AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I was so wrong, and even worse, I brought her into my boys’ lives. They’re going to be devastated. It’s one more person they’ll lose. The way they run to her and their little faces light up means it may hurt them even more than Emily’s departure did. It cuts me straight into my soul.
My hands tremble as I pocket my phone. I go in search of my dad, but even with my anger making my footfall heavy, Dad doesn’t notice me walk up.
I grind my teeth in irritation at the sight of him stashing recently delivered boxes full of stock that needs to be out on the floor into different boxes labeledRECORDS 1987-1989.
It seems there isn’t a single person in my life other than my children who isn’t willing to manipulate me.
“I’m taking the rest of the day off,” I growl instead of jumping in his shit. I can only handle one implosion at a time.
He startles, spinning around to face me. At least he has the humility to look guilty. I have no doubt Madison will double down and make excuses when I confront her.
He opens his mouth, but before he can speak, I spin around and leave.
My first instinct is to head to the house and just have it out with her. She’s with the boys, and as much as I’d like to hate her for involving them in her scheme, they love her to pieces. As much as she’s out to get me for whatever reason, I know she cares for them. It makes this entire situation even more fucked up.
Why am I so easy to betray? What is it about me that people are so quick to give up on me?
I take a deep breath as I climb into my truck. I’m not willing to risk my own safety and indirectly the safety of my boys, but I know I can’t drive right now.
I press my forehead to the steering wheel, counting my breaths for a long moment before I feel calm enough to reverse out of the parking spot. My dad is standing in front of the large, pane-glass window watching me with a frown on his face. There’s disappointment in his eyes. It’s the same look he gave me after my mother died and I told him I wasn’t moving back to Lindell. Maybe if I had made that move a year and a half ago, my life wouldn’t have ended up the mess that it was. I argued that I had a contract in place, but from how my career ended, I’m thinking they wouldn’t have argued with me about wanting to dip out early.
My second choice is the bar, but it’s not even open yet. Maybe that’s a good thing. Drinking at ten in the morning because you’re upset is probably not a good idea. I don’t know if I’d have the power to stop once I got started, and wouldn’t that be a great story for the vlogger who is no doubt slinking around town, trying to catch something juicy from the fallout of her article.
As I pull up near the post office—the town square really is the only place available to sit and think—it hits me that maybe this is all Emily’s doing. It’s very possible that my ex hired this woman to wreck my life, to give her more ammunition to get me to change the divorce settlement offer. Maybe her lack of contact these last couple of weeks is just her way of getting me to let my guard down.
None of it explains Madison’s willingness to turn against me. Maybe she thinks sharing all of this would be no big deal. She didn’t say a word about the article this morning, but maybe the clues are in the way she left me last night. She wanted what we were doing to end.
What happened last night should’ve felt different if it were breakup sex, right?
I’m getting nowhere right now, but I also can’t bring myself to drive home and ask all the questions that need to be asked.
Honestly, I just don’t want to know. I don’t want to see a replica of the same smirk I’d see when Emily would pull shit like this. My ex didn’t even bat an eye when I confronted her about letting the damn photographer take topless pictures of her while she was sunbathing in the backyard. She chuckled and shrugged the day those images hit the internet. She was always happy in the aftermath because her name trending online brought offers for modeling jobs.
As if to kick me while I’m down, my eyes land on the huge memorial stone in the middle of the field in front of where I’m parked. Leave it to Southerners to memorialize a tragedy. Despite donating the majority of the money to have the damn thing built and placed, I hate the sight of it right now.
I hate that my mother’s name is carved into the damn thing.
I hate this small town.
I hate Madison Kelly.
Chapter 30
Madison
Deep down, I know ending things with Chase sexually was the right thing to do. My heart can only take so many hits. As much as it hurts right now, getting in deeper would only make things worse.
With Sam, I never wanted to crawl into a hole and wait until those shattered little pieces of my heart started to come back together. I couldn’t do that now even if I wanted to because I’m responsible for the boys. Despite what may happen between Chase and me, walking away from them will hurt.
I grin at Cole as he tries to sneak up on his brother, but Cale is prepping his own water gun. They both squeal and forget to shoot when Cale spins around. Their laughter fills the indoor pool area, and the joyous sound of it makes me wish life was that simple for me. If only my days could be filled with playing. If only there were no questions bouncing around in my head, making me second-guess myself.
“You have to catch me first!” Cole screams before jumping into the pool.
Cale throws his gun to the decking and jumps in after his brother.
Today has been a scorcher. Even the air conditioning units in this room have grumbled with the effort to keep it cool.
“Play nice,” I remind them when Cale gets a little too rough with his brother.
