Keaton and I are in a great place. I feel secure in our relationship, and our bond grows deeper every day. Our communication is the strongest it’s ever been. Keaton now opens up and connects with his emotions, often suggesting that we sit down and talk things through. He puts in the effort now that was missing the first time together. While he always loved me, things changed when I caught him cheating. Despite not connecting emotionally as now, he worshipped the ground I walked on.
Until Rianna.
She was the real test of our relationship’s strength, and we crumbled when Keaton gave in to temptation.
Part of me simmers with anger at myself for never finding closure with Rianna. I had chances, but I was never brave enough to take them.
Then my lawyer informed me that the police could not locate her after I filed my report. Rianna has gone into hiding, so until now, I wasn’t sure I would finally get the chance to speak my piece to her.
I thought seeing Rianna’s name with Keaton’s would shake me. My stomach twists, and there’s a bitter taste, but the sting is duller than before. I’m not completely healed yet, but I’m getting closer.
My phone pings again, snapping me out of my thoughts. The alerts stack up, one after another, as Rianna keeps texting. After two more, I finally take a breath and dive in.
UNKNOWN
Thought u should c he always wants me
The rest of the messages are screenshots of chat threads I’m assuming are between her and Keaton.
I exhale hard and let my gaze fall to the screen. For the first time, I’m seeing Keaton and Rianna’s conversations with my own eyes. I devour every word, searching for the spark that made him hold onto her.
I brace myself for flirty or inappropriate lines, anything that would break my trust. But I’m surprised by how lifeless and unremarkable their chat is. I look for signs of deleted messages, but everything seems to flow naturally.
My breath stutters when I reach the more recent messages. They’re laced with graphic sex talk. My throat tightens, but after reading them a third time, my heart slows. Something about their tone feels off compared to the earlier chats.
I scroll back and reread Keaton’s replies, comparing the latest screenshots with the earlier ones. I even dig up old sexts between us. I’m annoyed I didn’t spot the differences sooner because they’re obvious if you look closely. I remind myself to be gentle. We’re in a good place now, though we weren’t always. Missing the signs at first is okay.
Until I’m fully healed, our past will always tint our present. But I’m closer to letting go today than I was yesterday, and someday, I’ll leave it all behind.
After reading through the chats, a calm settles over me. If there were ever real, inappropriate messages, Rianna would have led with those.
I always wondered if it went further than that one night. These messages give me the reassurance I didn’t know I needed. I doubt that’s what Rianna intended, and I can’t help but savor the irony.
I sigh, set my phone down, and rise from the couch. A giant glass of whiskey sounds tempting, but I’ve never been one to drown my problems. Instead, I grab a bottle of water from the fridge.
I spend the next ten minutes compiling an email with all the screenshots and send them off to my lawyer. After it shows sent, I pull up Keaton’s contact and press the call icon.
“Hey, beautiful. Everything okay?”
“Rianna messaged me,” I blurt out.
“I’m on my way,” he replies in a trembling voice.
“You don’t have to.”
When silence answers me, I pull the phone away and chuckle softly at the ‘call ended’ message flashing on my screen.
My place is close to Inkubus, so Keaton’s knock comes quickly. I open the door to find terror etched across his face. His red, watery eyes brim with fear, and my heart aches for him.
“Charlie,” he breathes, reaching out with trembling hands to cup my cheeks.
“It’s okay, dragon boy. I’m okay.”
“And us?”
I smile gently, brushing my index finger over his bottom lip. “We’re okay.”
He searches my face for a few minutes before he blows out a heavy breath and drops his shoulders. “Okay. Right. Then let’s head in and talk this through. Let’s get everything out. Does that work?”
