Page 115 of Revere

“Because why would anyone cheat on you?” I gesture up and down at him. “On this.”

“Is that a compliment?” He smirks.

“Don’t let it go to your head. I’m still mad at you. Even if I don’t understand it.”

“I appreciate that.” He smiles, and it’s a little sad. “But people have affairs for lots of reasons. Molly resented me for not leaving the fraternity, so that’s how she chose to rebel against it. Looking back, I don’t blame her.”

“It’s not a choice to leave Sigma House.” I huff.

“She didn’t understand that. Not like you do.”

It almost sounds like a compliment.

Jacob steps back, dipping his hands into his pockets. “Molly was distant at the end, even from me. When I first got the call that she’d killed herself, I wasn’t even surprised. That’s how miserable my life made her.”

I frown, understanding that too well. Sigma Sin ruins everything good.

“It wasn’t until I walked into the apartment that I knew I’d missed something because she hadn’t killed herself.”

“How did you know that quickly?”

“She was left-handed. She wouldn’t have put the needle in her left arm.”

“That’s not in the police report.”

He shakes his head. “They were selective for my sake. For my family’s sake. And after Haven admitted to killing her, the police tied a bow on it and put it away. The cops were satisfied, and Sigma House weeded out the problem. Everything was fine.”

His eyes drift off.

“But it wasn’t, was it?” I’m the one who steps forward now. “You weren’t fine.”

“I didn’t know she was pregnant until after I found out about the abortion. I still don’t even know if the baby was mine.” Jacob clears his throat like he’s trying to collect himself. “I moved to LA and changed my name after that. I was already a legacy, so I couldn’t leave the House, but I put as much distance as Icould between myself and what happened. Even if she didn’t kill herself, my world drove her to Haven. It drove her away. And I was left with this hole I didn’t know how to fill. But you never can really leave Sigma Sin, so when they needed me, I did what I do best, channeled my rage.”

“You became the Interrogator.”

“I thought I was helping. And it didn’t hurt that it gave me an excuse to draw blood. So I did what I could. I came back when new initiates were being tested, and I made sure the next generation was stronger than I was. That is, until your brother’s trial.”

My heart starts racing, and I swallow hard at the emotion swelling in my throat.

“He was legally dead when I walked back into the room. I don’t know how the fuck he survived it. And it was my fault.”

“You weren’t the one who hurt him.” I don’t know if I’m saying it for him or myself.

“Don’t excuse it, Patience. Trust me, I hurt him. It’s my job. It’s what I’m good at. I inflict pain. You should know that better than anyone.” He lifts my chin and brushes his thumb over my lower lip.

I do know that better than anyone. Jacob is the master at hurting people. My heart is still in pieces from what he did to me.

Yet here I am.

“After what happened to your brother, I stayed in LA. I was done with the trials. The fraternity. The only reason the House didn’t hunt me down and strip me of my marks and kill me is because I was a Stone by birth. My family’s name protected me and allowed me to stay mostly out of House business.”

“But now you’re back.”

“Now I’m back,” he agrees. “Declan approached me a little over a year ago. Apparently, your brother recovered a lot quicker at Montgomery than people realized, and he started digging intothe House. The members. He and Declan were looking for dirt on the Council, and Declan found enough to dismantle them. But he needed help from the outside.”

“Declan came to you for help?”

“He came to me with information.” Jacob’s jaw tightens. “When he was digging, he found proof that the story I’d been told about Molly was redacted. Haven wasn’t the one who wanted her dead. He was a pawn just like we all are, acting on orders.”