Page 93 of The Omega's Fake Mate

“He thinks getting closure would be good for me,” Rhys explained, stirring his drink. Maybe he was a little bit nervous, too. “Also, I kind of suspect he'll have one ear on the door the whole time.”

I sighed. “Why are you even telling me all this if you've already decided you're going to do it?”

Rhys looked me in the eyes. “I'm not asking for your permission, you know? If I want to have a conversation with my husband, I will. I just don't want us to fight again. I guess I'm giving you time to prepare yourself mentally? I know how much you hate Jeremiah.” He reached across the table to lay his hand on mine. “I promise this is the last time.”

What could I say? Rhys was right; he wasn't asking me for permission. I wasn't his keeper, even if I wanted to be. Closing my eyes and pinching the bridge of my nose, I took a deep breath. I didn't like this, not at all, I did appreciate that Rhys was talking to me about it, though. If I shot him down now, he might withdraw again going forward.

“Okay,” I said finally, reluctantly. “Tell me just one thing.”

“What do you want to know?”

“Why did I wake up nearly having a panic attack in November? You never told me what happened.” That was a piece of information I was still missing.

“Nothing happened.”

“Rhys…Don’t tell me I’m making this up. You go to bed at 10 p.m. and wake up at 6 a.m. pretty much every day of your life, but that night you were up way past midnight when I texted you.”

“I had a bad dream.”

“Why?”

Rhys’ eyes strayed to the side. This was obviously something he didn’t want to talk about. Before speaking, he took a sip of his drink, as if hoping it would warm him from the inside. “My neighbor was found dead that night.”

“Your neighbor?” I reached across the table to hold my brother’s hand.

“We were friends. He was omega too, mated to the town’s mayor.” Rhys grimaced. “The mayor is my father-in-law, by the way. Henry was his third mate.”

My eyebrows climbed my forehead. “I thought Vinists believe marriage to be sacred.”

“His first mate died of heart disease, his second… I’m not actually sure what happened. They don’t talk about it.”

“What happened to Henry?”

Rhys shook his head. “He and the mayor fought sometimes. I could hear them. Then one day, Henry was gone. I thought he’d run away, you know? But that night they found his body in the woods. He’d hung himself.” Rhys’ face went pale. “I think… I don’t think he did it himself, you know? It wasn’t… he wasn’t like that. He wouldn’t have.” With his free hand, he rubbed his face. “No one believed me, though. I think that was the first time I realized how ugly the ugly side of our community could be.”

Stomach clenching, I squeezed my brother’s hand. Ofcoursehe’d been scared. “But you thought your husband was different?”

“Heisdifferent,” Rhys insisted. “But I realized that I couldn’t stay with him, regardless. It just took me a little longer to come to that decision.”

I studied my brother’s face. He was still convinced of his husband’s innocence, but could I trust his judgement? “Your husband threw a plate at you,” I reminded him.

Rhys sighed, as if he was already tired of explaining this. “He wasn’t aiming at me and that’s the only time he’s ever shown physical aggression. He didn’t even put up a fight when I told him I was leaving. He’s not like the rest of his family, but they’re a bad influence on him.” He took another deep breath and his features grew softer. “I know he’s not perfect and I know it was the right decision to leave, but every time I look at him I still see the guy who brought me donuts and coffee every day that I was working on my thesis. I didn’t marry him just because, you know? But I’m going to divorce him and I’d like to tell him that in person, at least.”

“Okay.” What else could I say, at this point? I didn’t want to make this harder on my brother than it already was, and Dean was going to be here, so maybe… With a sigh, I let go of his hand. “Have your last meeting. Get your closure.”Get your divorce.

“Thank you.”

I took a sip of my hot chocolate. Sadly, it did nothing to calm my nerves. Was Rhys making the right decision here? I didn't know.

I could only hope so.

35

Zander

“Could you please stop pacing? You're wearing my rug thin and making me dizzy. I think even Betty is going to be dizzy.” My dog was watching my mate walk circles in the living room with the most perplexed look I'd ever seen on a dog.

“I can't help it,” Nick moaned, throwing his hands up. “I'm nervous. Why hasn't Dean called me yet? He said he would call as soon as the asshole was gone.”