"No, Mel. Not out of the kindness of my heart, but for the kindness in hers. That nasty bitch in there will never let him go, and Charlie would never make her because she wouldn't hurt Keaton that way." He shrugs. "This was the only way."
He leans in, pressing warm lips to my forehead. If I hadn’t been watching Amelia, I would have missed the flicker of pain in her eyes.
Turns out my ex isn’t the only one hiding secrets.
"Find peace, Charlie."
"Let's go," Amelia growls.
She grabs my hand and pulls us through the gate just as the pool house door bursts open and Keaton rushes out, screaming my name.
When David steps in front of him to bar him from reaching me, I turn away.
Too little, too late, my dragon boy.
This is one memory I never want to hold close.
This is one story that I should have closed the book on.
Emotional masochist, indeed.
You Will Never Be Worth It
Keaton | The Past
Atsomepoint,youfind yourself on your knees, forced to face the wreckage of your own making. You realize you’re the architect of the pain that gutted the only person who ever stood by you. Her only mistake was loving someone who never deserved her. Now, you see the full weight of your actions.
I hate you.
Those three words echo relentlessly, pounding against my mind and digging deep beneath my skin.
Sixteen years, and never once did those words cross her lips. Not to me, not to anyone. Charlie was incapable of hate until I handed her the reason.
What the fuck have I done?
This isn't me. This isn't the man my parents raised me to be.
A single tear runs down my face, searing my frozen hand. It's striking how one drop can hold so much—joy, love, grief, self-loathing, regret.
I ache to chase after her, but my legs refuse to obey, rooted by the weight of what I’ve done.
How did I end up here? How could I have shattered the best thing in my world? What twisted part of me let this happen?
"Oh, come on, Keaton. You knew this would be the outcome. Don't act like a baby now. She doesn't want you anymore. We can finally be together."
Her voice grates against my ears. "Shut the fuck up."
He's all yours. I don't want him anymore.
I hate you.
You fucking annihilated me.
I'll leave here, and I'll erase you from my life.
I'm unable to block out the taunting words, and even if I could, I wouldn't. They're my punishment.
My head snaps around as the door clicks shut behind them. Darkness flickers at the edges of my vision, and I claw at my throat, desperate for air.
