Page 29 of Crusher

I shake my head as her tears fall, and I look back at my son, and another sob releases as the door opens, but I don’t look, already knowing who it is, my body instantly lighting up.

“Hey, Kodi,” Hayes whispers before he says, “You have a visitor, Alexiana,” his voice harder, but I still don’t look at him.

When I called him, I didn’t expect him to be at the school. I had no idea he was even in town, something about him doing a course, and I thought if I called him, I’d have a few hours to compose myself before I had to see him, but instead, he was there. He ran into the school.

I love him so much for saving our son, but I hate him for hurting me.

“A Jarrold has demanded to see you,” he sneers, and I curl my lip at the hatred in my husband's tone.

Is he so serious right now?

Taking a deep breath, I press my son's hand against my lips before I state, “Tell him I’m not available.”

“Oh, so can’t make time for your boyfriend?” he snaps, and I look at him sharply as he snaps, “You’re married, Alexiana!” and Kodi looks at him with shock as he glares my way, but I don’t take notice.

“And you have a wife, yet you slept with someone else!” I remind him, my anger taking over and his jaw ticks.

“After you left!” he snaps back, and Kodi mutters, “Oh shit,” while Hayes closes his eyes, instantly regretting his words.

“And why did I leave Hayes?” I ask calmly, too calmly for a mother on the brink of a breakdown.

Hayes swallows hard, regret etching his features and chokes, “Freckles,” but I shake my head and demand, “Why did I leave Hayes?”

“Because I took comfort from Roxy,” he chokes, “because instead of seeing that you needed to learn to forgive me, to trust me, I chose the club over our marriage when you gave me an ultimatum after I admitted to what I did.”

“Right, and I wasn’t even gone a week when you screwed her, I got the pictures remember? You can’t say they were from before us because your tattoo was clear as day, so it doesn’t matter what you try and tell yourself to keep you happy, you cheated, plain and simple, so don’t come in here all alpha like. All because a guy, someone I work with and was there when I got the news about our son, a guy I cannot stand might I add, has asked to speak to me!”

“Freckles…” he whispers, but I shake my head and look back at my little boy, and I choke, “Get out.”

“Crusher, just give her some time to cool down, you were just out of order, and you know it,” Kodi says before I hear a sigh and then the door opening and closing, and I choke, “I can't deal with the hurt anymore, I need to be broken free.”

“He’ll never let you go, Alexiana, he’s been trying to find you for eight years, he’s been slowly breaking, and whether or not you want to believe it, you’re his life.”

My tears fall, and I shake my head.

I may be his life, but he didn’t treat me like I was.

He cheated, he knew my stance, he knew I struggled with trust, and he broke the one promise in our vows. He cheated then slept with the woman he just had to tell me he stopped from unbuttoning his jeans after I left him.

“So, about this marriage I had no idea about,” Kodi suddenly says, and I wince before groaning when she adds, “I’m calling Clark!”

Ah crap, I’m in trouble…

Chapter 14

Crusher – A Week Later

I take a deep breath as I look up at the night sky, trying to control the urge to get on my bike that a prospect towed for me, and bike away, to run away from the pain, the suffocating hurt.

My wife is within reach, yet she feels so fucking far away.

I didn’t choose her, I hurt her, and after all these years, that pain is still shining through, making it hard for me to talk to her, to beg her for forgiveness because she doesn’t want to try with me, she wants to break free.

“I can't deal with the hurt anymore, I need to be broken free.”

I know I shouldn’t have eaves dropped, but I just fuck, she looked done, when she told me to get out after I made an excuse as to why I fucked Roxy when there is no excuses, she looked done. After eight years of drowning, of trying to find her, I finally have her within reach, only for her to be done.

“Thought I’d find you here,” I hear my dad murmur, and I tense, him being near not good for my fucking sanity.