Start therapy, individually and together, or there was no fixing any of this.
I had meant every word.
I was still sitting there at my dining room table, staring at the chaos that was my life, clutching my mug like it could anchor me, when a sharp knock rattled the door.
My stomach dropped.For one dizzy, icy second, my mind screamedAndrew.
I looked at a still sleeping Mason, knowing he wouldn't let Andrew bulldoze his way in here, then crossed the room cautiously, heart pounding, and yanked the door open, only to find Clara standing there.
Her expression was tight, her coat unzipped, cheeks flushed from the cold.“Hey,” she said softly.“Can I come in?”
I blinked, caught off guard.“Uh...”
And then Mason shifted on the couch.Clara’s gaze snapped past me.Her brows pulled tight, her mouth flattening into a sharp line as her whole body stiffened.She stepped inside before I could stop her.
“What the fuck is going on here?”Her voice was sharp enough to cut.
For one sharp, brutal second, I thought she believed it too.That even my sister could look at me and see only what the town saw.
My chest squeezed painfully.I shook my head so fast my vision blurred.“Clara, no.God, no!I would never...”My voice cracked on the last word, breaking apart as heat stung my cheeks and tears pooled in my eyes.“I wouldnever.You have to know that...”
Her face softened instantly.She stepped closer, grabbing my shoulders like she could tether me back to the ground.“Cass.Stop.Iknow.I know you’d never.”Her jaw tightened again as she turned her glare on Mason.“That’s not why I’m here.I’m here because after yesterday, after Andrew, aftereverything..."
She sighed and looked at Mason, who was now standing with his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides, like he didn't know what to do with himself."I come in and findhimhere?Cass, you’re not exactly his biggest fan right now.I need to know why.”
Relief and exhaustion collided, leaving me hollow.I dragged a hand through my messy hair, fingers tangling in the mess of waves, muttering, “Your husband can explain that.”Turning toward the hallway, I said, “I’m getting ready for work.”
I shut the bathroom door behind me and cranked the shower on.
The spray pounded against my skin, drowning out the muffled voices in the other room.I pressed my forehead against the cool tile, steam curling around me, and let my thoughts spiral the way I couldn’t last night.
Andrew’s hands on me in that hallway.Victoria’s words, sharp and cutting.The whispers in town,homewrecker, whore, circling faster than I could outrun them.Mason’s business was falling apart.Clara’s unnecessary pain.Jackson’s little voice asking why people were mean.
And beneath it all, a memory I didn’t want but couldn’t stop: Andrew lying next to me in my bed, his hand over my stomach, whispering promises he had no right to make."I want us forever.I want you pregnant and barefoot, Cass.Just mine.Always mine."
I slammed the mental door shut on it.
Not anymore.
I inhaled sharply, closing my eyes as the water cascaded over me.I couldn’t keep living like this, pinned under other people’s choices.I couldn’t keep letting Andrew wreck me or the whispers define me.
I was going to get my life back.
I was going to help Clara untangle this mess.
And I was going to move the fuck on.
By the time I stepped out, my skin pink from the heat, I felt steadier, even if my hands still shook faintly.
I tried to linger in my room as long as I could, giving Mason the chance to try and fix what he had broken.If nothing else, try to explain it anyway.
The apartment was quiet when I walked out.
Clara was by the window, arms wrapped around herself, her eyes red but softer than I’d seen them in months.Mason sat hunched on the edge of the couch, elbows on his knees, like he’d been waiting for judgment.
Clara turned when she heard me and crossed the room in three fast steps, pulling me into her arms.“Thank you,” she whispered fiercely against my hair.“Thank you for helping.For trying.For not letting him drown without fighting for us.”
I swallowed hard past the lump in my throat, blinking back tears.Clara's tears soaked into my sweater, and for once, I didn’t feel like I was falling apart.I felt like a piece of something holding her together.My gaze flicked to Mason; he looked like he'd gone 10 rounds, but lighter somehow, like someone had finally thrown him a rope.
