Chapter 108: Emotional Torment.

Vincent stirred first, reluctant to open his eyes against the warmth surrounding him.

The bed was comfortable in a way he had never experienced before, and the familiar scent in the air eased him further into the remnants of sleep.

Even before he fully woke, he knew where he was and who lay beside him. The realization that he had fallen asleep with Bryce made him instinctively shift closer, seeking more of that warmth, until the memory of the previous day returned with more clarity.

His eyes opened instantly.

Bryce lay beside him, leaning far too closely against Dave for Vincent’s liking. The sight immediately displaced the comfort that had held him moments earlier.

An unwelcome thought took shape at the sight of it. Perhaps Bryce preferred the way Dave made him feel to what he felt with him. It might have been the only reason he had ended up asleep against Dave’s chest instead of his.

Dave’s arms were wrapped around Bryce, holding him securely.

Vincent’s pulse quickened.

For a moment, he wanted to pull Bryce away from him. The impulse rose so abruptly that he almost acted on it, but he forced himself not to.

Instead, he carefully eased himself out of bed.

The light filtering into the room made him assume it was still daytime, perhaps early evening. After all, they had fallen asleep around nine in the morning, and he had no idea how long they had been unconscious.

However, his eyes widened when his gaze swept across the room and landed on the clock mounted on the wall.

7:21.

Seven in the morning?

The light made it impossible for him to believe it was seven in the evening, there would have been no light if it was in the evening.

Had the clock skipped ahead? Had he somehow misread it? He closed his eyes tightly, then opened them again.

7:22.

His brow furrowed.

He crossed to the bedside table and picked up his watch. The display confirmed the time.

7:23 a.m., Thursday the fifteenth.

Vincent stared at it stunned.

They had slept through the entire day and the entire night?!

He had never slept that long in his life. Five hours was usually the most he managed, and six hours sometimes, but that was even uncommon.

He set the watch down without looking toward the bed again.

He crossed the room to his closet, retrieved a change of clothes, and left for another guest room, intending to shower there before heading to work.

He had already missed the previous day, despite the countless reports sent to him, requiring both his and Bryce’s attention.

He had promised to hand over the trophy within a few days, and he intended to keep that promise. After all, the sooner he finished, the sooner he could turn his attention to other matters, particularly the personal ones.

He felt foolish.

Not because he had shared Bryce with Dave, but because he kept trying to convince himself that he could accept it without difficulty.

Bryce was happy that way.

Dave was not alone somewhere, broken and miserable, with no one to turn to.

Everyone was happy.

That was what Vincent kept telling himself.

But the reassurance could not erase the images that tormented him.

He could still see Dave taking Bryce in front of him, still feel the way Bryce’s body had responded as he clung to Vincent for support.

He remembered how he had been forced to summon every ounce of restraint he possessed to keep himself from intervening, from putting an end to what was happening.

And when morning came, another tormenting sight awaited him- Bryce pressed against Dave’s chest.

Bryce belonged to him.

The thought came naturally, almost instinctively, but Vincent knew better than to say it aloud.

Bryce already hated being treated as though he were someone’s possession, and voicing such a claim would only make him believe that Vincent had become the kind of person he hated.

He did not want to push Bryce away again.

He had already come too close to losing him.

And no matter how much it tormented him to see Bryce in another man’s arms, accepting Dave remained preferable to losing Bryce altogether.

Vincent knew that much.

His problem was not that he hated Dave or wished him removed from Bryce’s life. He did not resent the fact that Bryce cared for him anymore, and perhaps, with time, he would grow accustomed to sharing the man he loved.

The important thing was that Bryce had told him he had developed feelings for him, too. That was what Vincent needed to hold on to.

He should focus on that love, on Bryce, and on what they had been given instead of allowing every insecurity to consume him.

With that thought, he forced everything from his mind as he entered the guest room, closed the door behind him, and headed straight into the bathroom.

The water streamed over him, warm and steady, but did little to quiet the turmoil in his mind. If anything, it seemed to bring the memories into sharper focus-

Bryce’s soft laughter when he had teased Dave about his quick release, the familiarity between them, and the effortless way they seemed to connect.

Vincent lowered his head beneath the steady stream, unable to escape the images.

What if Bryce did not truly love him?

What if Dave was the only one Bryce wanted, and Vincent had merely been included because of the supernatural connection between them?

It was only a thought.

A possibility he had no proof of.

Still, the pain it caused struck him with such immediacy that he struggled to breathe past it.

He turned off the water sooner than he normally would have and stepped out of the bathroom.

He dried himself quickly, he did not apply any oil to his body, choosing instead to dress faster. After combing his hair, he checked his appearance briefly, then left the guest room.

He needed to get out of the house.

Work would give him something else to focus on. A busy environment, people demanding his attention, responsibilities that left no room for endless speculation.

Before leaving, he ordered some food. He did not wait for it to arrive, hoping that by the time it reached the house, Bryce and Dave would have woken up.