"Come on, Amelia. Keaton will find me. He always does. Let's get changed, join the rest of them, and fucking party."
The pool scene blurs behind us as we head toward the pool house. A nervous tingle sparks in my chest as we cross the yard, passing couples hooking up wherever they can. David’s parties are always wild as hell.
Fiery pain streaks through my jaw as I chew the inside of my cheek, nerves buzzing.
But there's something running through me.
Something I'm unable to identify.
Where the hell is Keaton?
My fingers drum against my thigh, syncing with the relentless bass thumping through the house.
As we reach the pool house, I pull open the door and the noise inside hits me. "Dude, someone who has never been here before would swear they've walked straight into a porno," I exclaim when I catch the loud moans from inside.
Amelia laughs and trails after me, but she collides into my back when I freeze in the doorway.
My heart thuds slow and heavy, making every breath a struggle.
I tilt my head, straining to listen, digging my nails into my palms to anchor myself.
That groan.
My head swings side to side as my chest collapses inward. Heat floods my face while I fight back the tears burning in my eyes.
He wouldn't. There's no way he would.
I flinch at Amelia’s touch on my shoulder, dragging in a jagged breath that barely squeezes through my constricted throat.
"Char, what's going on?" she whispers, as if she already knows but doesn't want to admit it.
The groan comes again, and my body jolts.
Shaking my head, my eyes glued to the room beyond us I've yet to see into, I take a step back as my feet urge me to run.
Amelia's fingers tighten on my shoulder, and she leans down to my ear. "Not yet. Don't you dare break yet. Remember who the fuck you are, Char. You've stood up to people who have tried to hurt you all your life. This isn't any different. Straighten your damn spine, confront them, and then...then I'll get you out of here and hold you while you break."
As she speaks, my eyes close and my body goes numb. Emptiness seeps into my bones until I’m nothing but a hollow shell, and he’s the reason why.
They'rethe reason.
Because there is only one person who would be in there with him.
I straighten my spine and nod, letting her know I’m ready. The moans crash against the frozen wall inside me, but they can’t break through.
Rianna's maliciously triumphant eyes clash with mine as soon as I clear the open doorway. Her legs are wrapped around his waist as he anchors her against the wall. Keaton thrusts into her brutally, his face buried in her neck, his hands holding onto her ass.
She smirks, running her fingers through his hair, and lets out an exaggerated moan. "Yeah, baby. Just like that. You like fucking my pussy, don't you, baby?"
"Shut up," he mutters, his hips never easing up.
No chance I could confuse that voice with anyone else. That’s definitely my boyfriend fucking someone who isn't me.
One day, when I’m less broken and more open to feelings, maybe I’ll recall this moment—standing so still and calm, even as the chaos around me shifts the course of the night.
Her eyes narrow at the casual way I lean against the wall and smirk back. Amelia takes up a place on the other side, and we both watch as my boyfriend rams his dick into someone who isn't me.
I've been intimate with this fucking asshole since we were sixteen, so I can read his body language and know when he's about to find his release.
