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Wait…
What.
“For a while now.” He kept talking.
I stared at him, frozen. This was not what I was expecting at all. He was…cheating?
“I was going to come over, but then she called.”
I bit the inside of my lip.
“And I wanted to see her more than I wanted to see you, so…”
“Are you telling me you went to seeher,instead of coming here like we planned? You’ve been cheating, fora while?” I stammered, surprised I was getting any words out at all.
Kent looked me in the eye and nodded. “Yeah.”
“What’s awhile?” I asked, my eyes fixated on his. I tried to tell myself to blink, but for some reason, my brain wasn’t communicating with my eyelids.
He hunched even more than he already was, his back forming a bend. “Almost a year.”
I stood, knocking over the glass of wine onto the hardwood floor, and turned my back to him.
A year.
Ayearhe had been cheating. I felt all the emotions rise. Anger, sadness, jealousy, fear. Every single emotion crept up.
“Maddy,” he said softly. I heard him stand and take a few steps toward me.
I spun and pointed a finger at him. “Don't call me that. You’ve been cheating. For a year?”
“What did you expect, Madeline?” Kent spat out my full name, opening his arms wide and dropped them, slapping his legs, his stance defensive. “You spend all of your time here with your nose in a book, walking your dog, or with Milo. I wasn't even on your to-do list.”
I shot another finger at him. “You know that's not true, so don’t bring Milo into this. I’m doing those things because you are always traveling.”
“For work,” he shouted, his voice thundering over mine.
“I always made myself available for you, Kent,” I fought. “I would take days off when you came back from a trip and attended stupid parties with you. I would cancel plans with friends just to spend time together. You know, what partners are supposed to do.”
Kents eyes narrowed. “And at those parties you would be texting people, or reading on your kindle app, or scrolling through your phone. Anything and everything to stay away from the conversation that I was holding.”
I scoffed, turning my back to shift my focus, only to face him again. “That's not true either. I was present.”
“Not really.” Kent’s comment hit me like a knife being jabbed into my stomach. “I was never a top priority for you, Madeline.”
I shook my head at him. “So it’s all my fault. Your cheating ismyfault.”
I closed my eyes and thought back on the past two years—our entire relationship. He would travel, and I would wait. I would plan my life around him. It never seemed to bother anyone else—not even Milo. I could hear Kent breathing, waiting for me to say something—anything—so he could leave. A part of me still didn't want him to leave. A part of me wanted to work through this battle and try to end the night the way we should have.
Tears. I could feel them. Tears welling up and falling on my cheeks. I loved this man. Worshiped him. I wanted to marry him…but I obviously wasn’t that for him. I raked my teeth on my bottom lip and shook my head, glancing at Niko on his bed, perched and ready to defend me.
“It’s my fault,” I continued, my voice shaking, “that I have a job that's very demanding—”
“You clean teeth for a living,” he interrupted. “That isnotdemanding.” He placed his hands on his hips and began to spin his body around the room, something that he normally did when he was angry—which fit the situation.
I shot a glare at him.
“So it’s my fault,” I shouted back, the anger overtaking any tears that may have been forming. “That you decided that it was okay to see someone else while we were in a relationship and not dump me when you first met her? It’s my fault that I waited for you and wanted to be with you, even though I had no idea you didn't want me? It’s my fault that Milo is a man who happens to be my best friend, and it’s my fault that you…” My voice raised so much that Niko stood, giving Kent a soft growl. “Cheated…on….me?Yeah, it all makes perfect sense. To think I was hoping you would propose.” I rolled my eyes and took a deep breath.
