“Lilah,” he finally says, his voice low and tense. “We stopped talking for a reason. Why would I tell you anything about me?”
Whoa! That edge in his voice?
It cuts.
Gran and Kiera silently shrink into their seats.
Lilah exhales, shoulders drooping as she turns to face him fully, blocking me from her view like I don’t exist anymore. “Kaden, that old thing with Shane… it was nothin’ more than a drunken mistake. A one-time error in judgment after our fight. I’veneverforgiven myself for it.”
Drunken mistake?
I grit my teeth at that phrase. Like that somehow makes it better. Like it excuses betrayal.
I drop my gaze to my lap, blood pounding so loudly in my ears I can barely think.
This is his ex.
The one I know nothing about.
And now she’s confessing her sins in front of me like I’m not even here.
My chest tightens.
My heart thunders.
I can’t breathe properly.
Slow down, Effa.
Breathe, don’t let it show.
Jesus!
“We don’t need to talk about this now orever,” Mercs snaps. “I don’t do cheating, Lilah. You know that. This conversation’s over. Especially not here, and especiallynotin front of Gran, Kiera, and my girlfriend.”
Girlfriend.
My head jerks up. That’s the first time he’s said it like that, publicly, officially.
Now I understand the ‘no cheating’ boundary.
This woman is the reason.
Lilah blinks, her eyes wide, her mouth slightly agape as realization dawns. “You… oh, shit. Sorry, I-I didn’t know. I wouldn’t have s-said…” Her voice breaks, then she looks at the floor. “Enjoy your pie,” she whispers, turns, and disappears toward the counter.
I glance at Mercs. His jaw is tight, his shoulders rigid, his expression unreadable. It’s somewhere between guilt, rage, and heartbreak.
And then...
Silence.
Not around us because the diner is buzzing.
But at our table, no one breathes.
What the hell is with these people?
My muscles are frozen because I don’t know what to say or do, so I just sit here.
