His Ruthless Revenge (A Dark Bully Romance)

Chapter Thirty One

"W-what did you just say?" I stammer, struggling to catch my breath and remain standing.
"April, are you ok?" Miranda asks, her voice full of concern as she walks towards me. "You've gone as white as a sheet."
"I said I'm Gray." Chase repeats himself calmly, keeping his hand extended. "But Miranda is right. You don't look too good."
"She's worried about Finn." Miranda explains gently. "She can't get a hold of him."
"Are you sure that's what's wrong?" Chase persists, narrowing his eyes at me as though he's trying to figure it out.
"I-I'm ok." I murmur, holding onto Miranda for dear life.
"I'm going to get you a glass of water." Miranda says kindly, squeezing my hand before heading towards the kitchen. "Will you keep an eye on her, Gray?"
"Of course I will." He replies darkly.
I despise the fact that he's toying with me. He knows I can't say anything in front of Miranda and I can tell he's taking great delight in making me feel uncomfortable.
"What the hell are you doing here?" I demand harshly, grabbing the front of his shirt roughly. "What the hell are you playing at?"
"Calm down, April. You're overreacting." He chuckles, his eyes sparkling with amusement.
"Just tell me what you're playing at and what you're doing with Miranda. How long have you been lying to her?"
"I'm not." He responds coolly, unfazed by my emotional outburst which infuriates me even more.
"She thinks your name is Gray and it's obvious she has no idea who you are to me."
"I'm nothing to you." He snarls contemptuously. "You made damn sure of that when you walked out on me."
I inhale sharply and take a step back from him. His mask slipped for a moment and I caught a glimpse of his former self. He's still there beneath the surface and I need to make sure I don't provoke him too much in front of Miranda.
"Here you go." She announces, interrupting our conversation as she enters the room and hands me a glass of water.
"Thanks." I reply meekly, trembling as I take a small sip from the glass.
"April, you're shaking. You really need to calm down." She says kindly, stroking my back. "Are you having some kind of panic attack?"
"I'm fine." I assure her, forcing myself to get a grip. "I'm just worried about Finn and I haven't had much to eat today so I feel a little lightheaded."
"You're... you're not pregnant, are you?" She whispers softly, trying to keep her question private from Chase.
His head snaps up and he glares at me. He obviously overheard and notice his jaw clench tightly as he awaits my response.
"No. Definitely not." I reply truthfully.
"Look, I'm going to go and get Finn. I'm sure all of this is just anxiety and you'll be fine once you know he's ok."
"No! Don't go." I beg her. "Let me go and find him.
"You're not going anywhere in this state." She declares firmly. "Gray, can you stay with her while I go and get Finn? I promise I won't be long."
"Don't worry. She'll be safe with me." He encourages her confidently.
She gives him a quick kiss on the cheek before she goes, slamming the front door behind her. We're completely alone now and the silence between us is unbearable.
"I can't believe you're here." I murmur faintly, struggling to make eye contact with him.
"Take a closer look if you want." He replies gruffly, taking a step closer towards me.
"Don't come near me." I warn him. "Don't touch me."
"Why not? We're completely alone now." He taunts me, stroking his finger down my face.
"Where's Finn?" I command brusquely, slapping his hand away. "Have you hurt him?"
"What makes you think I've been anywhere near him?" He goads me, refusing to give a straight answer.
"If you've hurt him..."
"I haven't been anywhere near him." He laughs arrogantly. "But I can't say the same for Shona."
"Who the hell is Shona?" I snap angrily, losing my patience with him and becoming more and more frustrated.
"She's with him right now and let's just say she can be quite persuasive when she sets her mind on something."
"You mean the woman who called the gym and insisted on working with Finn?" I ask him, trying to piece it all together.
"That's right."
"You arranged that?"
"Correct again." He gloats self-righteously, infuriating me even more.
"Why?"
"To get him out of the way." He replies casually. "So I could make sure you would be alone."
"How did you even find me?"
"I admit that it took me some time but I've actually known where you live for quite a while now."
"I don't believe you."
"Ask yourself how long have I been seeing Miranda?"
"I don't know. A couple of months?"
"It's actually been much longer than that. I told her to keep it a secret for a while." He informs me, allowing his eyes to roam my entire body for a brief moment.
"How long have you been together?" I persist, refusing to let it go.
"About six months."
"What?"
"That's how long it's been since I first tracked you down. That's how long I've been orchestrating all of this."
"Orchestrating what?"
"My revenge." He answers simply, unapologetic and fearless.
"Excuse me?"
"Don't worry. That's not my plan anymore." He assures me, chuckling lightly.
"Chase, you've lost me. I have no idea what you're talking about." I admit, rubbing the centre of my forehead.
"I changed my mind, ok? I first started seeing Miranda because I knew she was Finn's sister and I planned on using her to get back at you. I thought I could get more information out of her if we started dating."
I take a few moments to try and absorb what he's just told me, failing to get my head around the idea that Chase has been seeing Miranda all this time and knew where I was living for the last six months.
"How could you do that? How could you use someone like that?" I ask him, horrified he could do such a thing to someone I care about.
