These loud shaky sounds explode from my chest, and I press the back of my hand to my mouth to smother my sobs.
I can’t do this. Not again. There will be questions. The police were there. There’s no way to keep this quiet, and I just know it’s going to blow up in my face.
I’m sure Austin will come up with some sort of story or excuse again, and then what?
Gabriel said there were cameras, but will that be enough? What am I going to do if he gets away with hurting me all over again?
I can’t … I suck in a labored breath.
Defeat wraps around my shoulders. I can’t handle another altercation with Austin or his family again. Every time I go up against him, I lose.
I brace myself against the tile wall, wishing I could make sense of today.
Something had to set Austin off, but what was it?
Closing my eyes, I replay what happened and try to recall Austin’s words.
He blamed me for losing his spot on the team, but why? I didn’t even know he’d been kicked off the soccer team until he screamed it at me.
I’m not trying to ruin Austin’s life here.
All I’ve ever wanted is to stay out of his way. Out of sight so he leaves me alone.
This doesn’t make any sense.
When I emerge from the shower, Gabriel is leaning against the bathroom counter waiting with the towel, his expression tight and etched with concern. He takes one look at me and holds the towel out in his arms. “Come here, baby,” he says, and I step into his arms, too tired to care about the ugly marks and bruises on my naked body.
Gabriel wraps me in the towel, his touch gentle yet possessive, as if he’s afraid I might slip away if he lets go.
His hands are clean of blood. He must have washed up while I was in the shower. He changed his clothes too, exchanging his torn and blood-stained practice shirt for a clean black T. Breathing him in, I sink into his embrace, the weight of the day finally catching up to me.
Gabriel holds me close, his heartbeat a steady rhythm against my ear. For a moment, I allow myself to believe that everything will be okay, but reality comes crashing back as Gabriel pulls away, his eyes filled with regret.
“I’m sorry,” he whispers, his voice heavy with guilt. “I never should have put you in danger. This is all my fault.”
His words cut through me like a knife, reopening wounds I thought had healed. “What happened?” I ask, my voicetrembling. “Why did Austin attack me?”How was this your fault?
Gabriel’s gaze flickers away, a haunted look in his eyes. “I ... I found out about his relationship with my Coach’s daughter,” he confesses, his voice barely above a whisper. “I thought if I exposed him, he’d get kicked off the team and he was.” He hangs his head. “I thought I was doing the right thing. After what he did to you, I wanted him to—” He shakes his head. “I fucked up. I wanted Austin to get what he deserved, but I didn’t think that he’d go after you for it.”
The pieces fall into place, the truth hitting me like a sucker punch to the gut.
Gabriel’s betrayal cuts deeper than any physical wound. “You had no right,” I choke out. “I told you not to fight my battles, and you went behind my back, anyway. Even after I asked you to let it go?”
I push away from him, anger and betrayal coursing through me like a raging inferno.
This is why we don’t work. This is why I had to push him away to begin with. Why can Gabriel never leave well enough alone?
“I trusted you,” I whisper, my voice raw. “You promised you’d back off. But you lied to me.”
Gabriel reaches for me, his eyes pleading. “Baby, I know. I fucked up and I’m sorry,” he says, his voice cracking with desperation. “I thought I was doing what was best for you. I never meant for shit to blow up like this. For you to get hurt.”
Shaking my head, I back further away from him, clutching the towel tighter against my chest.
His words ring hollow. The damage is already done.
“You don’t get to decide what’s best for me,” I say, my voice trembling with anger. “You don’t get to play the hero and expect me to be grateful when you’re the reason I was in harm’s way in the first place.”
I push past him, my heart suddenly heavy. “I can’t be here right now,” I tell him. I’m so pissed. This— I shake my head. I didn’t deserve this.
