My head snaps around, and I shoot him the harshest glare I've ever aimed at him. "Of course, I do! I'm not you, Keaton. There's sixteen years' worth of fucking love inside this damn heart of mine. It doesn't disappear as easily as yours did, no matter how much I wish it would! But each time I look at you, all I see is your hips slamming between her legs, and a piece of that love breaksoff. Eventually, there'll be nothing left of it but a space you used to reside in."
Before he can say anything, Amelia stomps down the steps with her arms full of first-aid supplies and slams them at Keaton's feet.
When she glances over at me, I mouth, "Thank you."
Her eyes soften as she gives a sharp nod, turning her attention back to him. "I don't like you, but you need to get that mess cleaned up. I'm not going to have Charlie touching you after you've been with that nasty crotch rot. Especially when you still stink like her. So, you get me." She bares her teeth at him. "Dr. Fucking Jekyll. Lucky you.”
Why Did You Do It?
Charlie | The Past
Ipushmyselfupright,hugging my own shoulders as I drift closer to the fire’s glow, desperate for warmth to anchor me and keep my mind from wandering back to the pool house.
A restless urge to escape builds inside me. I just want to crawl into bed, block out the world, and grieve for the future that slipped away tonight.
Amelia's hand rubs against my back. "He's taken care of."
"Thank you," I murmur.
"I saw the way you were struggling with his injuries. There was no way I was going to make you get that close to him, Char. Not tonight. Not after what he did. Your stuff is in my car and ready to go. David, um, he brought it to me."
I attempt a smile, sensing there’s a story behind her words, but my face refuses to cooperate, and shame floods in. All I can muster is a feeble nod.
"We've got to call my parents and then I'll be ready."
Amelia gives my shoulder a reassuring squeeze before heading off. I catch her muttered insult—"dickhead"—as she brushes past Keaton.
Drawing in a shaky breath, I square my shoulders and stride toward him, determined to end this night once and for all.
"Call them."
Every ring of the phone winds my muscles tighter, until I feel like I might shatter from the strain.
"Hey, baby girl. Everything okay?" my mom, Claudia, answers.
"Is daddy around, mama?" I ask quietly.
"Right here, kiddo. What's going on?" my dad says.
Keaton takes over the conversation after clearing his throat. "I messed up tonight."
"Boy."
With just that single word, my dad says everything.
He glances my way, and for once, I hold his gaze. I want him to witness every raw piece of me.
"I cheated on Charlie with Rianna."
My dad lets out a string of broken curse words that make Keaton flinch, and my mama cries quietly in the background.
I let my pain show, and I see his own regret twisting inside him. He’s wound so tight, desperate to pull me close and fix what he broke. But how can you heal a wound you inflicted? I wouldn’t let him hold me, not after those same hands gripped her ass as he pounded inside her.
Their voices blur as I retreat inside myself. The fragile strength I’ve clung to since the pool house is slipping away. If I don’t escape soon, the tidal wave of emotion will smash through my defenses and leave me shattered, a patchwork of broken love stitched together like some tragic Frankenstein.
I need to hold myself together until I’m somewhere safe.
“You’re lucky you’re not standing in front of me, Keaton. As much as I love you, you hurt my baby girl, and right now, I don’tlike you very much. The anger I feel at you for falling that low and destroying something precious to Charlie is big, and there’s no guarantee I wouldn’t put you on your ass.” My dad blows out a heavy breath, fighting his way through the anger that’s evident in his voice. "I'm disappointed in you, Keaton. I gave my daughter to you for safekeeping, trusting that you'd love and protect her."