"It was quite easy to begin with because I really didn't give a fuck about her but then I started to actually care. I genuinely started to like her and knew I couldn't go through with my plan anymore. April, I have genuine feelings for her now which is why I want to come clean about everything."
"You're telling me she doesn't know who you really are?"
"Not yet but she will. I'm going to tell her tonight." He declares boldly, his voice full of confidence and determination.
"You really think she's going to want to be with you after all this? You're either really stupid or highly delusional if you actually believe that."
"I like to think of myself as being optimistic." He smirks charismatically. "It's the risk I'm willing to take because I care about her and want to be honest."
"I don't believe you. This is just another one of your sick games. You're an expert at manipulating people and always have been."
"Says the woman who lied to me for weeks, told me she was pregnant and set out to destroy me?" He fires back, struggling to reign in his anger.
"I only did those things because you drove me to it!" I cry hysterically, fighting back my tears. "I was heartbroken because of what you did to me and I didn't know how to handle it."
"So was I!" He roars ferociously, grabbing both of my arms roughly. "I spent months in absolute torment after you left me. I spent every second of every day searching for you and trying to track you down! I couldn't eat, sleep or even function properly after you left!"
He roughly lets go of me and turns his back, breathing erratically as he rakes his fingers through his hair. I'm pretty breathless myself and rub my arms which feel bruised after his strong grip on them.
"I don't know what to say." I confess, incapable of finding the right words.
"I was still in torment when I first met Miranda and I admit that I did plan on using her at the beginning but couldn't go through with it. I really do have feelings for her, April. I think I love her." He reveals, sighing deeply as he turns around to face me.
It feels like he just punched me in the stomach and I inhale sharply, struggling to comprehend the fact that he's in love with someone else. It's as though he just took hold of my fragile heart and crushed it, scattering the broken pieces all over the floor in front of me.
"You said you loved me." I whisper, hating myself for sounding so weak and pathetic.
"I did." He replies quietly. "But not anymore."
"Finn will never accept this." I blurt out rapidly. "You do know that, don't you?"
"He's going to have to if it's what Miranda wants." He argues stubbornly. "If she gives me a second chance."
"She won't. She'll hate you for this."
"We'll see." He shrugs, a smug expression on his face. "I'm going to go and find her."
"Not until you tell me where Finn is." I tell him, grabbing him by the arm as he attempts to walk by me.
"I honestly have no idea. I haven't been anywhere near him."
"I'll never forgive you if you've hurt him." I threaten him, tightening my hold on his arm.
"I don't need your forgiveness. All I care about now is Miranda." He retaliates spitefully, yanking his arm free from my grasp as he starts to leave.
"Does she know you have a son?" I challenge him, stopping him in his tracks.
He's halfway down the hallway by the time I catch up with him and his whole body  freezes. His shoulders are tense and his  demeanour has altered. You could cut the atmosphere with a knife and the tension is palpable.
"How do you know I have a boy?" He demands, still keeping his back to me.
"I've got my own sources, Chase." I inform him triumphantly. "We're actually thinking about trying for a baby ourselves. Finn thinks it's the right time and I actually agree with him. Is parenthood something you recommend?"
The whole purpose of my question was to antagonise him but I regret it as soon as the words have left my mouth. I can sense the bristling anger radiating from his body and take a cautious step back in trepidation.
"I always thought you'd make a brilliant mum." He admits sombrely, refusing to turn around. "I wanted that for us but I guess it wasn't meant to be. All I can say is make sure you're ready and it's with the right person."
"I'm definitely with the right person." I reply boldly. "Finn is my entire world."
"I'm glad to hear it. It would hurt to know you'd left me for someone who doesn't even matter to you." He retorts bitterly.
"You think I left you to be with Finn?" I blurt out hastily, shocked by his assumption.
"Why else would you have gone?" He retaliates brusquely, spinning around to confront me.
"I left you because I couldn't bring myself to stick around and watch you raise a child with someone else. How could I watch you do that with the same person you betrayed me with? I didn't leave you for Finn and nothing was even going on between us back then. We've only been dating for a couple of years now."
There's a prolonged silence between us and I can almost hear his brain ticking over as he tries to figure out whether I'm telling the truthmor not.
"I always thought you walked out on me so you could be with him." He mumbles softly, shaking his head in disbelief as though he's stunned by my revelation.
"Yet another thing you got wrong." I quip sharply.
"Look, it's all in the past now anyway and we both need to move forward. We all do." He emphasises deliberately.
"I doubt Miranda will want anything to do with you once she finds out who you really are." I remind him, hoping that I'm right and willing it to be the case.
"I can only hope she'll find it in her heart to forgive me." Chase answers calmly, gazing into my eyes intently. "Something you could never bring yourself to do."
He gives me one final look before opening the front door and closing it behind him. I'm left standing there in complete and utter shock as I contemplate everything that just happened and the final words he said to me.

Nothing will ever be the same again.