Page 86 of The Marine

It was like a damn romance setting.

She was happy.

He wasn’t me.

There was no baggage or association with her dead father. Her mother’s constant screaming accusations wouldn’t be a brick wall to their relationship.

As my heart shattered into tiny pieces, I stood in under the big oak trees and watched him take my girl.

Watched myself, like I was having an out-of-body experience, stand there and be the most unselfish version of myself I’ve ever been.

I gave her a chance.

Part of me thought we’d still end up together that day. It was just a matter of time. She’d call me or I’d call her.

But we never did.

I walked away, and every day I question whether it was the biggest mistake of my life. Or hers. When I saw the bruise on her neck last week and discovered she had married an abusive man, it confirmed to me it was.

Fuck.

The cycle fucking continued.

My lawyers’ words from that time come rushing to the front of my mind. “We know you’re innocent Aidan, but I’ve seen things turn on a dime. You don’t want her mother to find a loophole and a judge who might be looking for some limelight and to put you behind bars.”

I shiver.

Not going to lie, I was fucking worried. So, after deciding to give Briar a chance without the heaviness of me in her life, I stopped contacting her.

And I moved on with my life.

Unfortunately, that night continued to have ramifications for me.

Briar’s father had served in the military at one point and his death featured in the media. They’d run a story and my face. It wasn’t a huge story but those in the forces paid attention to their own.

I know this more than ever now.

Gareth Sutton wasn’t known for his domestic violence pattern because Briar’s mother had never let her report it. Nor had she done so herself. So he was known as a brave soldier...blah, fucking blah.

He wasn’t.

He was a weak man that hurt women.

When it was made known that no charges were to be filed, the media was silent.

Of course they fucking were. Assholes.

So fast forward a few months to my interview at the Marine Corps, and the recruitment person knew who I was.

Hardest hour of my life.

Equal only to watching the love fade from Briar’s eyes the morning I walked in and found her father dead on the floor.

It worked out okay. I am now a decorated Marine but Christ, it was scary. My dreams faded before my very eyes as the guy interrogated me, and I’d lost my girl.

Dark fucking days.

I run my hand over my face and glance in the rearview mirror. I barely slept last night despite hours of aerobic and erotic sex. My cock is throbbing from overuse, but it’s my brain that’s tired.

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