Page 99 of The Other Room

“Get the fuck away from me. And don’t ever come near me again. We’re done. So done. Now leave me alone.”

“Jo,” he started as he regained his balance. “I know it looked so bad. I mean so bad... but nothing happened with her, I swear!”

The empty words fell flat between us. “You’re such a liar.”

“Jo, I would never do that to you! Nikki followed me to my truck, and her drunk ass fell, so I caught her. That was it.”

“Oh? That was it, huh?” I snorted.

I reached into my purse and pulled out my phone, then turned it on. With a few clicks on the screen, I went to Nikki’s Instagram page and found the photo of her lying in bed with him hovering above her. I whipped the phone around and shoved it in his face. “And did she fall into your arms in her hotel room, too?”

His mouth fell open as he took the phone from my hand. “Holy shit.”

“Yeah. Holy shit is what I said, too. Do you need more proof? I’ve got it. We can go through text after text with pictures of you and Nikki. Don’t even get me started on the text messages from concerned citizens worrying you’re screwing over Jake again. It’s over, Matt. Now get the hell out of this bar and out of my life.”

“Jo, she was hammered. I just helped her and her friends back to their room. That’s all. Tony and Aaron were with me for Christ’s sake! Drunk chicks falling down could be dangerous! I couldn’t leave them—”

“Enough!” I screamed, and the volume of my voice startled even me. “I’ve heard enough! You hurt me more than I ever knew was possible. And it’s done, Matt. You’ve done enough. Now please... go!”

The tears burned behind my eyes, and I blinked fast to keep them at bay. One tear slid past my defenses and dripped down my cheek.

“Jo, I swear to you that this is not what it looks like.”

I ripped the phone from his hand and pointed to his truck parked just down the street. “Go.”

“I’m not leaving, Jo. Not until you listen.”

Burning hot tears stung my eyes, and my rapid blinking lost its battle against them. “If you won’t go, then I will.”

I took off toward the cabin, but he raced in front of me, blocking my path.

“You are not running away this time, Jo!”

“Get out of my way! And don’t fucking follow me!”

The tears exploded as I veered from my path and turned toward the docks. Hurt, anger, and humiliation ripped apart my insides as the sobs shook my body. I bolted onto the docks, praying Matt wouldn’t follow me. Praying this would be the last time I saw him.

Praying I would remember how to breathe again.

Matt

Nikki’s friends had posted a picture of us? Of course, they had. If her goal was to make Jake jealous, she’d have leapt at the possibility. And if it didn’t look bad enough before, it was catastrophic now. Me actually struggling to get Nikki’s arms from around my neck so I could get out of there looked a hell of a lot like a hot make-out session between me and the devil herself. Between the picture she posted and the ones I was sure Jo got from people who saw me carrying her around, it looked as damning as if she’d caught us in bed together. I pressed my hands to my head while I watched Jo sprint down the docks.

I glanced inside the window into JJ’s, and Hanson’s condemning eyes bore through me. A soft shake of his head warned me not to go after her, but I couldn’t let her keep believing lies. I couldn’t leave her in pain when there was still a chance to fix this.

A small chance.

A miniscule chance.

But a chance.

I took off after her, screaming her name while I tore down the sidewalk and onto the docks. Jo glanced over her shoulder and picked up her pace, racing between the boats bobbing in the water.

“Jo, stop!” I called, my calves burning as I tore after her. When I turned the corner, she stood at the edge of the dock staring out at the water with nowhere left to go. Slowing to a crawl, I approached her carefully, my heart shattering when I saw her shoulders shaking with her sobs.

Sobs I’d caused.

“Jo, please don’t run.”