Sins Of Her Venom
Chapter 68: Mini Bike Toy

Chapter 68: Mini Bike Toy

-Glyndon Walton: ( Song of the Chapter: Crazy In Love By Beyoncé)

I slipped into Alex’s car, tossing my bag onto the floor as I buckled in. He was already gripping the steering wheel like he was bracing himself for something. His knuckles were tight, his jaw even tighter, and he hadn’t looked at me once since I got in.

I narrowed my eyes, watching him as he pulled out of the driveway and onto the road.

Something was wrong.

Scratch that—everything was wrong.

Alex was acting weird.

Not just quiet or distracted. Weird.

Too compliant. Too still. Too... obedient.

And I knew exactly who had something to do with it.

"Okay, what the hell is going on?" I asked, turning in my seat to face him directly.

Alex sighed, dragging a hand through his already messy hair. "Nothing, Glyn."

I raised an eyebrow. "Right. Nothing. So, you just magically decided to stop acting like yourself overnight?"

He gripped the wheel harder. "I don’t know what you mean."

I scoffed. "Oh, please. You’ve been different all morning. Hell, even yesterday. You were—" I paused, frowning as I searched for the right word. "Shaken. You let Kathrine walk all over you in front of everyone and didn’t say a single word. Not even a glare. Not even your usual annoying insults. And now? You’re just... doing whatever she says?"

He flinched. It was small, barely noticeable, but I caught it.

I crossed my arms. "Why?"

He shrugged, looking straight ahead at the road. "It’s nothing."

"Alex."

"Really. It’s whatever."

My brows furrowed. That’s the second time he’s brushed it off.

He kept his expression blank, but I wasn’t stupid. His hands were too tight on the wheel. His shoulders were too stiff. The usual arrogance and sharpness that made Alex, Alex? Completely missing.

This wasn’t him.

I leaned closer, trying to catch his gaze. "Did something happen? Did she—?"

"Drop it, Glyndon."

His voice was sharp, but the usual venom wasn’t there. It sounded... defeated.

I stared at him for a long moment, studying his face. His lips were pressed into a thin line, his jaw clenched so hard I thought it might crack. His gaze stayed locked on the road, refusing to meet mine.

I didn’t like this.

I didn’t like this at all.

Something had happened between him and Kathrine, and he wasn’t telling me.

Why? Why am I mad? She is gay.... Very gay, is she toying with him the same way she does with me?

No.

NO.

Before I could push further, Alex suddenly turned toward me with that look. The one that was supposed to distract me.

And before I could react—

He kissed me.

It wasn’t soft. It wasn’t rough. It was just... a distraction.

He was trying to shut me up.

I let him do it, let him press closer for a second too long before I pulled back with a sharp breath.

I stared at him, eyes narrowed. He was hiding something.

But I didn’t push.

Not yet.

Instead, I let it sit, let it simmer in the back of my mind as we drove toward school.

And the whole time, I could feel it.

The shift.

The unspoken thing hanging between us.

Alex was never this quiet. Never this... submissive.

Especially not to Kathrine.

——

The parking lot was already packed when we pulled in. Groups of students were clustered near their cars, talking and laughing, going about their usual morning routines.

Alex parked, but he didn’t move.

He sat there for a second, staring straight ahead.

Like he was preparing himself for something.

I glanced at him before grabbing my bag and stepping out.

The second I turned, I saw them.

Kathrine and her friends.

Daniel. Michael. Brandon. Ethan. Ryan. Lily. Emma.

All of them rolled into the parking lot on their motorcycles like they owned the damn place.

They weren’t loud. They weren’t obnoxious.

But they didn’t have to be.

They demanded attention just by existing.

Kathrine was laughing at something Daniel said as she swung off her bike, ruffling her already messy hair before shoving her helmet into his chest. He took it without complaint, grinning like an idiot.

I barely even registered the rest of them before I zeroed in on the way she walked.

Confident. Relaxed. Like she was on top of the world.

Like she had nothing to worry about.

Unlike Alex.

I turned back toward him.

He was staring at her.

Not glaring. Not fuming. Not Alex-ing.

Just... watching... I wanted to plug his eyes out.

And when Kathrine’s eyes flicked toward him, her smirk widened.

She knew.

She knew what she was doing.

She knew he wouldn’t do anything.

And then, as if to prove that, she walked right up to him.

"Morning, Alexander," she said, voice dripping with amusement.

Alex barely reacted. His fingers twitched at his sides, but he didn’t say a damn word.

Her smirk grew.

