Page 121 of The Bitter Words

“As much as it tears me in half to know you’ve been with someone else, I’ll never bring it up. Just give us another chance. I can forgive you.”

“You can forgive me for what?”

“You just had sex with another guy in the bathroom where we’ve done it plenty of times. It’s like you’re trying to erase what we shared by doing that with someone else in all the places we have. What do you think I’m talking about?”

“We aren’t together, Callum. I can do whatever I want and there’s nothing wrong with it. You, on the other hand, cheated on me.”

“I thought she was you.”

“That’s supposed to make it better?”

“No.”

I grit my teeth. “Let’s say we get back together. Are you going to stop going off the grid sometimes where I can’t get a hold of you for a day or two because you won’t text me back or answer my calls?”

He purses his lips as his gaze scrolls over my face.Something strange flashes through his eyes and he squares his shoulders.

“You’re right, Lily.”

“About what?”

“I can’t give you what you want or need. We can’t be together.”

My mouth falls open and I huff out my disbelief. “What did you just remember, Callum? What made you change your mind?”

“You’ll wanna come out on tour with us.”

“So? What’s wrong with that?”

“I’ll fucking destroy you if we start dating again.”

“How would you do that?”

He points to the other room. “I’ll never forget what you’ve done. It’ll eat me alive. And the worst part about it is, I know you’ve been with more men than him.”

“How?” I cross my arms over my chest. “There’s no way you could know that.”

He forces a laugh and his shoulders roll forward. “You just gave yourself away, love.”

My insides burst into flames. I don’t know what I did that is making him believe that, but if I say anything, I’m bound to trap myself.

There have been more than Casey, but Callum doesn’t need to know. Instead, I turn on my heels and begin to leave.

“Truth hurts, huh, vixen?”

Oh, he wants to take it there? Okay, here we go.

I spin back his way, allowing all the suffering he’s inflicted on me over the past years to surface and take charge. “That’s what you want, the truth?”

“Don’t start lying to me now.”

I could lie but I don’t.

If he wants brutal honesty, I’ll hand it to him sharp-edge first.“The count is lucky number seven.”

His face drains of color and his expression drops. “What?We haven’t been apart for very long. How is that possible? Did you fuck the first guy you saw? When, Lily? When did you start sleeping with other men?”

“I never cheated.” I shrug. “Maybe you should try thinking outside of the box. Since I’ve known you, you’ve been telling me the same thing and I decided you were right.”