“Fuck.” She drinks the rest of her drink all in one go. “But tell me… did you like it?”
I give her a strange look, she shrugs.
“You had to have known he was into some fucked-up shit. You fucked him several times before your marriage.”
“That was different,” I say. And it was.
“How? You say all these things he did, you hated, right?” I nod my head. “But you also enjoyed them as well, right?”
I sigh. It’s the only reaction I have left.
“You did, and that’s okay. Not every woman likes the same type of vanilla sex, Ev. Some people like hard kink, some like soft, and some like none.”
“I didn’t want to like it. What are you not understanding?”
Someone bangs on her door.
“Fuck off, Penny.” I spin around to May.
“Your friend better not be moving in there with you, May,” Penny yells.
“Fuck off, Penny,” I yell again as May covers her giggle.
We hear her steps disappearing down the hall just as my cell starts ringing again.
May reaches for it and, without looking, answers. Her face changes the minute she does, and she doesn’t say a word when she hands it to me, but she does stand and leave the room. I look at it and see Alec’s name on the screen and instantly I feel guilty, even if I’ve done nothing wrong.
“Hi,” I say after placing the phone to my ear.
“You aren’t coming?” he asks.
Shit! Dammit! I forgot to tell him.
“Sorry, I forgot to call you. I’m staying at May’s.” He goes silent and I wait for him to speak, and when he doesn’t, I do, “I’m sorry, Alec. I spoke to my parents today. Told them I don’t want any of the business and to give it all to you.”
“I only wanted the damn business to be with you,” he says, finally speaking. I feel the heartache in his words and want to reach out to hug him. “You’re sure, Everly?”
“I am.” We both fall silent again. “I hope you meet her, just so you know. The one who you will love with all your beautiful heart. That woman… she isn’t me, so I hope you find her.”
“I did…” There’s a little pause and then he hangs up on me.
I sit there waiting for May to come back, but it takes her some time before she finally does, and when she does, she doesn’t look at me.
“I’m sorry. I feel like I’m saying that a lot lately.” I smile.
“It’s not you, Ev, it’s just… well, you know how I had hoped something would happen between Alec and me. All of that has just crashed, so I don’t know how to process it just yet.”
“You can do so much better,” I say, gripping her hand and pulling her down to me into a hug. “You need someone who will love you equally as much as you love him.”
“So do you, but I have a feeling you already know that.”
I do, but that doesn’t make the fact any easier to bear.
6
Everly
Gunner doesn’t contact me, and it goes on like this for days. Not once has he attempted to come and collect me, threaten me, or do anything at all. I thought he would have, considering how he chased after me when I left with Alec the first time. Maybe he’s finally listening to me, or at least trying to.
A week passes and still nothing. I have to head over to his place to gather more of my things, and I’ve been putting it off as long as possible. It’s the last place I want to be. I don’t want to see him, but a small part of me is somewhat excited to see him as well.
Knocking on his door I don’t get an answer right away, and just as I’m about to turn around to leave, the door opens and what’s standing in the doorway isn’t my husband. No. It definitely isn’t, that’s for sure. Unless he grew boobs and has a pussy I wasn’t aware of.
“Can I help you?” she asks while looking me up and down.
“Can you help m-me?” I stutter, shocked.
“That’s what I said. You dumb or something?”
“Or something,” I repeat back to her.
Who speaks like that?
“Look, bitch… you’ve knocked on the wrong house, so it’s best you leave.”
I push past her and go straight inside. I don’t bother going upstairs to where the living and kitchen areas are located, instead I head straight to the bedroom where the rest of my things are located.
“Hey, bitch, you can’t just walk in here. Do you know whose house this is?” she asks, but she’s screaming as she follows me through the house. I don’t answer, grabbing a suitcase and filling it full of my things.
“What are you doing…” She seems to go quiet as she watches me reach for shit and then throwing it in my bag. “He’s going to be so mad.” She starts shaking her head as I look back to her.