Page 132 of Love to Hate You

Noah doesn’t sugarcoat his explanation.

“She deserves better than me.” My voice rises as panic sets in and I throw my arms wide. “You saw what almost happened. If Daisy hadn’t stopped me…” My words trail off as I choke on the fear rising in my throat. “Who knows what I would have done? What I’m capable of.”

Noah’s lip curls and he snorts, “After what that guy did to Daisy, he deserved whatever punishment you would have meted out. He was drunk and acting like an asshole!” His expression sobers. “I’ve heard that he’s pulled this crap before.” Noah folds his arms across his chest. “My guess is that he won’t be so quick to manhandle a woman next time. I have no problem with how you handled the situation.” He glares and reiterates, “Not one damn bit.”

A heavy bleakness churns in me, threatening to swallow me whole. “You don’t have the propensity for violence that I do.”

He stabs a finger in my direction. “That’s bullshit, and you know it!”

I hang my head between my shoulders and stare at the rubber mat beneath my feet. “Is it?”

“You’re looking for any excuse to cut and run. And this is the one you’ve latched onto. You better open your fucking eyes, Carter, and see what you’re about to lose before it’s too late.”

There’s a hopeful part in me that wants to believe what he’s saying.

But I’ve walked around with this narrative in my head for too many years to abandon it so easily. “I would have fucked up my relationship with Daisy either way. It’s better for the both of us that it ended now rather than later.”

Disgust fills his face as he shakes his head. “You know what? You might be right after all, maybe you don’t deserve Daisy.”

With that, Noah walks out of the gym leaving me alone to stew in my thoughts.

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