Page 117 of My Broken Mate

“What is this?” Levi mutters his question.

I take the folder into my hands, opening the first envelope containing pictures, and my stomach sinks to new depths. “No way,” I mutter. “Hold it for a moment.” I hand Levi the envelope and get up, walking to the other side of the room. Suddenly, Ifeel an anger that’s different from usual. THIS, is the anger I’ve been afraid of!

I don’t feel this around my brothers or other people, no matter what they say or do.

But I do feel it with this.

This anger feels blinding and suffocating, and ready to bubble out of me like a pot that’s boiling over on the stove. My breath hitches. It’s like my body is controlled by an outside force. With silent fury, I punch the wall in front of me, hard enough to hear the bones of my hand break. The pain is blinding and enough to bring me down from the rage I have felt.

“Sean?” Levi yells.

“What the fuck, dude!” Joel blurts out as well. I didn’t even realize that he’d arrived. Both of them are at my side instantly. “What were you thinking?” Joel gapes, grabbing a towel from Goddess knows where and wraps it around my hand.

“It’ll heal,” I say, my voice flat to my own ears.

“That’s not…” Joel brushes through his hair in exasperation. “That’s not the problem.”

“Right.” I turn around and take the folder out of Levi’s hand again. “This is the problem.”

I toss it towards Joel, who just blinks. He skims through it, taking out the same envelope I looked at before. “Pictures,” he says. “Is this Remy? It has to be. The kid in the photo has the same eyes. Who is this woman next to him?”

“His mother,” I say.

“What?” Levi gapes. “But most of her pictures and possessions were destroyed or lost. Wasn’t there a fire?”

“Apparently, there wasn’t,” I say shortly. “That asshole just hid it. He hid it from Remy, so he would have nothing left of his mother.”

“Goddess,” Joel mutters.

He spreads the content of the folder on the now-empty table. There are pictures, some documents, and pieces of intricate jewelry. There is also something that looks like a small key, probably leading to a bank safe. Then there is another envelope. Joel shows it to me.

“It’s her handwriting,” I say, clasping my hand, slowly feeling the pain now that the adrenaline rush is gone. “What does it say?”

“To Remus,” Joel recites. “Remus?”

“That’s Remy’s actual name,” I explain. Funny, sometimes I forget that this is how he was named. I got so used to calling him Remy.

“It’s dated,” Joel says, showing me the date that’s written on the corner of the envelope. My heart sinks further. The other two men remain eerily quiet. “That was the day before she died. I don’t know the details, I just know that she committed suicide. It must be her goodbye letter to her only child.”

“By the goddess,” Levi says sadly. “Remy never received it!”

The pain in my hand makes my head spin, forcing me to sit down. I am not sure if I feel sick because of the pain or because of what we just found. “I might need to see a doctor after all,” I say.

Joel nods at Levi, and the latter dashes out of the room, probably to fetch one of the doctors who work during company hours. Joel stays, sitting next to me without saying anything. He briefly squeezes my knee, but keeps his hand there.

I am eternally grateful for his silent company.

Chapter thirty-six

Moving On

*REMY*

Iknow something is off the moment I step into the Alpha Suite. It’s just a feeling in the pit of my stomach. The feeling only gets stronger when I step into the living room and notice both Gabriel and Sean sitting silently around the table. Gabriel has folded his fingers and is resting his forehead against them, while Sean just stares at the wall. His right hand is wrapped in a tight bandage.

“What happened?” I exclaim. “Sean, you’re hurt!”

Both of them turn their heads to look at me. “It’s okay,” Sean says, sounding calm. So calm, it raises my alarm bells instantly. “Just a little accident.”