AllFreeNovel
Share Us
ONE
Kaye
My phone buzzeslike a relentless swarm of angry bees; each text more aggressive than the last. Every word more cruel. More threatening.
Kaye, don’t ignore me.
My ex-boyfriend, ex-lover, and ex-professor (don’t judge) demands I respond, but I remain silent. Less than five seconds later, that demand turns ugly.
Dammit, answer me!
My hands curl into tight fists as his words seep into my soul like poison.
This isn’t over untilIsay it’s over.
Anger boils inside me, and there’s something else lingering in the background. It’s something I’m not ready to acknowledge.
You’ll regret this. You’ll regret leaving me.
Barbi, my best friend, notices the tense look on my face and comes over to where I sit on the couch. Taking the phone from my trembling hands, she swipes the screen and looks at the messages. A gasp of shock follows as she reads Scott’s texts.
“You’ve got to block him.” Her tone’s firm. Her voice hard and unyielding. “He’s trying to manipulate you and it’s going too far. These are threats.”
I retrieve my phone as another text buzzes in.
Darling, we need to talk about this.
The phone rings and I press cancel, declining the call.
You’re acting like a child.
I clench my fingers around my phone and bite down, grinding my molars. I flop back on the couch and wonder.
Answer the damn phone.
Is he right?
Did I overreact?
Should we talk it out like Scott says?
Barbi gives me a stern look. “He’s a lying, cheating, bastard, and this is going too far.”
“He’s just upset.”
“Why do you keep defending him?”
“I don’t know.” I shrug, feeling defeated. “Maybe I should give him a chance to tell his side of the story?”
“What side would that be? That you caught him fucking Denise Hamilton in his office? It’s not like his clothes spontaneously fell off and his dick slipped in that tramp’s cunt. You saw what you saw. It happened. And he’s trying to deny it. Worse. He’s trying to blame you.”
“But…” I place my phone in my lap and wring my hands as uncertainty about the whole horrible thing twists in my gut.
“No buts about it. You called things off. End of story.”
My thoughts race in circles. I need to protect myself, but also keep my dreams alive. This is where the fear comes in.
“If I make him angry… If he gets Dean Alder to pull my spot, all my hard work goes up in smoke.”
