"For what it's worth, I'm sorry."
"I know you are, son, but I'm not the one who needs to hear it."
"Yeah," Keaton mumbles.
"Charlie? Baby girl?" Dad calls for me.
"Right here, daddy."
"I love you, kiddo. We're right here if you need us. Your room is ready if you need to take some time."
"I'm okay. Graduation is only a few weeks away. I can make it until then."
"My strong girl," he murmurs. "Here's your mama."
"I love you, my sweet girl."
"Mama," I cry.
"I know, baby. I know," she croons. "Everything will be okay. Your mama is right here if you need me."
"I love you. I'll see you all at graduation."
"We can't wait. Keaton?" Mama calls for him.
"Ma'am?"
"I am so, so angry at you. The boy I watched grow up loved my daughter too much to ever do something so reprehensible. I don’t know what happened to you or when that love fell away, but I’ve never been more disappointed in my life. You need to figure it out, kid, because you’re not the man your mama and daddy raised you to be right now.”
Tears course down his cheeks. "I’m so sorry. I really do love her, Mama C," he chokes out.
“That’s really hard to believe right now, Keaton,” she says, his body flinching with each quiet word she speaks. “I love you, Charlie. Call us when you need us, beautiful girl.”
He passes me the phone, and as I turn to go, his hand brushes my arm. Instantly, I’m hurled back into the nightmare of the pool house.
His hands gripping her ass as he thrusts inside her. Her moans and taunting eyes. His bare dick, shiny with her all over it.
"Charlie? Come on, butterfly. Come back. I'm sorry, baby. Please, come back," Keaton begs in anguish.
I blink hard, confusion creasing my brow as I scan my surroundings.
Keaton crouches in front of me. I’m curled up, hugging my knees to my chest, rocking gently as I fight the tremors wracking my body.
What the hell happened?
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have touched you. I wasn't thinking," he says, taking a seat and nearly mirroring my pose by pulling his knees up and resting his forearms on them.
"Why did you do it?"
"I just wanted to get your attention and ask you to talk to me."
I shake my head. "Not that. Why did you cheat on me? Why did you sleep with her after swearing it was just friendship? And why—" My voice cracks. "Why did you do it without a fucking condom?"
He shakes his head with an agonized expression. "I don't know."
"You don't know?" I repeat, laughing harshly as I climb to my feet. "You don't fucking know. Do you love her?"
"What? No! I love you, Charlie. You're the only person I love."
