Chapter 20

Susie

Knox's POV

The air in our bedroom felt suffocating with tension and a silence that felt more like the calm before a storm. I could already sense Susie's growing irritation with me even before I'd opened my mouth to speak.

She'd been on edge ever since Melissa's return, though she didn't know the full story yet so that was probably caused by the fact that I had been paying her less and less attention lately.

Susie always became bitchier when I wasn't giving her all my love and attention, even though I had a pack to run. But she was about to become even more bitchy when I finally told her the secret I had been hiding.

Still, I had to tell her because the truth was bound to come out sooner or later, and I'd rather it be on my terms than through some vicious rumor or an unfortunate coincidence of them bumping into each other.

But as I stood there, watching Susie fuss with her hair in the mirror, I hesitated. Susie caught my reflection in the mirror, and her eyes narrowing instantly.

"What's that look for, Knox?" she asked, with a tone sharp enough to cut through glass.

I took a deep breath to brace myself. "There's something I need to tell you, Susie."

Her hand stilled, dropping from her hair to rest on the dresser. "Go on," she said, her voice dangerously calm.

"I brought Melissa back," I began, choosing my words carefully. "I brought her here to treat our son as his doctor."

For a moment, there was nothing. Just the ticking of the clock on the wall.

Susie slowly turned her head to face me. "Which Melissa?" She said in an eerily calm voice.

"Your sister, Melissa." I replied equally as calmly.

And then, the invisible switch being flipped and Susie's face contorted with hot rage. Her eyes blazed as she spun her full body around to face me.

"You fucking what?" she spat, her voice rising in pitch. "You brought that—that bitch—back here?"

I raised my hands to calm her down but it didn't work.

"Susie, She's the best chance we have to save our son. I had no choice."

"No choice?" Her laugh was bitter, cold. "You had no fucking choice but to bring your ex bitch back into our lives? You expect me to believe that?"

I looked at her in surprise. I and Melissa made sure to keep our arrangement a secret and while I knew Susie might have suspected or known about it, she had never ever mentioned it. She always pretended that Melissa was just my maid.

I stayed silent, knowing that anything I said would only pour fuel on the fire but Susie didn't wait for a response.

She grabbed the nearest thing she could reach which, unfortunately for me, was one of the heavy ceramic plates from the dresser—and hurled it at me.

I bent just in time to dodge it And the plate shattered loudly against the wall behind me.

"You're fucking her again aren't you? You've been cheating on me with her again, haven't you?" she screamed, her voice echoing off the walls. "That's why you brought her back, isn't it?"

I wanted to point out that I was actually cheating on Melissa with her not the other way round but I kept quiet.

Susie threw another plate at me and I lost it.

"No!" I shouted, having finally lost my patience. "I haven't touched her, Susie. She's here for our son, nothing more."

But Susie wasn't listening. She tore through the room like a deranged whirlwind, smashing whatever she could get her hands on.

More plates, a vase, the bedside lamp—each one met the same fate, aimed at my head but reduced to shards and pieces on the floor.

She kept swearing at me while I slowly moved toward her, trying to calm her down, but she was out of control.

Finally, when she reached for the last poor item that was still whole—a framed photo of my son, back when things were good with him, I had no choice.

I grabbed her arms, pulled her away from the dresser and held her tight against me.

"Would you fucking stop and hear me out?" I yelled but she wasn't listening.

She struggled, kicked and thrashed, but I didn't let go.

"Let me go you fucking piece of shit!" she shrieked, her voice raw with anger.

"Susie, calm the hell down!" I ordered, trying to keep my own temper in check. "You're not thinking straight."

She finally stopped fighting, but her eyes locked onto mine with a venom I'd never seen before. "If I find out you're having an affair with her, Knox, I'll fucking kill you. I'll kill both of you."

Her words were a spear to the gut, especially since Melissa was mate who a part of me was still hoping to claim but I didn't let it show.

If she did all this just because Melissa was back, then what would she do when she discovered Melissa was my mate? I didn't want to even think about it.

Instead, I released her slowly, before stepping back to give her space. She stumbled slightly, still drunk on anger and glaring at me as she caught her breath.

The room was a mess now. It was a reflection of Susie's temper and the chaos that had erupted between us.

"I'm not cheating on you, Susie," I said quietly, but firmly. "I brought Melissa here to help, not to cause problems."

Susie didn't respond. She just stood there, breathing heavily, eyes still flashing with anger and suspicion. I knew she didn't believe me, but there was nothing more I could say. The damage was done.

I turned away from her and headed for the closet to get dressed for the festival. Tonight, I needed to show the pack that everything was under control, even if it wasn't. As I pulled on my suit, my mind drifted back to Melissa.