The name alone made me want to commit murder, the cauldron of hate immediately resurrecting from the dead. The woman played a huge role in our breakup, and here he was, spitting her name to my face like it was something fucking important.
“Why should I fucking care about that clingy cunt?” My cool demeanor had diminished. My entire system went on high alert, ready to shut down whoever crossed me.
“Because I told her years ago that I can only date her when you don’t belong to me anymore.”
They used to have sex. Everyone knew that, but he never officially stated that they were dating. So, two years on, the bitch still clung for the opportunity and now she got her lucky break. Yippee.
“So, you’re dating that psycho now?” I fumed before crossing my arms around my chest, burning from head to toe. “You just had some chick on her knees, working on your dick, and now you’re telling me that you’re dating the bushwhack cunt?”
“Not yet … Maybe soon.”
His detached manner grated on me to no end.
“You just had to run back to the woman you replaced me with in the first place. Great—just fucking great.” My eyes dropped to the vase that was within my arm’s reach, contemplating if I should chuck it at him for playing me like a fiddle. This whole time that woman was still an integral part of his life. Why hadn’t he said a thing before? Why now? Why disclose this when I was moving on? Was he doing it out of spite?
Looking at his cool as a cucumber attitude, I somehow doubted he had any motives for such vile proclamations.
River ran a hand over his hair, seeming a little confused before breaking eye contact with me. “It doesn’t matter now. I hope once things settle, we can still continue building on our friendship, Cara. I meant it when I said I didn’t want to lose you.”
He didn’t want to lose me? He intended for us to continue building on our tattered friendship while he dated Hailey? What world was he living on, because it sure as hell wasn’t mine! Did he not fathom the depths of my hatred for that woman who he intended to give his affections to? Apparently not.
“I—” I what? “I need to think.” Without throwing him another glance, I stomped out of his room, scuttling away like he was the devil himself.
“Cara!” he thundered, but didn’t follow.
“Fuck off!” I furiously screeched before locking my bedroom door in case he decided to “discuss” his pure precious Hailey to me. Gag.
For so long, I had convinced myself that I was no longer that vile, jealous lunatic who would go ape-shit on him. But River proved me wrong. The vicious emotion was slowly taking over me, goading me to do something catastrophic. In my worst of times, I threw shoes at him, but the damn man had too good of reflexes, catching them all. This green-eyed monster was the dark side of my love for him, the uncontrollable jealousy raging in my mind, and it was creeping into my system once again.
Pained as I was, I wouldn’t let myself shed a tear. Was this River’s kind of punishment? It was the cruelest.
But what if it’s the only way he can get over you?my mind intervened, stopping my breathing altogether.
“Cara …” River said from right outside my door. “Can I come in?”
What else was there to say? If this was his way of trying to salvage our friendship, well, now wasn’t the time.
“There’s nothing left to say, River. Let’s just leave it as is, okay? Thank you.”
“Please,” he gravely implored.
One word, yet it shattered my heart to pieces. I meant it. There was nothing to discuss. I just needed to sort out my emotions. Maybe in a few hours I would be in an agreeable state and not bordering on hysteria.
I kept my mouth shut and didn’t respond. I wasn’t sure how long he waited, but he somehow understood that I wasn’t to be trifled with.
We both knew he ignited the worst in me.