Glen and his boyfriend Aiden live a mostly peaceful life in New York City, but then Aiden’s abusive ex, Stephan, comes back into the picture. After an odd encounter with a Catholic priest, Glen begins acting strangely.<br><br>He attributes it to stress at first, but then things get even worse. Glen experiences mental blackouts, and when he comes to, he finds he has been up to no good. A stolen wallet here, a violent loss of temper there, and an unsettling trend of nightmares plague him.<br><br>Glen prays he isn’t losing his mind and hopes he can regain control of himself, but when Stephan slips back into old habits and goes after Aiden, the darkness in Glen’s soul takes over again. Can Glen subdue his inner demons before they consume him, or is it already too late?

Vitia ex Virtus

Aiden was surprised to see Glen when he showed up in the lobby. Glen had sent him a text saying he was dismissed from the site, but Aiden hadn’t received it until Glen was two buildings away. By the time Aiden had excused himself from his work, Glen had already walked in the front door. “What happened?” Aiden asked. The conflict between them was far in the past. Any frustration Aiden had was gone; only genuine concern shone in his eyes.


“I—I had a bit of a…problem.” Glen shrugged his bag further up his shoulder, picking and choosing the details he wanted to divulge. “The six-day work weeks have been taking more of a toll on me than I thought. Max was using his damn air horn on poor Chad, who was up late with his sick daughter, and I just…snapped. I had had enough of the noise and I smashed the top off with a crowbar.”


“What?” Aiden made jerky gesticulations, grasping for the right reaction. He ran his fingers anxiously through his hair. “You could have lost your job!”


Chapter 27