Chapter Twelve
KONFLICT KORVEN
Five days later
She knew my mother.
I had sunk so deep into rage that I never imagined my mother alive in someone else’s memory like that.
Never imagined the woman I married, had built a secret bond with the only person I ever truly loved.
And that realization fucked me up worse than I wanted to admit.
Because it meant I really didn’t know her.
Not at all. I never took the chance to. Serenity was right when she threw that in my face.
I never asked what she loved, what she hated, and what scars she carried.
I didn’t know she had that deep, visceral hatred for her father, or that kind of unconditional love for my mother.
And now I needed answers. How? When did they meet?
Where did they talk? What did my mother tell her?
What did Serenity give back in return? I just wanted to know how close they were, what bond they shared, and I needed to know like I needed my next breath.
Five days ago, I left Serenity just before dawn, after fucking her all night.
But she stayed in my head. Every second.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had missed everything that mattered.
Eleven fucking months, convincing myself that she deserved to die, when she didn’t deserve any of that shit.
When she said if I didn’t kill her, she was ready to take her own life, pain, frustration, and rage tore straight through me, all tangled together.
And the fucked-up truth was that I was the one who put that thought in her head.
I was the one who convinced her she deserved to die.
Part of me wanted to grab her face and tell her she’d never be allowed to end her life. Not on my watch.
Now the fact she hadn’t called me for five days made me anxious as hell.
I still had eyes on her, so I knew she hadn’t gone back to that escort house since our last night together.
But not knowing why she made that choice drove me fucking insane.
She’d gotten me hooked on her—on her body, on her pussy.
I wanted to pull her into my arms, kiss her, lose myself in her heat.
I needed that shit like I needed to breathe.
So yeah, I’d been on edge for five days straight, feeling like a junkie going through withdrawal.
I was strung out for my wife. And I fought like hell not to just show up at the Korven estate, scared that being there would start another pointless argument.
For the first time in my life, I didn’t want to piss her off. And fuck, I didn’t even know how to get close to her without all that old animosity burning up between us.
Everything inside me told me I needed to change something.
I just didn’t know how the fuck to fix things with a woman I spent eleven months pushing away.
How do you undo damage you caused on purpose?
How do you repair something you broke with both hands when time is already running out?
I didn’t know where to start. Didn’t know what words wouldn’t sound like bullshit coming from my mouth.
All I knew was that I wanted her. Wanted to see her again.
Touch her. Talk to her. I wanted more nights where her body answered mine without fear, where her pussy clung to me, where my dick felt like it belonged right there inside her.
I grabbed my phone and checked for the hundredth time if I had a missed call or text from Vixen, but there was nothing. Frustration crawled up my spine, and I hit her number, barely keeping my temper in check.
“Why the fuck hasn’t she called me?” I asked the second Vixen picked up.
“Mr. Korven, I have no idea. She hasn’t said a word to me in five days either. Maybe she just decided to quit?” she said, her voice careful like she was trying not to set me off. “Did things go well last time you spent the night together? Did you take good care of her?”
The question pissed me off instantly, mostly because I’d been torturing myself with the same shit.
Was Serenity ghosting me because I wasn’t good enough in bed?
It was the first time I’d ever doubted myself like that.
She made me anxious in ways no one else ever had.
I’d given her everything. Couldn’t figure out if I’d fucked up so bad she’d decided to walk away.
I was even proud I’d convinced her to only come to me, and the past few days I’d been barely breathing, just waiting for her to call.
I missed her like an addict misses a hit.
Nothing ever got under my skin like she did.
“What do you mean? I know how to fuck my wife, Vixen,” I shot back, voice bitter.
“I apologize. I didn’t mean to suggest otherwise,” she said quickly, “but I do find it strange she hasn’t returned.
Have you tried talking to her?” she pressed, and fuck, her questions grated on me.
It was just a reminder of how bad I’d wrecked things with Serenity.
How even simple shit like talking to my wife or being in the same room felt impossible without someone raising their voice.
“Who do you think you are, some kind of marriage counselor?” I snapped.
