He looks over his shoulder and smiles. “Oh, sorry Audrey. I was in the zone for a minute there. Come here, let me kiss your pain away.”
“Crafting is for children, Audrey. Why would someone want a hand made scarf as a gift?” He snickers, tossing the scarf I spent weeks perfecting on the floor beside the Christmas tree like it's nothing. I stare down at my hands, trying not to cry. “It’s like that Cricutting thing you used to do. It’s not a real hobby. Grow up.”
He should’ve been home forty minutes ago, it's been two hours since he said he was leaving work.
I text him again, telling him I’m worried about him and I want him to come home.
Thefront door opens. “Holy fuck, Audrey, stop hounding me. I’m home. What’s the big fucking deal?”
His expression changes when he notices the balloons, the streamers, and the crowd of people.
“Surprise …” his mom calls out weakly, while everyone else seems unsure how to respond.
I force a smile, fighting back tears. “Happy birthday, Paul.”
He looks almost as shell-shocked as I feel.
His hand wraps around my neck, and my eyes widen in surprise. “Does my dirty girl like that?”
I can’t get enough air into my lungs to say no—to tell him to stop.
“Take every inch of my fat cock, Audrey.” His movements are hard, forceful.
Unlike any time before.
Tears fill my eyes as his hand lets go of my neck, it’s the same moment he releases inside me.
I barely hear them moving around the house, I barely pay attention to anything as one memory flows into another.
Notuntil I hear, “Audrey.”
I whip around to face Paul with a frown. He’s standing in the front hallway with his hand tightly wrapped around a blonde woman’s waist.
I feel like I’m looking at a stranger. He knew I was coming to get my stuff. He knew I would be here.
I stare at him, gobsmacked.
We fought barely twenty-four hours ago and he’s bringing her to our house?
Does she know I exist?
I look at the clock, it’s just past noon and something hits me. “She was the one here yesterday, wasn’t she …?”
Paul looks between me and the other woman, not an ounce of guilt written across his face.
Bile fills my mouth when he looks at her and says, “Pumpkin. It’s not what you think.”
Seriously?! Pumpkin … asshole.
“Wh–” the lady starts, but before Paul or I can speak, the sound of heavy footsteps fills the space.
“YOU FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT!” Connor comes barrelling down the stairs, nostrils flaring and pushes Paul into the wall. “Get the fuck out of here!”
The clearly confused blonde woman finally manages to speak, “Paul, what’s going on? Who are these people?”
Connor, usually a calming force, turns to her with fire in his eyes. “Paul and Audrey were a couple for seven years, until he cheated on her and smashed her face into that bannister over there. We’re in the middle of cleaning herstuff out of the house so she can get as far away from this abusive, cheating, narcissistic asshole as possible.”
The woman looks in my direction before turning to face Paul, clearly shocked. “You told me she was yourcousin.”
