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“No.”
His chest heaved as his hands fisted at his sides. “How many times?”
“Um . . . like, two or three maybe.”
“You don’t even know?” he snapped.
Why did this feel like they were talking about two different things? She reached for the phone. “It’s all still there. I even asked who it was. Look for yourself. Scroll up.”
He lifted the cell and clicked the button, scrolling. His hand clamped so tightly around the device she was surprised it didn’t crack.
Finn let out a shaky breath. His shoulders drooped. He wiped a hand over his face.
She reached her hand out to his shoulder. “Baby—”
He threw her phone across the room, shattering it to pieces. She jumped. Her hand went to her mouth, eyes wide. “What the hell?”
Pure rage glimmered in his eyes marred by confusion. Regret flashed as he flicked his gaze to her. He reached out, and she stepped back, her hands drawing out in front of her instinctively. She’d never seen this side of Finn before in all the years they’d been married.
His hand paused before he pulled it back. “I’m sorry.”
“You just destroyed my phone. That is not okay.” Her body trembled with her own anger.
“I thought . . . fuck!” he yelled, pacing back and forth.
“What’s going on, Finn? Talk to me.”
He shook his head and turned around.
Charli reached for his arm, tugging him towards her. “Please, talk to me, Finn. Tell me why you’re so upset.”
He shook his head, not meeting her eyes, and pulled away before disappearing out the front door. The rumble of his motorcycle faded into the distance a minute later.
She turned towards the remnants of her phone, tucking her trembling hands into her pockets. Tears bled to the surface. She couldn’t help Finn if he didn’t let her in. And now she questioned whether it was safe for her to even be with him. He hadn’t laid a hand on her, but if her past taught her anything, abuse came in many forms. Her heart lurched. Her Finn would never hurt her. But the last few weeks reminded her too much of her life growing up—walking on eggshells, never knowing when her mother would explode. No. She wouldn’t put up with this from Finn. This wasn’t healthy.
* * *
Charli raked the leaves into a pile. She’d had enough sitting for the day. Anxiety spun her up, doubt curling her stomach into nervous knots. Her heart was in confused torment, her love at war with her mind, tangled in a past she remembered and he didn’t. It was as if she were drifting at sea, unsure which way the current was taking her, lost in the darkness of chaos.
A flutter vibrated in her belly and then another. Charli pressed her hand to her abdomen. “Hey, little man.” She sighed. He could probably sense all her unease. Guilt crashed over her. She was already screwing this motherhood thing up. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I’m just worried about your daddy . . . But I’ll find a way to get through to him.”
This would only work if Finn wanted it to as well. She couldn’t fight for a marriage if her husband was running the other way. She inhaled a determined breath and resumed her raking.
“Twinkle, twinkle, little star,” she began singing softly. The fine hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. Prickles skated across her skin. The weight of being watched tore into her. She searched around the yard. A dog barked in the distance. Leaves rustled in the breeze. A chill crawled through her. Heart racing, she dropped the rake and went in the back door, locking it behind her with a trembling hand.
She turned and gasped at the man standing in her kitchen. Terror and memories from the past splintered and cracked the fragile ground she’d carefully constructed since she’d last laid eyes on his face.
He stepped closer. “I told you I’d be coming back for you.”
29
Finn
Finn pulled out the box with a new phone for Charli and gripped the flowers in his other hand. He’d really made a mess of things. Again. The moment he’d seen that text, he’d lost it. Laura had said she cheated on him. His journal mentioned another man named Damon. But Charli had never given him a reason to doubt her. That anger though, it was like someone flicked a switch and all he saw was red. He hadn’t even been in control of his body anymore; the rage had taken over. Finn had to apologize and lay everything on the table.
He opened the door and stopped short. A tall man with a grey sweatshirt stood with his back to Finn.
“Damon?” Charli asked, her voice filled with disbelief. “You . . . you’re here?”
