Twisted Affair Vol. 4 by M. S. Parker Read Free Book Online Page B

both decide I wasn't worth the trouble.
    I stood. I couldn't sit around and wait. I'd go nuts. I had to find them. I walked back out into the living room and picked up my phone. I scrolled down in the contacts and looked at the two names for a moment before tapping on Livie's name. While I doubted Katka would answer if I called, I hadn't selected Livie's name for that reason. I picked her because it was the right thing to do. Katka had left because of what we'd done, together. Livie had left because of what her sister and I had done. We had wronged her. I had wronged her.
    The pain in my heart I'd had from the moment I realized what Katka was going to do doubled at the thought of what we'd done to Livie. It wasn't like I'd hurt some stranger. This was Livie. I loved Katka but, in a way, I supposed I loved Livie too. Not the same way, of course. Livie was something else. It wasn't the way I felt about my siblings or any other family members. It was something different, stronger than that, but not romantic, of course. I couldn't understand it, let alone describe it, but that wasn't my primary concern at the moment. My concern was the fact that Livie wasn't picking up her phone. It wasn't a big surprise since she had caller ID and probably didn't want to talk to me. I had just been hoping that her practical side would be stronger than any emotions she was feeling.
    I looked at the time. It probably wouldn't be a good idea to visit the apartment tonight, especially not with both of them there. I needed to give them time to talk, to try to figure things out. But I needed to see them too. I had a brief internal debate and then went into the bedroom to grab a shirt and my car keys. Twenty minutes later, I was parked outside the apartment. I'd texted them both to let them know that I was coming so they could prepare, but I wasn't going to walk away without having the opportunity to say my peace to them both.
    If only I knew what I wanted to say.
    I looked up at the window as I got out of my car and paused. The curtains were drawn, but I couldn't see any light behind them. That was strange.
    I hadn't gotten a response yet from either Livie or Katka, but I went inside anyway. Ten minutes later, I was back at the car. No one had answered when I'd knocked. The trip had been entirely pointless. Either neither was home or they were purposefully ignoring me. While I supposed the second was a possibility, I doubted it. It wasn't like I was some abusive asshole they had to hide from. All they had to do was tell me they didn't want to talk and I'd go away.
    I didn't sleep that night. I didn't even try. I paced and muttered to myself. I wracked my brains trying to figure out what to do next. About three in the morning, I had the brilliant idea to ask the bank for the address of the studio Livie was in the process of buying. I knew the general area where it was located, but that wouldn’t do me any good unless I wanted to walk all around several blocks, knocking on doors and looking like a total idiot. If the bank wouldn't have been open tomorrow at eight, I might've considered the idiot option, but since I could go in for the address first thing, I decided to wait, as much as I hated it.
    Unfortunately, when I got to the studio around nine-thirty the next morning, no one was there. If Livie had stayed there last night, she wasn't there now. I was at a loss. I could call hotels in the area, but I had no way of knowing if the people I talked to would report back to my father that I seemed to have misplaced my wife. I could visit in person and try to pay off people to give me information without reporting back to my father, but that was risking it too.
    By late afternoon, I'd visited the bar where I'd first met Livie, a couple of restaurants and stores near the girls' apartment and a few places near the penthouse. Nothing. It didn't help that I couldn't be specific and I was almost to the point where I didn't care if word got back to my father, if