Angry that she lied.
Angry that she’s the reason London isn’t lying in that bed at this very moment.
Angry that she has the audacity to be in my house, and that my brother was dense enough to let her in.
“I’m sorry. I tried calling. Your brother... He said I could wait for you if I wanted.”
“What part of I never want to see you again did you have trouble with?” I remind her of what I said to her the day the paternity test results came in. The day I found out that she was pregnant with another man’s child and was trying to pin it on me. “And why the hell are you naked?”
“I thought—”
“You thought what? That I’d come home and find you naked and forget all about the shit you just tried to pull.”
“I’m sorry. It’s just... I needed to see you. I miss you.”
“Too bad. Get dressed and get the hell out of my house.”
“Can’t we just... Talk?” She scampers out of bed, tugging on her underwear.
“There’s nothing to be said. You lied to me. You lied to everyone.”
“Like you’ve never lied before.” She hisses, picking up her pants off the floor.
“White lies, sure. But what you did, Cat. That was no white lie. That was a life-destroying lie. And I think that was the whole point.”
“I thought you were the father.” She insists.
“No, you didn’t. You knew Jeffery Thomas was the father all along, but you also knew that he had no way to provide for you or the baby, so you set your sights on me.”
“I love you.”
“If you actually loved me, you wouldn’t have been screwing me and Thomas at the same time. I mean, there’s messed up and then there’s messed up.”
“Like the way you slept with me to get back at London? Is that the kind of messed up we’re talking about?”
“My motives are irrelevant. I never lied to you about my intentions. You knew this was only ever just casual for me.”
“If it was just casual, then why are you so upset that I slept with Thomas?”
“I’m upset that you lied!” I explode, my temper getting the better of me.
“I didn’t know who the father was. I wanted it to be you. I hoped it was you.”
“It doesn’t matter what you wanted. You should have been honest with me from the jump. I knew something didn’t smell right when you told me. What did you think? That I was just going to accept your word and not pursue it further? Did you think I was going to give up London for you? That I would everlove you the way I love her? Because we both know the answer to that.”
“London. London. London. It’s always about London. Even when she drops you like a piece of garbage, you still can’t get your head out of your ass long enough to see she doesn’t deserve you.”
“And you do? The woman who tried to rope me into raising another man’s child?” I step into her personal space, getting right in her face, completely ignoring the fact that she’s still 90 percent naked. “Get the hell out of my house.”
“Penn. I—”
“No. No more talking. No more excuses. Hear me when I say this. We are done. We are not together. We are not even friends. This is over. If I had it my way, I would never have to see your face again.”
“You don’t mean that.” Her eyes fill with tears as she hastily throws her shirt over her head.
“Oh, trust me, I do.”
“You’re going to regret this one day,” she warns.