I blinked.

What. The. Hell.

Kathrine circled him, slow, like she was inspecting something she owned.

Then she casually patted his back—no, patted his head.

Like he was a dog.

My jaw dropped.

Alex didn’t move.

Not even a flinch.

What. The. Actual. Hell.

"Oh, don’t look so tense," Kathrine mused, stepping beside him. "It’s just a little fun, right?"

Alex clenched his jaw but still said nothing.

"See?" she said, glancing at me. "He’s learning."

I blinked.

I didn’t know what was more shocking—her teasing him like this, or the fact that he was letting her.

Before I could say anything, she clapped his back once and turned away, sauntering toward her friends without a care in the world.

Alex let out a breath.

I stared.

Kathrine just humiliated him. Publicly. And he let her.

The Alex from last week? The Alex I knew?

Would have lost his damn mind.

But he didn’t.

He just... stood there.

I turned toward him slowly.

"What the hell was that?" I demanded.

He didn’t look at me. "Nothing."

That was it.

That was all he said.

I exhaled, dragging a hand through my hair.

Something was very, very wrong.

And I was going to figure out exactly what it was.

——

I walked out of the school building, still shaken from the events of the day.

Alex had barely spoken to me after this morning. He stuck around, sure, but he wasn’t there. Not really. He was distant, zoned out, and when I asked him again what was wrong, he just shrugged me off.

Like everything was normal.

Like he wasn’t fucking broken.

And I wasn’t buying it.

So instead of going home, I did something stupid.

Something reckless.

Something I probably shouldn’t have done.

I called my driver.

And instead of saying, "Take me home," like I should have—

I said, "Take me to Kathrine’s house."

My driver didn’t question it. He never did. He just nodded and pulled away from the school, the familiar streets blurring past the window.

And as we drove, I did my best to convince myself that this was purely about Alex.

That I was only going to find answers.

To figure out what the hell was going on.

To understand.

But some part of me—the one I liked to ignore—whispered that maybe, just maybe, I was using this as an excuse.

An excuse to see her.

Kathrine.

I shook off the thought as the car rolled to a stop in front of her house.

It wasn’t my first time here. I’d been here, but today felt... different.

Like I wasn’t supposed to be here.

Like I was trespassing.

I grabbed my bag and stepped out of the car. "You can go," I told my driver.

He hesitated. "Are you sure, miss?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I’ll call when I need you."

He didn’t argue. With a slight nod, he drove off, leaving me standing in front of the house alone.

I inhaled deeply.

Then I walked up to the front door and knocked.

It only took a few seconds before the door swung open, revealing Kathrine’s mother.

She looked surprised to see me. "Oh, Glyndon! What a lovely surprise."

I forced a polite smile. "Hi, Mrs. Andrews."

"What brings you here, dear?"

I hesitated, then said, "Is Kathrine home?"

She shook her head. "No, she’s still at school. She should be back soon, though."

Damn it.

I shifted my weight, wondering if I should just leave. But before I could make up my mind, she smiled warmly and added, "You can wait for her in her room, if you’d like."

My breath hitched.

Kathrine’s room.

A space I hadn’t been in since—

I pushed the thought aside. "Uh, sure. Thanks."

"Would you like anything? Tea? A snack?"

I shook my head. "No, it’s fine."

She gave me another warm smile before stepping aside to let me in.

I walked through the familiar hallways, my heart pounding harder with each step.

Then, finally, I pushed open the door to her room.

The scent hit me first.

That familiar, undeniable scent.

It wasn’t perfume. Not something artificial or sweet.

It was just her.

Clean, vanilla, undeniably Kathrine.

And it was everywhere.

I swallowed hard as I stepped inside.

Nothing had changed. Not really. The walls were still covered in posters and photos. The shelves were still lined with her trophies, medals, and awards. Hockey gear was scattered in its usual organized chaos, a reminder of just how deep her obsession ran.

And then—

I saw it.

The small, purple bike toy.

It was placed neatly beside her awards as it belonged there.

Like it was special.

Like it mattered.

My heart clenched.

I walked toward it slowly, barely breathing.

I knew exactly where it came from.

Paris.

I had bought it for her when we were there. I hadn’t even thought much of it at the time—I just saw it in a shop window and thought, Kathrine would like this.

And apparently—

She did.

Enough to keep it.

I swallowed, my fingers hovering over the tiny handlebars.

Why did she keep it?

Why was it here, of all places?

And why—

Before I could finish the thought, I heard it.

The unmistakable sound of a door opening.