I have to raise a fucking eyebrow at that. Mia and I may have made our peace this week, but to say she should have had a clear conscience all along? She still cheated on me and broke my fucking heart once upon a time. I didn’t just morph into an asshole for no fucking reason. “Mia’s conscience should’ve been clear all along, huh? So, Beth betraying you was a killing offense, but Mia betraying me was all right because it was with you?”
His mouth curls up in utter disgust. His opinion doesn’t mean anything to me, but damn if it doesn’t make my stomach sink the slightest bit when he says, “Mia never betrayed you, Vince. You betrayed her.”
I frown. “Last year, maybe. I was talking about long before that. I am sorry for hurting her, but she hurt me first.”
Mateo sighs, massaging his temples like I’m giving him a headache. “Yes, Vince, so was I. You betrayed Mia long before she ever did anything even you could see as a betrayal.”
Now he’s starting to piss me off. Shifting in my seat, my eyes narrow in his direction. “How do you fucking figure?”
Mateo rolls his eyes. “This is exactly why I don’t like you. You can’t take responsibility for any of the shit you do. You always have to blame someone else. Someone always has to make you do something. God forbid you ever just admit you do shit because you feel like it.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Mia didn’t betray you, Vince. She was raped and you punished her for it. Who the fuck does that? She didn’t do anything to you. She was the one who got hurt, but your fragile fucking ego couldn’t handle it. You couldn’t handle knowing I had her—didn’t matter that she didn’t even want me at the time. Should’ve mattered, would’ve mattered if you actually loved her, but you didn’t. You were a young, angry, inexperienced asshole, and that would’ve been okay, because you lucked into Mia, and she would’ve forgiven you. But you could not let it go. You pushed her away. You drove her to me. All I had to do was not penalize her for shit that wasn’t her fault and I was already the better fucking option. You punished that girl for months before she ever actually started to stray—any reasonable person would have abandoned you long before that. You paint her as this faithless bitch who broke your heart because you’re a fucking coward with pride issues. You broke her heart and had the fucking audacity to make her feel guilty for it.”
Heat moves beneath my skin. I want to launch myself across the desk and punch him in the fucking face. “Are you fucking kidding me right now? You fucked her in my bed before any of that shit even happened!”
He blinks like I’m so fucking obtuse he can’t even process it. “Without her knowledge.”
“Bullshit.”
Mateo rolls his eyes. “All right. I don’t care what you believe, Vince. You’re an asshole, I dislike you, and you’ll never be a part of Dom’s life. You don’t get rights to a rape baby.”
“I’m sure the same rules would’ve applied for you, huh? You sit there on your fucking throne like you’re so much better than me. You hurt her long before I ever did—more than I ever did. You’ve bent her fucking mind to make her fit you better.”
“Mia’s happy,” he states. “I never denied I hurt her, I’m merely pointing out the difference. Yes, I’ve hurt her. I’ve been a bastard. But I don’t blame her for it. We both know she didn’t deserve it. I’ve never tried to make Mia feel responsible for anything I’ve done to her. Only cowards need someone to blame for their own predilections.”
“I don’t have your fucking predilections,” I practically snarl. “I’ve made mistakes. You do things intentionally. You’re a cold, calculating bastard.”
“And you’re a hot-headed, cowardly asshole,” he shoot back, almost smiling.
“I’m not a fucking coward.”
Mateo rolls his eyes, leaning back in his chair. He laces his hands together across his torso and watches me, but leisurely, like he’s sitting on a fucking beach. “Trying to have me killed doesn’t make you brave, Vince. You weren’t valiantly trying to avenge Mia; you were just trying to appease your own ego.”
I lean back, a little thrown. “She told you?”
He merely smiles.
Now I feel like a fucking idiot. I can’t believe I ever thought there was a chance she wouldn’t. I thought maybe her own sense of self-preservation might’ve stopped her, but no. This asshole has completely brainwashed her. She may be his wife now, but Mia will always be Mateo’s loyal little soldier. Of course she’d never keep a secret from him.
I want to lash out at him. I want to wipe the smug smirk off his stupid fucking face. I only have one bullet left in the chamber, one thing he doesn’t know. This wasn’t how I wanted to deliver this information. I wanted to be cool-headed, I wanted to share information to keep Mia safe—but now I just want to see the smirk fall off this cocky asshole’s face.