But then Vivian bursts in, rushing to me in her winter jacket, and crushing me in a bearhug. “Are you okay? Don’t answer that, it’s a stupid question.” She squeezes me too tightly and I cry out, the pain igniting in my side. Charlie takes a step toward me as Vivian lets me go. She looks to see where I’m hurting and I feel the inhalation of breath as she takes in my state.
“I’ll survive. I’m pissed as hell. Why didn’t you ever text me back?” I can’t keep the wounded tone from my voice. I rub my side.
Jack seems to relax now that the focus is off him, but I haven’t let it go. I don’t say that I’m okay, because I’m not.
“What texts? You totally disappeared off the face of the planet. I only found out you were gone because Charlie asked if I had heard from you.” Vivian sounds so confused and hurt.
One look at Jack and I see he looks defiant. “Why do you hate me so much?” I ask him, trying to keep my composure.
Charlie and Vivian look at Jack.
“What is she talking about?” Charlie pushes.
“Oh, hell.” Jack runs his hand through his dark locks before putting his hands in his pockets. “I was talking to your dad, and he told me about the offer he made to Elia.”
Charlie looks at me and asks, “What offer?” His composure is slipping. That muscle in his cheek tightens as he clenches his teeth.
I shake my head. “Later.”
I gesture at Jack to continue. He turns away from us so he doesn't have to face us when he admits to his crimes.
“Your dad had a private investigator dig into Elia’s background, so I asked for the PI’s info. I had him dig a little deeper and he found Bryan.”
I close my eyes and clench my jaw, listening. I open my eyes to find Jack looking directly at me. He is not explaining his actions to his best friend or his fiancée. He is trying to justify what he has done to me.
“So, I went to meet the guy. When I asked him about you, he told me that you were engaged and he hadn’t heard from you in months. So, I offered to help you two reconnect.”
“Reconnect.” I venomously spit my words out. “How does this look for reconnecting?” I ask, tilting my head up so he can see the bruises on my neck. “Or this?” I lift my shirt to show him the bruises on my side. “Did wereconnectto your satisfaction, Jack?” I can’t take my anger out on Bryan, but I can take it out on Jack. I can make sure Jack sees the extent of what he’s caused. All while I’m making Jack see the impact of his meddling, Charlie is watching too, devastation tearing him apart. I understand the look on his face because I’ve seen it on my own. It's a look that has you pulled in two directions, earth-shattering anger or crumbling self destruction.
I can barely contain my fury but Charlie doesn’t even try to contain his. I don’t even see him move. Suddenly, he’s on the other side of the island and his fist is connecting with Jack’s jaw. The force of it, and the surprise, sends Jack stumbling into Vivian. She catches him, but it’s only out of reflex, stopping his motion so she doesn’t fall backward herself. She pushes him away.
“I can’t believe you,” Vivian says as Charlie shakes out his hand, clenching and unclenching it.
Charlie doesn’t even look sorry he’s thrown the punch; he just looks sorry that Jack is still standing after it. I’ve never had to see this side of Charlie. As he rolls his shoulders back, his eyes flick to me, apology written in them as he catches the marks on my face. His mouth opens in surprise. I want to rush to him and tell him I’m not afraid of him; I never will be. Instead, I move closer to him, wanting to bridge the gap between us, but Jack distracts me with his pathetic excuses.
“How was I supposed to know?!” he shouts, holding his jaw. The bruise blossoming on his cheek isn’t satisfying enough to me.
“You were supposed to leave well enough alone, Jack. I was free of him, of his manipulations, of his hands on my body, and you drove me back to him. I had no idea what I was going back to. With no memory of our time together and with no defenses. I was so low after Charlie’s dad tried to buy me off, Ainsley showing up constantly, and then Charlie’s dad’s ultimatum to him. I was made to feel worthless and inferior to Charlie and his world. Then you pushed me back into Bryan’s trap.” I can’t even give those feelings words, but a sudden thought stops me from trying. “Did you delete my texts to Vivian?”
“I didn’t. I blocked your number on her phone.” Jack sounds genuinely apologetic.
“You should’t have fucking meddled. It wasn't good enough that you drove me away? You justhadto rub my face in it when Charlie started to see Ainsley again, too? It wasn’t good enough until you kicked me while I was down. You’re no better than Bryan! At least it became obvious he was a snake. You’re just some wolf in sheep's clothing, pretending you don’t know exactly the harm you’re doing.” I shove Jack as hard as I can and he stumbles again, but Vivian doesn’t catch him this time.
“Fuck you, Jack,” I snarl, walking away from him and deeper into the kitchen, where Bonsai and Mochi are circling their food bowls.
I grab a bag of peas from the freezer and gently place them over Charlie’s knuckles. For a moment, Jack looks surprised, as if he’d expected them to be for him. There’s a light knock on the door and Charlie looks at the clock and curses as it opens.
“I brought bagels,” Ainsley singsongs as she walks in. She looks too tidy for this scene: her hair is bundled into a neat bun on top of her head, and her winter coat matches her pristine snow boots and her tight yoga pants. She looks around the room, clearly surprised by the congregation. “But clearly not enough,” she says, setting them down. I turn away from her, trying to take a calming breath and brush away the angry tears that have started to fall. I hold my breath for a second to center myself, then release it on a count of three. I pick up the cats’ bowls and go to fill them.
“Am I interrupting something?” Ainsley asks, cutting into the tension with her words.
“Yes,” Charlie bites out, barely able to look at Jack.
“No,” I snap.
“Abso-fucking-lutely,” Vivian says.
All of us speak at once. I fall quiet and try to focus on feeding the kittens; who, to be fair, are screaming in outrage at the delay in their meal.