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“Who do you think you are?You can’t kick me out,” Kyle said.
“If he can’t, I can,” Jerry said, the man’s face twisted with anger and grief.
“Hadley—Cheryl.”
“You need to leave,” Cheryl said, glaring at the man.
“Fine.Fine, I’ll go.Haddie… I’ll see you at the house.”
“No,” Hadley said, lifting her head to face him.“Pack your things and go back to Raleigh.The attorneys can handle the sale of the house and distribution of funds.”
“Hadley, baby, come on.You can’t be serious.We’re just… This is all getting blown out of proportion.Let’s go get some air and talk about this.”
Hadley slowly got to her feet, and Bryson watched as she clasped her trembling hands in front of her.
“It’s not going to work, Kyle.It never was.”
“You don’t mean that.Don’t let this—them—make you—”
“The only onemaking medo anything is you.But I thank you for it.Because of your behavior, I remember all the other times I found myself belittled and hurt by you.Mistress and cheating aside, you talk to me like…like you are some god and I amnothing.”
“Sweetheart… Fine, I have an ego and it gets the best of me at times, but you know I don’t mean it.”
“Do I?Because after being away from you, not having toput upwith you, I’ve finally healed enough to know I don’t deserve to be treated the way you treat me.No one does.I know who I am.What I’m capable of—without you.”
“You inherited a beach house and cash.You think you’re doing this on your own?”
“Maybe not in that sense,” she admitted.“But I thank God for it because it allows me freedom, and it’s freedom I didn’t even realize I wanted or needed from your petty putdowns and lies and…cheating.”
“You said you’d forgiven me for that.”
“I did.But in the last hour, you’ve reverted to that same man.Youhurt meand destroyed what should have been a wonderful evening with friends and…and it’s all too familiar.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”Kyle asked.“Couples argue.They get over it.You’ll get over this.”
“Because I’m the cause, right?I’m being overly dramatic?Making more out of it than there really is?Kyle, you’ve thrown bagged toilet paper on me in the middle of the night when I was sleeping because it wasn’t the kind you liked.Youscreamedat me for thirty minutes once because you thought I’d bought ‘cheap cheese’ for a party and said I embarrassed you in front of your boss because of it.You…you put me downday after day after dayin order to build yourself up and feed your ego, and all of thoseyearsI just kept making excuses for you!I told myself I couldn’t walk away from a marriage over things like that.I told myself you did it because you were stressed and overwhelmed with your job, but the truth is you’re just a self-centered, cheating, narcissistic jerk and my life will be—is—better off without you!”
Kyle’s face turned blood red and he took two steps toward Hadley.
Cheryl gasped and Jerry quickly moved toward his daughter before Bryson cut Kyle off by stepping into his path.“Try to lay another finger on her.Please,” he growled.
The man’s eyes actually filled with tears, no doubt born of anger and frustration at his true self being outed, but tears all the same.His nostrils flared and he cursed at Hadley.
“You’re done here.Get out before I take great pleasure in throwing you out,” Bryson ordered, using his size to step forward and force Kyle back a step.
Kyle sent one last glare at Hadley before he turned on his heel and slammed out the patio door.
Bryson, Hadley, and Cheryl turned to watch him go, and Bryson noted Michael and Logan followed the man to the rear exit.
The windows facing the patio were a sea of faces, all of them watching, listening?
When Kyle was out of sight, Bryson shifted his attention back to Hadley, noting that Cheryl had tears running down her face and Jerry had his arms wrapped around both of them.
“I’m so sorry, Hadley.I had no idea,” Cheryl said in a choked voice.“I wouldn’t have pushed you to reconcile with Kyle if I’d known.Oh, honey, I’m so sorry.Please forgive me.”
“Bryson, would you mind giving us a moment alone?”Hadley’s father asked.
The last thing Bryson wanted to do was leave Hadley after all of that, but he shoved his emotions down and nodded.“I’ll be outside if you need me.”
