EVERYTHING HAPPENS SO QUICKLY that I don’t realize Zayn’s on Robert, grabbing him by the throat and walking him backward until they’re at the open door leading to the backyard.
“You obviously don’t fucking listen. I told you not to say another fucking word against Vivi. You will never fucking insult her again,” Zayn growls in Robert’s face. “She’s mine now—for-fucking-ever—so get that through your goddamn head. I didn’t want to fucking hurt you, Robbie, but you give me no choice.”
There’s no way I can pull Zayn off Robert, so all I can do is plead with him to stop. “Zayn, stop.” Zayn’s gray eyes flick to me, and I see I’m cutting through his rage, bringing him back to reality. “He’s not worth the trouble.”
Zayn contemplates this for a moment and then loosens his grip as he turns back to glare at Robert. “Leave. Now.”
Every muscle in my body relaxes a bit since the situation seems to be deescalating. Robert is a damn fool for coming in here so hot, screaming at me the way he did. Zayn is always quick to defend me, and I love him for that.
I expect Robert to bolt out of here, much like he did the first time he showed up here, but he stays. An uneasy feeling comes over me again because it appears he’s not ready to leave yet. “You’re fucking mental and need to be locked up somewhere. No wonder my grandfather was embarrassed you were his son because I would’ve been too if you were my son. It’s hard to believe we share the same blood.”
If I thought Zayn was angry last time, I was wrong. A ferocious growl erupts from Zayn’s throat as he unleashes his fury and tackles Robert in much of the same manner he does to the men on the football field. Thank God the door to the patio is still open because both men would’ve crashed right through it, but they fall against the concrete.
A scream assaults my ears, and it takes me a second to realize it’s coming from me, not Robert.
Zayn’s on top of Robert with his forearm shoved against Robert’s throat. “Say one more fucking word and I will fucking end you. I’m tired of your shit.”
Worried this situation will escalate and Zayn will allow his temper to cloud his judgment. I need to break this up before something terrible happens. I stand over them and grab Zayn’s arm and yank while Dobby’s next to me, growling and snapping his teeth in warning at the two fighting men.
“Zayn, stop!” I order, and Dobby continues to bark, adding to the chaos.
There’s no moving the wall of muscle that is Zayn. He’s locked in to cause Robert pain and punishing him, leaving me feeling helpless.
This can’t be happening. Things were so good last night, and in a split second of Zayn losing his mind, everything can be taken away from us.
“Holy shit, Zayn!” Beckett’s voice calls as he jumps the fence connecting their yards and runs to us. “Fucking stop!”
Beckett jumps on Zayn’s back, and for the first time, I see how firsthand not only Zayn is but Beckett as well. Beckett wraps his arm under Zayn’s arm before shoving his forearm against his neck. Beckett yanks back, breaking Zayn out of the trance of hate he’s in on his mission to end Robert. The muscles in Beckett’s forearm flex as he wraps both arms around his friend and pulls him off his nephew and then to his feet.
“Chill the fuck out!” Beckett roars while still holding Zayn. “Bro, you’re going to kill the fucking kid!”
My eyes flick down to Robert as he rolls to his side, coughing and clutching his throat. Seeing the size difference between the two of them, it wouldn’t take much effort on Zayn’s part to hurt Robert or, worse yet, kill him. While I don’t appreciate what Robert said about me, he doesn’t deserve to die for it.
Zayn has anger issues, and after hearing the story he told me last night, I know he’s capable of losing his shit when he’s upset. It’s a little scary to know that about him, but I know he’s working on it, and it takes a lot to trigger this type of rage in him.
I bend down to check on Robert as Beckett works on calming Zayn down. Robert’s brown eyes are wide, and it’s clear the attack has shaken him. “Are you all right?”
Robert shakes his head. “No. I think he broke one of my ribs.”
I frown. “Do you think you need to go to the hospital?”
He shakes his head. “No, but I don’t think I can drive myself back to the hotel right now.”
Even though the thought of going anyway with the guy who just referred to me as a whore and a prostitute isn’t appealing, I do care about him in some small capacity, so I can’t be a total bitch to him when he needs my help.
“I can drive you,” I tell him. “Can you walk?”
He nods, and I help him sit up. Robert grimaces in pain as he pushes himself to his feet. “I’ll be in the car.”
Dobby growls as Robert walks past him and Zayn and heads back inside the house in order to go out of the front door.
Once Robert is out of the house, Beckett finally releases Zayn. Tension still floats in the air, and I know it’s best I get Robert out of here before something else happens.
Zayn scrubs his hand down his beautiful face, which has a deep frown etched into it when he finally locks eyes with me. “Are you leaving with him?”
