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I drop my hand to my lap, twisting my fingers in the napkin as I finally tell my mom, “Guy’s feelings no longer concern me. We broke up.”

“What are you talking about? He was just here.”

Shaking my head, I glance at Khaos before he can question that. “No, he wasn’t. He hasn’t been here since I got back from tour.”

“Which was almost two weeks ago,” Khaos drawls.

Mom ignores the implication.

“Well, don’t leave us in suspense. Tell us what happened. Why’d he end—”

“I ended it. Because he cheated on me.”

She’s quiet for a minute before she asks, “What did you do to cause that?”

“That’s not—”

I cut Khaos off, countering, “What did you do to make Dad cheat on you?”

“Dakota,” she warns.

This time, I don’t back down.

“Mom.”

My mother and I hold each other’s stares for an uncomfortable amount of time. I don’t believe she’s to blame for my dad cheating on her, but I can’t take it back now or I’ll look like the petulant child she’s always treating me as.

“Cheating is like throwing away a diamond—”

Khaos groans, thankfully stopping his dad from interjecting.

“Cheating…is a choice. Your father chose to step outside our relationship, as did I.”

“Same.”

“You cheated on Guy?” she asks me.

“Yes.” Sort of.

“Huh. You’re more like me than I thought.”

I snort. Why, out of everything I’ve done in my entire life, all of my accomplishments, is this the thing that makes her sound almost…proud?

Khaos speaks up, saying, “I don’t see it.”

While I don’t dare let my eyes go anywhere near him, I can imagine exactly what he looks like right now. He’s made his contempt toward Sergeant Sera known.

“I don’t believe I asked you your opinion.”

“You never fucking do,” he’s quick to shoot back at her.

“Son.”

“Pops.”

Now it’s Graham and Khaos staring each other down, both of them rigid as statues. What is going on with them and why does it seem like they’re seconds away from throwing down?

“Why don’t we let the women handle these delicate matters themselves, hm?”