“You couldn’t even afford the bus. I hope you’ve got enough gas to get home because you’re getting nothing more out of me, you lying piece of shit. All the times that I’ve …”
Shane and Anna tuned out April’s rant.
“Trouble in paradise,” Shane whispered in her ear. Anna smiled up at him and touched his face.
“Hey, April? Don’t bother using the joint card. I’ve removed your name from it,” Shane informed her.
They got in the car, leaving April and Mason arguing about gas money and where they could find the cheapest lunch.
Chapter 25: Anna/Mason—Shakespeare and Tiger Woods
Anna
Anna hadn’t seen Mason since Sunday morning, choosing instead to go straight to her dad's. James was sympathetic and furious at Mason. He didn’t own weapons or even a sports bat, but he had greeted her car in the driveway with a shovel in his hand in case Mason had followed her. Shane dropped in nearly every day, and while she felt her dad thought she may be rushing into things, she could tell he genuinely liked Shane. The two bonded over their military experiences and James respected his strong work ethic.
Mason had been blowing up her phone since Sunday morning, but she hadn’t responded. She knew he was too much of a coward to come face her father, so staying with James was like her oasis. After a blessedly Mason-free and Shane-full week, Anna returned to her old home to gather her last things. Rosa and Mel had been kind enough to pack most of her stuff, but she wanted to do a final sweep.
She’d thanked her two amazing friends profusely, but Rosa insisted that being in the house with Mason was its own reward. She’d worn her “Cheater Cheater Pumpkin Eater” t-shirt, which she’d bought specifically for Thanksgiving at her dad and Pauline’s house, while packing Anna’s things, and completely ignored Mason when he tried to talk to them. When she finished packing, she sat on the living room floor (after telling Mel loudly that the sofa was too stinky to sit on), drinking champagne from Mason’s favorite coffee mug, blastingShort Dick Manfrom her portable speaker while Mel danced. Mason must really be down in the dumps because apparently he didn’t even try to antagonize Rosa, and that was his favorite hobby. Mel said he just slumped into a kitchen chair and looked at his hands.
Her friends had dropped off her belongings at James’s house, complete with her beloved Barnabus in a cat carrier. James wasn’t really a cat person, but even he was pleased to see the grumpy floofer.
Fun times. Anna pulled up at the house, noticing his car in the drive. Was he working anymore? She entered the house and began walking around but didn’t spot anything she wanted to keep. He could keep it all. Who knows what other furniture he had defiled.
“Anna, it’s good to see you,” Mason said in a small voice as he came out from the bathroom.
“Can’t say the same thing,” she replied blandly, rifling through drawers in the kitchen counter. She hadn’t seen her expensive knife set yet and that was one thing she wouldn’t let him have.
“I am so fucking sorry. I don’t think there’s a man on Earth who’s sorrier than me,” he said, lowering his head.
Anna spun around.
“Why, Mason? And for how long? Wasn’t I enough? When did you realize it was about the money?”
“I didn’t, I swear. I would never have taken your money. I got myself into a stupid situation and didn’t know how to end it. By the time I realized, I was in so deep. I was in debt, and she was threatening to tell you,” he said in a soft voice, his words hurried.
“How long?” she demanded.
“Four months,” Mason admitted. “But there was a lot of flirting in the month leading up to that. And I can’t tell you why. I wish I could. I was flattered, I guess. I don’t know. I never thought I loved her. I told her I did, but I didn’t mean it. I mean, I really thought I liked her, I found her attractive, but it’s the biggest regret of my life. I knew I loved you. I don’t know why I ...”
Anna stood and stared. He placed his hands on the counter.
“You brought her here. Intoourhome. I’ve seen the video and all the texts. By the way, your nudes need some improvement. No woman wants to see a photo of a limp dick. Debatable if they even want to see a photo of a hard one. And she was faking for sure.”
He winced.
“She came over here once. And the sofa stuff ... the time I ... what you saw on the video was all we did here. It was that one time on the sofa.”
“Am I supposed to thank you for that? Don’t you dare try to minimize what you did, here or anywhere else. And be a big boy. Use the words. You ate out another woman on our sofa while I was at work.”
Mason looked at the ceiling, blinking rapidly.
“I saw who she really was, how ridiculous and contrived our whole relationship was—”
“It wasn’t a relationship, Mason. It was an affair. Own it. And what do you mean, you saw who she really was? Even if she was Mother fucking Theresa in Angelina Jolie’s body and your destined soulmate, what you did was fucked up. You hurt me, the person you supposedly loved.Youproposed. I never asked you to. I never rushed you. The fact is, if she had been a Mother Theresa/Angelina hybrid, you’d have left me. You’d have left me and taken my grandparents’ money. That makes you a complete asshole. A heartless piece of shit,” she spat.Maybe I'm not completely over the anger stage?
“Okay, it was an affair,” he winced at the words. “I agree. I’m a piece of shit. But you say ‘loved’ in the past tense. I still love you. I made mistakes, huge fucking mistakes, but I love you. I’ll do counseling, I’ll sign a prenup, I’ll do anything. Anything but walk away from you,” he pleaded.
“That’s a shame because walking away from me is the only thing I want from you. And I notice you never responded to my statement that if she was worth it, you’d have left me,” she said.
