Page 24 of Pucking Revenge

Asshole.

The need to run overwhelms me. I need to get out of here. Brooks is going to hate me when he finds out what I’ve done. How could I be this person? How could I have slept with a married man?

Seb made me a home-wrecker. God, I hate him.

“Excuse me,” I murmur to Brooks, heart beating wildly against my ribs. “I’m just going to freshen up in the bathroom.”

He nods but turns back to his family quickly. Sienna has appeared, and she’s launched into a story about her time in Paris.

My ears are doing that buzzing noise that happens when a person’s heart is beating so loudly everything sounds like an echo. I practically trip as I stumble out of the room full of people who would hate me if they knew what I’ve done.

Once I’m safely locked in the bathroom, I dial Lennox. This can’t seriously be happening. As I wait for her to pick up the phone, I assess myself in the mirror. Is it possible that I look different now that I know? An hour ago, I looked like the fun-loving best friend, and now, the woman in the mirror looks like nothing more than a liar and a cheat.

He made me a mistress.

My burgundy dress feels cheap against my skin. My mascara is smudged. With a deep breath in, I swipe at the black below my eyes.

Do not let him see you cry.

“Hey, babe.” Lennox’s upbeat voice echoes off the tile walls in the bathroom, almost like it’s taunting me.

“Hey.” My voice is the exact opposite, full of nothing but brokenness and defeat.

“What’s wrong?”

“He’s married,” I sob. There’s no stopping the tears now. Damn him. “He’s fucking married.”

“Who’s married? Brooks?”

The sarcastic laugh that escapes me is harsh in the small space. “Good-Boy Brooks would never do something like this. Fuck, he’s going to hate me, Len. He’s going to fucking hate me.”

“Take a deep breath and start again,” she urges. “Who’s married?”

I snatch a paper towel from the dispenser and wet it as I take a deep breath. “Sebastian. He’s still married to Brooks’s aunt. She’s so damn adorable, and he seemed smitten with her. How could he be so sweet and swoony with me for all these months and have a wife he adores at home?”

My heart cracks open at the image that hits me then. Zoe at home while Seb was with me. The idea makes me sick. Hockey season is long. We travel constantly. But even during the offseason, the coaching staff is working, so Sebastian was around all summer. Where the hell was his wife?

“Holy shit,” Lennox mutters.

“Yeah. What the hell am I going to do?” The tears have stopped, but the pain in my chest hasn’t dulled. I’m not even upset about Sebastian. In my mind, we were over when he called me a slut and threatened my job this morning.

Growing up, I was nothing more than an afterthought. My mother tried so hard but my father got a new family and despite my mother’s attempts, he often forgot I existed. From the time I was old enough to understand, I promised myself that I’d never allow that to happen again. If I’m not considered a priority, then that person has no place on my roster. It’s that simple.

And no one tells me what to do.

It’s only been hours since our blowup outside Brooks’s apartment, but it’s not Seb that I’m upset over. It’s Brooks. It’s the Langfields. It’s my job.

“Oh my God. I’m going to lose my job.”

“You are not going to lose your job. If that asshole tries to get you fired, I’ll go to law school and sue his ass.”

Despite the utter devastation coursing through me, a laugh bubbles out of my chest. My best friend would so do that. “It would take too long,” I remind her. “I need this job, or I can’t stay in Boston, Len.”

Ethan’s face appears in my mind, and the devastation turns to anger.

“I’ve gotta go.” I’ve already been in the bathroom too long. It’s time to come up with an excuse and get out of here. I can’t possibly sit at a table across from Sebastian and his wife.

Just…no.

---