicions but seeing the words in black and white was different. It completely removed whatever blinders I still had on. “Well, even if I didn’t want to deal with it, I’m not sure your son will let me go easily.”

“This isn’t a game. If Ezra is forcing you to be with him and that’s not what you want, you need to let me know now before it gets too out of hand.”

I shook my head and gripped the files tightly. Dominic didn’t understand that, that ship had sailed a long time ago. He had already forced himself into my life and made it hard for me to remember what life was like before him.

“Who all knows about this diagnosis?”

“Just immediate family and now you. My son is a distinguished, highly respected and sought out attorney. The last thing I would do is allow certain words connected to him to undermine his credibility.

“You’re not the first woman that he’s set his sights on and that situation didn’t end well. That situation is only known by me and River. It could have been a shit show if not handled correctly.”

I licked my lips and thought back on all of Ezra’s actions, the way he spoke and moved. It all made sense. When I would call him a psycho, he never rebutted my assumption either. In fact, he often seemed amused.

Hearing I wasn’t the first woman Ezra felt this way about didn’t feel good. The thought of him being fixated on another woman caused me to feel something I’d never felt before.

Jealousy.

Was I jealous at the thought of Ezra giving his undivided attention to someone other than me?

“You have nothing to worry about,” I assured him. “I’m a big girl and can handle myself. If I feel like it’s becoming too much then I’ll handle it.”