“I’m just clumsy. You are making assumptions where it isn’t appropriate.”
“As your friend, I am worried about you. There are resources for you, support from my family.”
“So, you lay me off, keep someone who lacks the ability and skill to even stand in my role, then say you want to help?” I chuckled as I turned and headed toward the door. “If you really cared, we would be having an entirely different conversation, and I would still have a job.”
“Wait,” he sighed. “When will you have the reports?”
With a scoff, I walked back to his desk and threw the folder down. He winced, but stayed silent as I walked out the door and back to my desk.
“Yeah, I think I will just quit now,” I muttered, holding back tears.
Corrine could handle the rest. For once, I had thought I was good enough and valued, but I was so, so wrong. Dante’s accusation wasn’t completely untrue. An ice-cold shiver ran down my spine. How would Jack handle me being jobless?
Chapter 2
LUCY
The light blue house came into view as I pulled into the driveway, mentally trying to figure out how I was going to bring the conversation up during dinner.
I chuckled softly, the exact conversation playing in my head. I pulled the keys from the ignition and stepped out of the car. The frost bit at my nose, and the fog from my warm breath swirled in the air as I walked toward the house.
We lived modestly. The cottage-style house had four bedrooms and was built on a decent amount of land. The neighbors were close enough, but we still had the privacy needed.
The door had already been unlocked, which was odd. Jack normally wasn’t home for another hour or so.
Around the holidays, retail and sales had it the worst. Most nights, he came in the door, dragging his feet to the dinner table, and was less than enthused when I tried to start a conversation. While I tried my best to understand, part of me had begun to grow suspicious.
Salesmen worked within store hours, and while I understood double shifts, he hadn’t noticed that I had seen the red streaks down his back, raised and fresh, or smelled a small waft of women's perfume when he walked into the bathroom before bed.I hadn’t been touched in months, and everything I did was wrong.
Maybe I was in denial, choosing to believe it was from women whom he had helped throughout the day. Or maybe I just wanted to see the best in him, but even that was getting harder and harder to do. He wasn’t always like this, at least I don’t think he was. Either way, I saw buying the toys as a last-ditch effort to bring us closer together.
My hand shook as I placed the box of toys on the bed, my ears perking up when laughter poured from one of the guest bedrooms.
I paused, walking out of the bedroom and down the hall to investigate. I fell to my knees in front of the semi-open door with a hand over my mouth to trap the sobs. My chest clenched with hurt as the knife went straight through my heart. Realization had finally sunk in. I was nothing, and it was time to go.
With tears pouring down my face, I pushed open the door a bit more to see Jack balls-deep inside his co-worker. His fingers curled in her hair as he pulled her into a kiss, swallowing each moan.
I may have suspected, but never in a million years had I really believed someone I loved would betray me like this. She could have him. They could have each other. One day, she would find out the truth, and by the time she did, I would be long gone.
Quick steps across the plush carpet had me back in the bedroom. I grabbed a singular piece of luggage and swiftly packed what I could carry. Clothes for a few days, along with some art supplies and the toys. I would need them anyway. My brother could help me get the rest of my belongings later.
Right now, I had to focus on finding work and where I would stay until I gathered my bearings. I thought about calling Dante for the help he offered, but after my outburst, he wouldn’t want to hear from me.
It was late, and I felt way too tired to drive, but I couldn’t be a burden to Marco. He had always been an amazing olderbrother, protecting me whenever he could. It felt impossible to ask for help now when I'd been alienating everyone for so long. I never had it in my heart to tell anyone about the abuse, scared they wouldn’t understand.
Normally, I could run just fine on two hours of sleep and coffee, but the added stress had my head clouded and pounding.
Right now, I was thinking with emotion, and my heart told me not to leave here without some sort of revenge. As I went to the floor of the closet, my eyes caught on the bits of paper that were ripped in a fight the night before, and a lone tear rimmed over the edge of my eye.
My artwork.
I didn’t have to gather much more. They would be done soon, and I needed to get out safe and undetected.
In my haste, I almost forgot to grab my car keys from the kitchen island and rushed back, snatching them up. Wrenching the door open, I slid onto the porch and took in the falling flakes. I had a snowy night of driving ahead of me.
I clicked the button on the key fob and popped the trunk of my car, using the sleeve of my jacket to wipe away at the stray tears. Then, rage set in as I seemingly went through all seven stages of grief at once, or that was what it felt like.
I wouldn’t waste any more time on that bastard. I couldn’t help the way my chest swarmed with numbness at the moment. He was everything I’d ever known, my only relationship and, as far as Jack was aware, the only person I’d ever slept with. Little did he know, someone else had taken that innocence, someone I had wanted to give it to back then. That was also a memory, just like this relationship would be.
