Page 140 of Cheater

“Hold up,” I hear from behind us.

I turn.

It’s Jonah.

Thank God. Someone.

“A minute, Derek?”

Derek opens my door and ushers me inside before stepping to the side with his brother.

They walk about ten or fifteen paces, so I can’t hear them. Derek puts his hand on Jonah’s shoulder and speaks close to him.

Elijah joins their huddle and hope flares.

Maybe these two are going to talk sense into him.

Or subdue him until the men with the white coats arrive?

Derek’s father joins the huddle, as does Ash.

I swallow and watch as they all speak to one another.

Derek’s father claps Derek on the shoulder and says something and I watch Derek’s expression drop.

Hope sparks in my belly.

But then Derek is coming toward me again. He gets into the driver’s side and starts his SUV.

Confused, I look toward his dad and brothers, but they’re all walking back to the house together.

I reach for the door handle, ready to jump out, but the locks engage, and Derek angrily squeals away from the curb.

He’s pissed off.

And I don’t know what this means for me.

After I’m off the property, I reach for Chloe’s hand.

“I regret taking you there. I’m sorry if all of that upset you.” I lift her hand and bring it to my lips, kissing her knuckles twice, then holding her hand against my cheek.

She rubs her lips together, then her chest falls with a big exhale. She uses her free hand to dash tears away from her cheeks.

“I don’t apologize, Chloe. I don’t feel remorse, typically. But I do right now. I’m sorry that stressed you out. That you felt treated as insignificant.”

“That stressed me out?” she asks.

“You looked at most of the members of my family like they were circus sideshow exhibits. You didn’t eat. You got upset and none of them comforted you.”

She scoffs, looking astounded. “You stress me out. Your family just shocked me because they’re not going to do anything about what you’re doing to me. I can’t wrap my mind around that. And I’ve wanted to run for the exit since I found out you knew about the hall pass.”

She’s holding that against me. That still stands out for her. She takes deceit very personally.

“Clearly your relationship with them is weird. But I’d think they’d care enough to do something.”

“My relationship with my family might not be typical, but today was the most normal family meal I’ve been to in years with them.”

“Huh?”

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