“Could we… can I just say something?” his voice cracks.
“No,” I say coldly, feeling empowered by the fact that he’s falling apart.
“Gabby—”
“I just said no,” I say, still packing.
He sniffles, and the truth is Iwanthim to say what he’s going to say. As he turns away, sniffling again, he turns back to me, speaking loudly in distress, his sobs breaking through every now and then.
“I really never meant to hurt you. I never… I… I’m so sorry,” he says, sniffling.
“Are you now? Let me guess. This is the first time you did this. Who else? Or how many times with Sarah?”
The fact that he’s remaining quiet tells me everything I need to know.
“Uh huh. So how sorry are youreally? It’s funny how people who do things to hurt others are only sorry when they getcaught. So forgive little old me for not believing you.”
I head to the bathroom to get my hair appliances, my moisturizers, panty liners, the works. Oh yeah, my toothbrush.
“Idon’tlove Sarah.”
“But you don’t lovemeenough to notfuckSarah. Right? You think I didn’t want to fuck people either, Link? But you bet your ass I will now. You can do whatever the hell you want to do. I didn’t know we were rolling like that, so now I’m going to do whatever I want to do,” I shrug.
“You deserve to be with someone who makes you happy.”
“Youdidmake me happy, motherfucker,” I yell, turning to face him. “I thought we made each other happy,” I say, pointing between the both of us.
“That’s the point. You only cared about makingyourselfhappy. That’s why all thoughts of me just went out the window whenever you were with Sarah. You’re so fucking selfish. Even when I told you how I was feeling you didn’t care. So don’t give me that bullshit like you suddenly care about me!”
“Ididcare about you! I mean… Idocare about you.”
“And you really expect me to believe that, Lincoln? After you done FUCKED your coworker that you claimed you didn’t like, that youknowlikes you? You turn off your phone and you avoid me… you know how I even found out? Do you know how I even found out, you piece of shit?” I ask as I push him once with my hand.
“I came to your job to look for you so we can have a little picnic together out on this place by the ocean, out on the jetty. All I was thinking about in that moment was ‘wow, this is really nice. My husband would like this place. It’s so peaceful. I want to do something nice for us because we haven’t had a picnic in a long time.’ And I couldn’t reach you because I was trying. Only to come there and find out you had clocked out of workthree hoursbefore. You fucking piece of shit. And you left your phone off all that time. You know what? Fuckallthe way off,” I say with nonchalance, and I trulyfeelit.
My emotions are just completely dead toward him. All my respect for him is gone. I can’t get out of this house fast enough.
“Baby, I… I’m so—”
“Sorry, I got it. Fuck you. I do not accept your apology. And you know what?” I say, smiling at him sarcastically. “I actually don’tfucking want it. Yeah,” I dramatically think before looking back at him.
“I don’t need it, and I don’t fucking want it, not from a piece of shit like you. You are the bottom of the barrel, nasty as fuck, the most pathetic man I have ever met. You and Sarah deserve each other. I don’t even want half of everything you got. Just enough money for me to get by for a few years. But as for everything else, you can fucking keep it.”
“Gabby…” his voice is quiet and pleading.
“You can even keep Walnut. Just remember to feed him when you get a break from swimming in between Sarah’s legs.”
I close my luggage bag and start pulling it down the stairs, causing it to slam down every step.
Lincoln follows me like a depressing wraith.
“You don’t have to go. I can leave. You deserve to be in a warm house and bed,” he says with assurance, like he’s doing me a favor.
“Who says I don’t have one waiting for me where I’m going?” I ask, heavy with the implication.
“I’m just… I’m just s—”
“You thought you were the only option? Bitch, Ihaveoptions. I just never took advantage of them because you know, when I decided to marry someone I forsook all others. When I fell in love with you, there was nobody else. But you think that men didn’t try? You don’t think I knowexactlywhich man I could callup and they would come running? Not that I need a man, but what I certainly don’t need isyou.”
