My gaze snags on Laiken’s red locks as she maneuvers through the packed bar.
“Laiken!” I shout, my stride eating up the space as I follow her.
She moves quickly before the door to the entrance flies open, and she dashes out into the pouring rain.
I follow with urgency, the rain pelting painfully against my face as I stride out into the parking lot. I glance right, then left, catching sight of her as she stomps across the gravel.
“Laiken!” I call again, breaking into a jog to catch up with her.
She doesn’t slow, but I manage to latch onto the crook of her elbow and tug her to a stop.
“Let me drive you home.”
She whirls around, her expression hitting me square in the chest. Those aren’t just rain droplets gliding along her skin. Those are tears. Her red-rimmed eyes shine with fury as she jerks away from me.
“No!” She shakes her head, red locks cascading water off her shoulders. “You don’t get to do this.”
“Do what?” I toss my hands up.
“Act like you care!” She cries. “You don’t get to show up and make me feel things. You don’t get to…” Her voice cracks.
My chest fractures as I take a solid step toward her. “Firefly, let’s get you out—”
“No.” She steps away.
“Please.” I soften my voice.
She pauses, her shoulders dropping. Defeat is written all over her body language. I thought I made it through. Broken down that wall.
“How could you do it?” she whispers painfully.
My throat threatens to close. I can barely breathe.
“I loved you.” Her lip trembles. “I loved you so much. We had dreams. Plans.”
Fuck. No bull could ever cause as much damage to me as the devastation on her face. But along with the guilt and self-loathing over my choices, she made a choice too.
She nearly takes me out at the knees when she speaks next.
“Then you left and gave them all to her.” A sob rips from her throat as she wipes water from her eyes.
“I didn’t…” I attempt, but my words fail.
There is so much to say. So many things I haven’t had a chance to tell her. So many things that weren’t as they seemed. And even though I know she doesn’t know the truth, I have my own heartache. My own pain that I’ve held onto.
“You left me,” she sobs again.
“And you had a baby with another man!” I roar.
The pain of knowing that truth is still as raw as the day I found out.
He should have been mine. Trace was supposed to be mine.
Her hands shoot out, shoving me against the chest. “Because you broke my fucking heart!” she screams before her tiny fists slam against my shirt.
She pounds them into my soaked chest, the rain never letting up. I stand there, allowing her to pour out her anger on me. Letting herfeelwhatever she needs to.
Her sobs are heavy, the kind that split you straight down the middle. The kind that crawl into your soul and stain it with pain.