“No, I—”
“Stick to the shit you know. Just make sure you let me know the second she shows up.”
“Yes, sir,” she answered.
I didn’t give her a chance to say anything else before I hung up without a word. I was pissed at myself and the whole fucking world. All I wanted was to fuck my wife. I wanted her so bad it hurt.
“If anyone had told me you’d lose your damn mind over a Veylor,” Krash shook his head as he walked into my office.
I glanced up at him, face shutting down. I knew he was trying to get under my skin, but I wasn’t in the mood for his sarcasm.
“You got anything for me?” I asked, trying to focus on the work that hadn’t moved in five days.
“Cold as ever, huh?” he joked, and I shot him a look that could’ve flattened him. He raised his hands in surrender.
“I’m on it. With the losses on both sides, it’s hard to find anyone from the Veylor clan who was there when your mother and your wife met in secret.”
Frustration bled out of me.
“Keep digging. I want every detail,” I ordered.
“Of course,” Krash said.
Then the room went quiet and I felt his stare burning into my back.
“You know,” he finally said, “instead of driving yourself crazy with all these questions, you could just move back into the Korven estate and be close to her. What’s the point of living on the other side of the city when your mind and soul are stuck on your wife?
Go home, and at least you’ll stop looking like you’re headed to your own funeral ‘cause you haven’t seen her in five days, Konflict. ”
I gave him a look that would’ve dropped a lesser man.
“You think I haven’t thought of that?” I growled.
“She hates me so much she’d probably leave the house and sleep God knows where just to avoid being under the same roof.
I’m not letting my wife sleep anywhere but the Korven estate.
The only reason I let her stay at Vixen’s is because I’m the one spending the night with her.
I’m not risking her running off to who knows where. ”
“In that case,” Krash said, grinning like the bastard he was, “maybe you should try getting on her good side for once. Get her some flowers and little gifts. Something that actually surprises her and says you want to call a truce. Make a move she isn’t expecting, for once.”
“I’ve never given anyone flowers in my life,” I admitted, the idea turning over in my mind. “She likes flowers. She even wants a tattoo of them,” I said, the memory of my conversation with Serenity surfacing.
“Well, there you go. Woo your wife properly and maybe she’ll forgive you.”
I looked at him, not really convinced. I’d screwed up so badly, I doubted flowers could get me out of this mess. Still, I had to admit it was a start, and right now, I didn’t have a better way to start a peaceful conversation.
“When you’re fucking your girl, can’t you pick up some info for me?” I asked Krash.
“Nah, man. Don’t try to use my dick to get answers you could get by talking to your wife. And do you really want to draw attention to who’s fucking Serenity behind that mask? Because that’s exactly what’ll happen if I start asking questions, Konflict.”
“Yeah, fuck… You’re right. It’s just that… stuff like giving flowers, getting down on my knees to ask for forgiveness, none of that comes naturally to me. It doesn’t even feel like me.”
Krash looked at me with that amused glint in his eye, stepped closer, and slapped my shoulder. “If you try to fix things the same way you always have, you’re just going to piss her off even more.” His mouth curled into a crooked, knowing grin.
I hated that he was right. That’s what pissed me off most, knowing the only way to fix this was to do something that felt nothing like me. Just thinking about it made me want to tear something apart.
“Well, go get some sleep then. Maybe tomorrow you’ll finally figure out how not to fuck it all up.
Who knows, maybe your wife will call you back to your little hideout and let you do all the filthy shit you’re too scared to try without a mask.
Or maybe she’ll just find someone else who knows how to handle her for real. ” Krash said, mocking.
“Fuck you, Krash,” I snapped, my face shutting down.
“Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m gonna do. I’ll be knee-deep in pussy while you’re over here bonding with your left hand. You and your blue balls can have a little pity party together, maybe even write some sad poetry about it. Meanwhile, I’ll be getting laid.”
He walked out, that smug smile plastered on his face. I tried to focus on work, stare down the endless stack of files, but nothing stuck. After a while, I gave up, tossed everything aside, and headed out. The frustration of not seeing Serenity was chewing me up from the inside.