Page 6 of Fractured Frets

I slumped deeper into the soft sofa. “Yes. But Vegas was just supposed to be a quick catchup—not turn into forever.”

He’d been exhausted and stressed after the twelve-week US and Canadian leg of his band’s tour, and now he was heading overseas for six months. I’d had a week off after a busy awards season before entering another long season of filming. Time together, locked away in the gorgeous One 80 penthouse, miles from The Strip, had been just what we needed. I could still smell his cedarwood cologne lingering on me. Highly possible. I hadn’t showered since I’d left Vegas that morning.

“Sutt, he smelled so good, kept whispering sweet things in my ear, telling me I was beautiful, kissing me, and making me melt. He promised to love me forever. Assured me everything would work out. When he proposed outside a jewelry store, I couldn’t say no. We bought rings, went to a chapel, and said ‘I do.’”

“So you do remember everything?”

“Yeah... And oh my God, Sutt...then we went back to the hotel.” I tilted my head back, unable to stop the replay of what we did in our suite from burning my brain or flushing my face. I placed my hand over my fiery cheek to cool down, but that didn’t work. “The sex...He’s so fucking good at fucking. My vagina is still throbbing and recovering.”

She laughed and nodded. “I hear you. I needed an ice pack after saying farewell to Flint several times this morning.”

I smiled for the first time since last night. She always made me feel better. “But Sutt, last night I screwed up. I lost sight of reality. I won’t mess up his life because of mine. I won’t do that. I can’t stay married to him.”

“But you love each other. He worships the ground you walk on. You light up whenever he’s around. He’s the first guy you’ve been with in years that has made you happy.” Love and concern darkened her gaze. “So do me a favor. Just stop. Breathe. And take a moment before you do something you might regret. Do you really want to end things?”

My heart struggled to beat. It had been too battered and bruised to ever work properly again. “I have to be sensible and logical.”

“No, you don’t. Not when it comes to love. All the things you’ve said about your work and your mom are issues you have to address, but they’re not the reason why you ran. So try again.”

God, I loved Sutton. We gave each other tough love, pushed each other to be true. But my truth hurt too much.

A tear slipped down my cheek. My chin trembled. “I’m so fucking scared, Sutt. Scared he’ll break my heart like Noah did. Leave. Fall for someone else.”

“Oh, babe.” She pouted and shook her head. “That was so long ago.”

Five years, three months, and four days to be exact. But who was counting? “I only ever wanted to be causal with Slip. I had this fucked up mentality and reasoning that I could never get angry or jealous if he hooked up with someone else if we weren’t exclusive. But once we were and we went public, everything changed. Now we’re married, I’ll stress about him not being faithful. He’s on tour with temptation all around him. His ex, Harper, is basically living under the same roof as him. I can’t deal with that.”

Being dumped at the altar had done irrefutable damage to my soul. Men lied. They said they loved you and then left. They made you feel like you were the only one and made promises they never kept.

I’d found a new show, moved countries and drowned myself in work to bury the humiliation and heartache Noah had caused. I’d focused on me, my career, and avoided relationships at all costs. But then I’d met Slip. The more time we spent together, the more I liked him and the more my old insecurity raised its ugly head. My anxiety returned. I never wanted to be hurt again.

“I’ve met Harper.” Sutton shrugged. “She seems nice. But you didn’t see Slip this morning when they crossed paths. He isn’t into her. And if she still has a flame for him, she’s wasting her time. Slip loves you. He married you. He’s a great guy, and you have to trust him. He’s never given you a reason not to. So like you said to me when I was a mess over Flint, don’t walk away when you haven’t had the whole drink. You’ve only had a sip. You need to give yourselves the chance to see if this relationship is something amazing or not.”

We hadn’t—that was true. But this wasn’t just about trust, or my overloaded life, or his demanding music. Something about Slip had been off lately, and I couldn’t put my finger on it. He’d fall into phases, lost in his thoughts, and stare off into space. He’d brushed me aside when I’d asked him what was wrong. The niggle in the pit of my stomach was in overdrive, and it wouldn’t switch off.

“If you honestly, deep down in the depths of your heart, can’t do this, end it.” Sutton’s tone sharpened, slicing my chest and stabbing my ribs. “Don’t hurt each other more than you have.”

“Are you on his side?”

“No. Always yours.”

“Sutt . . . I never wanted to hurt him.”

“I know. But if you file for an annulment, it’s not just the marriage that will be over.” That was the low blow to my guts I’d wanted to avoid. “He won’t want to see you anymore. You can’t ever go back to just being a casual hookup.”

A lone tear fell onto my cheek. I flicked it off with my fingertips. The risk of having my heart broken drummed inside my head. The humiliation of having friends and family pitying me, laughing at me, ridiculing me for rushing into marrying Slip burned beneath my skin. Past betrayal by those I’d loved had crushed my soul. I couldn’t go through those things again.

But ending things with Slip would leave a huge hole in my heart. I wouldn’t be able to see Sutton as much as I’d like to when I was home in LA or at functions. She was tied to Flint. Slip was tied to Flint. Being around him would be awkward and uncomfortable.

Slip deserved to be with someone who could be with him all the time, who didn’t live so far away and didn’t have to care for a sick parent. He needed someone who loved him unconditionally and could give him their all.

That someone wasn’t me.

There was a loud knock on my door. I sniffled and wiped my damp eyes. “Sutt, someone’s here. It’s probably my neighbor who’s lost his cat again. I better go.”

“Okay . . . but what if it’s somebody else?”

“I highly doubt it,” I sighed, ignoring her curiosity. I lived in a secure building; no randoms could get in.

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