Unbound: Forbidden Desires

29 | Greiving

"𝓞kay, thank you." I hung up with the life insurance agent.

Eros had been right. After our conversation I had dug into Jeremy's phone. It was just hit after emotional hit looking through it.

My first instinct was to go through his photos and sure enough there were screenshots of random girls barely clothed. Other photos were of him with other girls and I realized the days he took those photos coincided with the times he told me he had to travel for work or stay late.

His text messages were worse. He was sexting two of his coworkers and arranging their next meet up. The way he talked about me to them made me want to vomit.

I searched through his emails and calls finally finding what I needed—the company he had taken his policy out on me. Needless to say it was now canceled and after looking through all that I felt empty and depleted.

The evidence was undeniable, and it confirmed everything Eros had said, revealing a dark side of Jeremy I had never known about.

Jeremy was dead and I wasn't still sure how I felt about that.

I wasn't sure how I felt about what Eros had done, because although his actions had been driven by a desire to protect me, it raised questions about his own motives and the lengths he would be willing to go to ensure my safety. Had he really had no choice?

A whirlwind of fear and uncertainty clouded my thoughts, and more than anything guilt...because deep inside me, there was a sense of relief. Eros had intervened, and removed Jeremy from the equation, eliminating him as a threat and though that filled me with fear, it also brought me a glimmer of relief, knowing that my life was no longer in danger.

However, that realization terrified me more, because what did that say about me? Even if Jeremy deserved what happened to him, how could I just accept his death so easily? We had been together for years...and yet, everytime I thought about the things he had done, the sympathy I had for him was replaced with anger and disgust. And if it wasn't for Eros and Aries, I would be the one dead.

But how could I accept Eros's actions? I had hoped coming here would give me a fresh start, away from the toxicity of my past relationship with Jeremy. Yet, it seems I had stumbled into a different kind of complexity.

Eros, wasn't below getting his hands dirty if it meant keeping me safe and that level of possessiveness had me wrestling with my emotions.

I was beyond help. I should feel horrified, disgusted, I should be running for the hills, but there was still another person out there who wanted me dead and despite my reservations, Eros was the only one I trusted to keep me safe.

So killer or not, he was mine to deal with.

✤

The news finally broke out about Jeremy's death the next day and my phone was swarming with calls. I answered a few and ignored the rest. Silencing my phone.

Jeremy's body had been found and the coroner had ruled it a suicide. Somehow I had a feeling he had been paid off to say that. To be honest, I was surprised that his body had been found , because I had no doubt Eros could expertly have kept him hidden away forever, but I had a feeling he had only let Jeremy's body be found as a courtesy.

I turned off the news and made my way downstairs. All day I had been avoiding Eros and Aries. I still felt conflicted.

Although Jeremy had turned out to be vastly different from what I expected, I was still grieving. How could I have been so blind? So naive?

My bones chilled knowing that Jeremy had cheated on me numerous times, made fun of me, and ultimately tried to kill me. What the hell had happened to him? It was like he was two people. The sweet innocent boy he was with me and then a troubled man who tried to end my life.

It turned out, I really didn't know Jeremy like I thought I did.

"Eva." A soft voice came from the shadows.

Aries was at the end of the stairs and I paused midway.

I don't know why but the sight of him made me feel as though a wall inside me had broken and I burst into tears.

In the next moment, I was in his arms, shedding all the tears I hadn't allowed myself to shed.