He slumps against the wall, cradling his busted jaw, as I struggle to break free of Parker and Vaughn.
“What the hell is going on?” Reid demands, lifting Quinn to her feet.
“Trust me,” I hiss. “The bastard had it coming.”
The hall falls silent and all eyes turn to my father.
Ever the politician, he straightens, pulling himself up to his full height as he smooths the front of his jacket. “Let’s go, Lauren. We’re leaving.” He issues the cool command like he’s ordering one of his minions to fetch him a coffee. “It seems we aren’t wanted here.”
My mother darts an apologetic glance my way and then hurries to his side, head down.
No.Nonononono.
If she doesn’t leave him now, she’ll never leave. I know it the way I know I can run a forty-yard dash in 4.29 seconds. This is the moment. The one when she has to choose.
The one that will decide the rest of our lives.
“Mom, no. You don’t have to go with him. Please.” My voice is high and tight, but I’m not too proud to beg. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for my mom. “I can keep you safe. We’ll figure this out.”
“There’s nothing to figure out,” my father says icily. “Your mother and I are leaving.”
He turns on his heel and pushes through the exit, my mother trailing behind him.
The worst part? She doesn’t even look back.
I watch in stunned silence as the door slams shut behind them, the metallic clang echoing through the quiet hall.
“FUUUCK!” I roar, hurt and anger squeezing my chest like a vise as I shrug off Parker and Vaughn.
I close my eyes and tip my face to the ceiling.
This cannot be happening. I did everything right. I’ve worked so damn hard.
“It’s going to be okay,” Quinn says, tentatively resting a hand on my arm.
Her touch is like a brand. A painful reminder of the moment my life crumbled right before my eyes. The moment I became just like him. “Don’t touch me.”
There’s a sharp intake of breath, and she withdraws her hand. “Cooper.”
I force myself to meet her stare. To look into her eyes and see the hurt and confusion swirling in their emerald depths as my roommates look on.
“I mean it, Quinn. Don’t touch me.” I step back, desperate to put distance between us. To cleanse my nostrils of her sweet floral scent. “We’re through.”
The words are bile on my lips, a fetid poison that took root long ago, and I know deep down in that dark part of my soul that this is the only way to protect her—from me.
“What?” She shakes her head, as if clearing her thoughts. “What are you talking about?
“I’m talking about the fact that I nearly put you on your ass. If it weren’t for Reid, you could’ve been hurt.”
“That wasn’t your fault,” she says, voice climbing an octave. “I slipped on the tile. These boots have zero tread. I should have thrown them out ages ago.”
“Do you even hear yourself right now?” I shake my head in disgust. At her. At myself. At my parents. “You sound just like her. Today, you slipped. What about next time? Will you tell people you ran into a door? Or that you fell down the stairs? No fucking way, Quinn. I will not be the one who breaks you.”
“You can’t break me, Cooper. I’m not a doll.” She throws her hands up in the air. “I’m a grown ass woman and only I get to decide what breaks me.”
It’s a nice sentiment, but it’s total bullshit. “I think you mean who.”
Quinn’s nostrils flare and she takes a step forward. I take another step back.
