Keaton glances at me and flinches at the sight of my tears. I stay silent, offering neither answers nor demands. I hold his gaze, making it clear the next move is his.
I chose to call the parents. I refused to shoulder the burden of explaining his actions when the questions inevitably came. This was one decision I wouldn’t let him take from me. Maybe it wasn’t right, but I’d do it again. With so little in my control, this was something I could claim.
Right now, I needed to hold on to any scrap of control I could find.
But this choice is his. Will he hand me the phone and force me to relive the pain, or will he finally own up to the choice that shattered us?
Keaton sinks down beside me, searching for comfort I no longer have to give.
I dig my nails into my legs, anchoring myself. I refuse to let him drive me away.
I turn back to the fire, listening as he finally chooses which path to take.
"Can you get Mom? I've only got it in me to tell you this story once, because I still have to call Claudia and Martin."
There are a few minutes of shuffling and some muffled words before the line clears and his dad lets us know that they're both on the line.
"I fucked up," Keaton whispers.
Chester sighs. "Tell me you didn't do what I think you did, Keaton."
"I cheated on her with Rianna."
His dad grunts, as if Keaton’s confession punched the air from his lungs, while his mom lets out a soft, broken cry. Silence falls, broken only by the fire’s crackle and Keaton’s muffled sniffles as we wait for his parents to absorb the blow.
"What were you thinking, Keaton James?" Norma cries.
Keaton’s shoulders tremble, and despite everything in me screaming not to, I reach out and let my fingers barely graze his shoulder. It’s the gentlest touch, all I can manage without getting sick again. I can’t just watch someone suffer, even if he’s the one who tore me apart.
He didn't seem to have an issue doing it to you, Charlie.
When he turns those hopeful eyes on me, I snatch my hand away and hug my leg, fixing my gaze on the fire once more.
"I wasn't, mama."
No shit.
"I'm not going to tell you this is okay. You screwed up catastrophically, but something tells me you already know that." Chester lets out an angry growl. "Fuck, son. I don’t even knowwhat to say to you right now.” This time, his growl is full of disgust. “I won't berate you because that won't teach you anything. You're not a little child anymore. You're twenty-two now, which means you're an adult and know right from wrong. What I am going to say is that we raised you better than this. I thought we taught you the correct way to love and how to respect the sanctity of your relationship and, eventually, your marriage."
"You d—"
"Do not interrupt me," Chester snaps before softening his voice. "I don't know what happened, and I don't need the full story right this second, but you're going to have to go over it with me, Keaton. I can't be part of your conversation if I don't know where to start."
This is what happens when you love someone you’ve known forever, whose parents are woven into your own life. The pain doesn’t just stop with your partner.
Right now, I’d give anything for one of my mom’s hugs.
"I don't even know where to start, Dad," Keaton admits in a quiet, broken voice.
"We'll get you there, Kea, but you've got a lot of work ahead of you."
"I know."
"No, son, I don't think you do," Norma chimes in softly. "This is big, baby boy, and you have to accept that even if you work on it, you might not get the outcome you desire. And I'm telling you now, we will not take sides because we love you both."
"You should. You should take her side because I don't deserve you to have mine."
My chest tightens, and I squeeze my legs tighter, hoping to stop the pain.
