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“Does that make it any better with what happened between us? What if you’d decided to go back to him? Would you have ever told him about us?”
I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him. What a stalemate. Perhaps I didn’t have as much of a moral high ground as I’d thought.
He snaked his tongue over his lips in a slow, deliberate movement. “You admit your wrong and I’ll admit I’m wrong too.”
“This isn’t a school playground, Brady. We’re not playing tit for tat.”
He shrugged his shoulders. “Ball’s in your court.”
I gritted my teeth together just to keep from screaming in frustration. “There is no court—that would imply that both parties want to be there. Clearly, as you’ve gone back to being the pompous asshole I first met, I don’t want to be involved anymore. I’m done.”
I turned on my heels, biting back tears. Had I really just said that? Mentally kicking myself, I started the long walk back to the ranch. It was easily a couple of miles. I knew my leg wouldn’t stand up to it, but I had a point to prove.
Sweat trickled down my face. I had no idea if it was from the dry heat or the deep ache coming from my leg. I suddenly wished I’d brought my crutches. Or not drank and thrown up all my medication. Or stayed conscious enough yesterday to continue my meds.
“Where are you going?”
Footsteps crunched along the sandy ground behind me. I ignored his question, pinpointing my vision on the horizon and focusing on making it there.
“Sophie.”
I carried on, biting the inside of my cheek to stem the unbearable mix of physical and mental pain. He grasped my arm, whirling me around to meet his handsome face. His fingers dug into my flesh and his eyes suddenly held a depth of fear.
“Let me go,” I said, yanking my arm back.
His grip didn’t move an inch. “Where are you going?”
“What does it matter to you?”
He pursed his lips, let go, and stepped back. “Anna and I have been separated for eight years. The marriage, if you could call it that, barely lasted a year.”
My throat suddenly felt very dry. I didn’t know what to say.
“We haven’t divorced because of...technicalities with my family.”
I glanced down at the ground, focusing on a black beetle scurrying through the dirt. I didn’t know how much to pry at this point or even if I wanted to for that matter. He should have told me about this from the start.
“That’s all you had to say from the beginning, Brady. Wouldn’t have been too difficult, would it?”
“It’s not something I like to talk about.”
“And you think my situation was something I wanted to share?”
“I didn’t make you.”
I rolled my eyes and let out a deep breath. This was going to go nowhere with that irritating attitude of his. “I can’t do this. I hope life treats you well, Brady.”
For the second time, I turned my back on him and continued the aching walk back to the house. My heart pounded against my ribs. Tears were trying to jump free as I struggled to hold everything in.
A couple of minutes passed by before I heard tyres crunching along the dirt behind me.
“Get in the truck, Sophie.”
“No.”
“You can’t walk all the way back to the house. You’re just going to hurt yourself even more.”
I stopped and turned to face him. My lips curled back at the venom pulsing through me. “Don’t tell me what I can and can’t do.”
