Thea’s POV

He was silent for a moment, and I stayed quiet too. I waited for him to gather his thoughts. I could tell he genuinely loved Phoenix, but I also saw that Kane was a sensitive subject for him.

I wondered what Kane had done to anger Sebastian, and why I’d slept with him. Was it my way of getting back at Sebastian for not loving me? Sleeping with someone he disliked, you know. I wasn’t usually a vengeful person, but I understood that pain and heartbreak could drive a person to do things they normally wouldn’t.

“When Aurora came back, I wanted to be with her,” he began.

Hearing him say it hurt like hell, but I’d always known this would happen when she returned. I just hadn’t expected it to sting this much.

“I knew it wouldn’t be good for Leo if we suddenly ended things. We needed to ease him into the idea of us no longer being together. You agreed, and I started seeing Aurora secretly, preparing for our separation.”

I watched him intently, hanging on every word. I didn’t want him to see my pain, so I hid it behind a mask of indifference.

“You met Kane at Derek’s funeral—he saved you. He was one of the officers assigned by the police department to keep order. Threats had been made, and they couldn’t risk more deaths.”

I frowned because nothing he was saying resonated with me. Where my memories should be, there was only emptiness.

“What do you mean he saved me?” I asked curiously.

“There was another Rogue attack during the funeral. A Rogue got hold of you, and if Kane hadn’t lunged at you, you might have died.”

Well, he did a nice thing for a stranger. I guess that was our “how I met your mother” story… but where was Sebastian during all this?

Before I could ask, he continued: “I don’t know the specifics; I just know you two started dating. Honestly, it made me jealous. I couldn’t understand why, but seeing you with another man bothered me. I wanted to tear him apart.”

The way his fists clenched was enough to prove this still bothered him greatly. I never thought Sebastian would be so jealous and possessive of me, so this was completely unexpected.

“I hadn’t yet understood my feelings for you, so when you told me about him, I agreed our marriage should be open. It didn’t seem fair to keep you from him when I was pursuing another woman myself.”

Fuck. Why did it hurt so much to hear him say that? It was obvious he had been ready to throw me away for Aurora. I always knew it was inevitable, so I don’t know why it hurt so badly.

As for Kane, I really didn’t get it. Had he caught my attention enough that I would bring this up to Sebastian, or was I just trying to make Sebastian jealous? Maybe trying to get a reaction from him. What was so special about this Kane that he could do what other men couldn’t? What was it about him that attracted me so much that we even had sex?

“I was seeing Aurora, and you were seeing Kane, but every thought in my mind was occupied by you,” he exhaled, running a hand through his disheveled hair. “Honestly, it was funny. When Aurora came back, I thought you would be my problem like when we were younger. When you weren’t, I was surprised. You seemed not to care at all. It turned out I was the problem because, for some reason, I couldn’t let you go.”

Was I really like that? My world had once revolved around Sebastian and Leo. It was strange to hear him say I seemed completely unbothered by him dating Aurora.

“So Kane and I dated for a few months?” I asked.