We make it a few steps before Aaron’s voice stops us.

“Her tattoo.”

My ex’s voice is sharp with realization. Declan turns us around slowly, his hand resting possessively on my hip.

“You called her that name when I first met you at that bar,” Aaron says. “If you knew about her tattoo back then, you must have already slept with her.” His eyes narrow as he jabs a finger at me. “When we were supposed to be getting back together.”

He says the last part like he’s caught me in a terrible betrayal, and I flinch under the weight of his anger. But I meet his gaze steadily, lifting my chin.

“No, Aaron. When you were trying to get me back. But I never agreed to that. You declared yourself my boyfriend and expected me to fall in line like I always used to. Those days are over. We are over.”

Something changes in Aaron’s expression as he processes my vehement words. His features twist into something cold and unfamiliar that sends a little chill rippling through me. It’s like a mask has fallen away, revealing a stranger wearing Aaron’s face.

“Well, I guess it’s a good thing I didn’t invest too much into our relationship,” he says with a cold smile. “You weren’t the only one keeping your options open, you know.”

“What does that mean?” I ask, taken aback by the venom in his voice. This isn’t the Aaron I remember. He’s always been entitled and self-centered, but never this cruel. The transformation is jarring, like watching someone you thought you knew turn into someone else entirely.

Aaron steps closer, but Declan subtly shifts his stance, creating a protective barrier between us. I can feel the tension in Declan’s body and see the way his shoulders are squared, but Aaron seems undeterred, his smile turning ugly.

“Nice girls like you are so fucking naïve,” he scoffs, craning his neck a little to see me behind the wall that Declan is creating. “I bet it never crossed your mind that I might have had a side piece too, did it?”

His words hit like a physical blow. My stomach drops, not because I still care about him, but because it makes me question everything I thought was real during our time together. I stare at him, shocked by this new level of cruelty. When I don’t respond, he laughs, the sound hollow and mean.

“But damn, if I’d known back then how wild you could get,” he says, gesturing toward the closet with a sneer, “maybe I wouldn’t have needed to look elsewhere to get my fun.”

“Fuck you,” I spit out, finding my voice at last as the heat of anger replaces the chill of shock.

Aaron actually has the audacity to laugh.