“Jordin, don’t you dare! Get back here! WE ARE NOT DONE!”
His voice was raw. And I felt it in my chest; even though he hurt me, I felt bad for him.
“You think I’m going to let him have you? No. Never. You hear me? You’ll always be my wife!”
Marcus grunted, heaving him back as Oak’s hand shot out, pointing a trembling finger at our car.
“And you! You deadbeat singer motherfucker! I’ll see you in a ditch! You touch her, I’ll kill you! JORDIN!”
Ciarán rolled the window down as he started the engine, giving Oak a wave. “Jordin, say goodbye to your soon-to-be ex-husband,” he said with a grin, taunting Oak.
We pulled away, my heart racing. I turned to glare at him. “You’re an asshole for that, you know that, right?”
He shrugged, unbothered, throwing me a sideways glance. “For you? I’ll be that.” His voice was calm. “He shouldn’t have been yelling at you like that. He was hurt before—now he’s really hurting, and he deserves to be. Don’t tell me it didn’t make you feel good to see him all pissed off.”
“Shut up, Ci, and drive,” I said, but couldn’t help but laugh. It was better than crying.
sixteen-Oak
I wasn’t drunk enough.
Not for this. Not for the way my chest felt like it was caving in every time I replayed what happened earlier. Her driving away with him like I didn’t exist. Like I wasn’t the man she’d once promised forever to.
I kept thinking about it all, obsessing; it kept looping like punishment.
And now? She was gone.
How the fuck did we get here? To a place where she couldn’t even look me in the eyes.
I fucked up, I get it, but did she have to be so cruel?
I sat slouched in a chair at the strip club, a glass of whiskey sweating in my hand. Marcus thought this would help, dragging me here to “blow off steam.” But it wasn’t working. Nothing was working. Even the bass from the speakers couldn’t drown out the noise in my head. I kept thinking about Jordin and how she walked away with him. How did we get here? Where there was another man in her life?
My eyes traveled the room. Across from me, a girl danced under flashing pink and blue lights. Her moves were fluid, practiced. She didn’t care who watched. But I didn’t see her. I saw Jordin.
“Why are you sitting here looking off into space? Enjoy yourself. Today was a victory,” Marcus said, leaning close so Icould hear him over the music. He sounded annoyed, like he was tired of me already. “It’s over. She’s going to sign the divorce papers. And she wants nothing. Move the fuck on.”
I used to tell Jordin she imagined Marcus not liking her. But now I wasn’t so sure he was wrong. I didn’t respond, though. My grip tightened around the glass as I downed the rest of the whiskey, the burn in my throat barely registering.
I wondered if she was with the singer. I was thinking about hiring a private investigator. Was he taking care of her? Was she with him for money? I admit, I didn’t know how much Jordin made because I’d never ask her for money. How was she going to live without my support since she asked for nothing?
A stripper approached, sliding into my lap without an invitation. A brunette with big tits, a small waist, and no ass—typical. She smelled like cheap perfume and desperation, but I let her sit there anyway. Maybe this was what I needed—to forget. To let go.
“What’s wrong, baby?” she purred, her hand trailing down my arm.
I laughed, but it came out bitter. “What’s not wrong?”
She tilted her head, trying to look interested. “You want to talk about it?”
I did. Staring at the melting ice in my glass. “She’s gone,” I muttered, more to myself than her. “Just fucking walked away with another man.”
The stripper raised an eyebrow, clearly unsure what to say. Marcus groaned from his seat nearby, rubbing his temples like he regretted bringing me.
“She was everything,” I said, my voice rising. “Everything I ever wanted, and now she’s gone. And you know what? Fuck her. She left me.”
The stripper tried to pat my shoulder, but I shrugged her off, standing abruptly and nearly dropping her from my lap. Shesprang to her feet like a cat. My vision swam for a second. The alcohol was making my blood boil.
And then I heard him.
