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Because I knew even before she slapped me across the face that it was over.
Chapter 22
Violet
Lyric pulled into my driveway and turned off the vehicle. Numbly, I looked up at my house. It was the middle of the night, and in only a few short hours, I would have to get up and go to school.
That simple act seemed trivial when the rest of my life was lying in a million shattered pieces at my feet, scattered along the path I’d taken from Alabama back to California.
“Are you going to be okay, Vi?” Lyric asked beside me.
I blinked a few times, but my eyes were painfully dry. It felt like I had sand in them, and I could only imagine how bloodshot they were. It seemed as if a hundred years had gone by since Friday night. So much had happened since Cannon kissed me, yet only a few short days had passed.
Slowly, I looked at my friend. At least, I thought he was still my friend. Lyric was Luca’s brother, his twin. Did I still get to keep him now that I was no longer with his brother? The thought of losing Lyric should have made me sad, but I was too numb to feel anything.
“I’m probably going to be in so much trouble,” I told him as I glanced back at the house. There was a light on in the living room, and I knew at least one of my parents was waiting up for me.
They had no idea what happened back in Alabama. With the exception of Megan, Marsh, and a few other football players who had been standing nearby when it all took place, Lyric, Luca, and I were the only ones who knew the man I loved had cheated on me.
For the moment, I wanted to keep it that way.
It was no one else’s business, and I needed to think—digest what happened—before anyone else in our family started throwing their opinions around.
When Lyric couldn’t get his brother to listen to him the night before, he’d decided that we needed to go and show him exactly what happened. I’d been mad at Luca for not wanting to listen to me, but I couldn’t let him continue to think I would actually cheat on him. Without packing anything, I’d simply grabbed my purse and gone with
Lyric to the airport. The next thing I knew, I was on a plane headed to Alabama, not caring that I was most likely going to be grounded for months once I got back.
I’d turned off my ringer but left my phone on so Mom and Dad could track me. They knew where I was and must have known what I was doing.
But they couldn’t possibly have known that I would be coming home completely and irrevocably changed.
“I’m sorry,” Lyric said with a grim twist of his lips. “If I’d known, I never would have—”
He broke off, and I nodded. “You couldn’t have possibly suspected, Ric. But I should have known. Luca…” I inhaled sharply. Just saying his name hurt worse than any other pain I’d ever experienced before. I preferred the numbness. It was easier to breathe when I was numb. “He might be almost nineteen, a man in the eyes of the law. But he’s still an immature little boy at heart. To him, I cheated, and that hurt. The only way he could justify it was to cheat on me in return.”
“I’m sorry,” he murmured again. Even in the darkened interior of the vehicle, I could see regret flashing in his eyes.
“Don’t be. None of this is your fault.” I wrapped my arms around myself, feeling so cold, I wasn’t sure I would ever be warm again. “I should really go in now. It’s better to get this over with and accept whatever punishment my dad throws at me.”
“Do you want me to come with you? Maybe they will blame me and you won’t get in trouble.”
“You’re a really good guy, Ric,” I murmured softly. “But, no. I think it will be better if you just went home. I don’t want you to take the blame anyway. I could have said no when you suggested we go see him. This is on me.”
I reached for the door, but he caught my elbow and tugged me around. He enfolded me in a tight hug, and I closed my eyes as I hugged him back. I hoped this wasn’t the last hug we would ever share, but I wasn’t going to hold my breath.
“I’ll call you tomorrow,” he promised when he finally released me.
“Don’t be surprised if you can’t reach me. I may be grounded from everything, including my phone.” I stepped out, and with a final wave, shut the door before climbing the steps to my porch.
Before I could put my key in the lock, the door swung open, and I met the furious glare of my dad. “Get in the house, Violet Hope. Now.”
If I weren’t so numb, I might have been scared of what he was going to say or do, but my heart rate didn’t even increase as I walked into the house. Mom was standing at the foot of the stairs. Her hair was in a messy ponytail, and she was wearing flannel sleep pants and a cotton robe. She had a pair of slippers on her feet and looked as if she hadn’t slept in about as long as me.
When her purple gaze fell on me, relief filled her face, and regret that I’d made her worry made my heart contract with the first real shot of emotion I’d had since Luca destroyed me.
But with her relief quickly came her anger, and Mom pointed toward the living room. “Sit,” she commanded.
I walked to the couch and sat down as both my parents stood in front of me. “You will never pull this shit again,” Dad snapped. “You wouldn’t even answer your phone when we called you. Texts went unread and unanswered. If I didn’t know Lyric was with you, I would have lost my fucking mind.”