What he shared with me about his mother siding with her abuser and blaming him when he defended her isn’t far from my thoughts. I don’t want him to think I’m going to leave him like his mother did.
I walk over to him and then touch his cheek as I inspect his face for any injuries, and as expected, there’s not one scratch on him. There’s only concern in his eyes, and I hate he’s feeling that way.
I pop up on my tiptoes and kiss his lips. “Even though I’m leaving with Robert right now doesn’t mean I’m upset with you or don’t love you. He’s in no condition to drive himself right now, and I want him out of here. Distance is the best thing for the two of you because there’s no talking through anything while everyone’s tempers are up. I won’t be long.”
His face pinches. “All right. Call me, and I’ll pick you up at the hotel when you drop his car off.”
“No. No,” Beckett chimes in. “Call me, Vivi, and I’ll come get you.” He turns to Zayn. “You, my friend, need to keep your hot-tempered ass far away from your nephew before you do more damage to the kid.”
I kiss him again before I head upstairs to put my clothes on from yesterday. I really need to get that suitcase from Bella today. After I’m dressing and I’ve pulled my hair back, I promise Zayn I’ll be back soon before leaving the house to drive my pain in the ass ex out of my life for good this time.
Neither of us says a word as I drive Robert to his hotel in downtown Jacksonville. Ever since I moved to Florida, my life has been a complete roller-coaster ride filled with ups and downs. Drama is something I try to stay far, far away from, but it seems to follow me here, and I’ve found myself caught up in it all the time. Typically, I pride myself on living a low-key life. Constant tension is something I hate because growing up with my parents, there were always threats of violence looming and I never felt safe because of it. Now, with the chaos of Robert coming to town, I feel like I’m constantly walking on eggshells and my anxiety is raging out of control because the ground I’m walking on feels like it can be pulled from under me.
I pull into the front of the building to the valet as Robert instructed and cut the engine. “Do you need help up to your room?”
Robert’s eyes slide over to me, and his nostrils flare. “I don’t think your boyfriend would like that too much.”
I did not miss the disgust in his voice, and honestly, I don’t blame him, even though I also believe he doesn’t have any right to be mad. It’s not like I’m cheating on him. Whether he knew it, he ended things with me the moment he decided he didn’t want to get on that plane with me. We’ve been over for months, but this breakup is fresh for Robert.
“I’m sorry you’re hurt over all of this, but I never asked you to come here. I didn’t fall for Zayn to spite you or anything. It just happened.” I apologize even though I know I don’t have to. It feels like the only thing I can say at the moment.
“How long have the two of you…?” He stops and leans his head back and squeezes his eyes shut as though he can no longer look at me.
“For a while,” I tell him, not wanting to give him specifics.
“Why?” he asks in a strained voice. “Out of all the guys on the planet, why him? He’s my fucking uncle.”
I twist my fingers in my lap as I think of the best way to answer him. “I’m not sure why, to be honest. We click in a way I’ve never clicked with anyone else, and he understands me and my past. Our connection is something truly special.”
“Special,” he scoffs. “You’re not special to him, Vivi. He runs through women like a tornado, leaving destruction in his path. You’ll be the next one he wrecks, just like that poor girl on the news who he drugged, because she refused to have sex with him.”
“That’s not true. That girl is a liar and is only out to hurt Zayn. You can’t believe everything you see on television or read on the internet,” I argue, not liking how he’s trying to paint Zayn in a terrible light when I know he did nothing to that girl. “She’s the one who stalked him and was angry when he refused her.”
“I don’t believe that,” he quips.
“It’s true.”
He shakes his head. “I’m going to believe what they reported because look at how accurate the videos were about you and him and the one where he got into a fight in the parking lot. Zayn isn’t a good person, and those videos and the girl’s allegations clearly show that.”
I open my mouth to argue with Robert, but he clearly hates his uncle, so nothing I say will change his mind about him, and I refuse to waste any more breath. However, I don’t have to sit here and listen to this shit anymore.
“Since you don’t need any help, I’m going,” I tell him.
I put my hand on the door handle, and Robert’s voice cuts through the cab of the car. “Vivi, I shouldn’t do this, and if you believe it, I love you, but I’m willing to overlook all of this and take you back. This is the last time I’m going to offer this.”
I turn and lock eyes with him. “I never asked for you to take me back, Robert, and you should’ve realized that when I didn’t answer any of your texts. You could’ve saved yourself the time and money you spent coming down here to win me back because I was already in love with someone else.” I take a deep breath. “I don’t wish you any ill will, but I don’t want to see you again. What we had…it’s over. I’ve moved on, and I suggest you do the same.”
I don’t give him a chance to say anything else. I get out of the car, leaving Robert behind for good this time.
