Page 85 of The Fate of Us

That’s when I notice the bra on the floor too. Way too small to be Anna’s. “Anna, I don’t know—”

“You don’t know what happened?” She spits in my face. “Let me guess. You got drunk last night with your ex-wife and then fucked her in our bed.”

She storms into the closet and walks out with a duffel bag. She starts shoving clothes from the dresser into it. “Dammit, Noah. I just needed space. I needed to think and you do this to us.”

I can hear her voice waver as she is on the verge of tears. But I also know I would never touch my ex-wife. And I sure as hell know I didn’t have sex with anyone last night. I was too drunk for my dick to do anything. I get up and walk over to her. “Anna…”

She puts her hand in my face. “Don’t, Noah. I can’t take this again.”

I grab her despite her protests and wrap her in my arms. Her tears fall and she struggles against my arms.

“I loved you, Noah. I loved you so much.”

I don’t miss the past tense of her words. The words breaking my heart into more pieces than it was already in. “I didn’t do anything.”

She pushes off me. “The evidence says otherwise.”

Claire walks through the door wearing one of my t-shirts. She has a plate of food in her hand and a glass of orange juice. “Hey babe. Thought you would want some breakfast after last night.”

Fucking psychotic bitch.

My eyes dart to Anna who is taking in the entire scene. Her lip quivers as she picks the duffel up off the ground.

“Oh hey, Anna,” Claire says with a hint of pride in her voice. “I didn’t realize you came to get your things.”

Tears stream down Anna’s face and I try to grab her but she backs up before I can touch her. She shakes her head at me and mouths a fuck you before she takes off down the stairs.

“Anna,” I shout as I take off after her, pushing Claire out of the way. I run out into the front yard, aware I only have on boxer briefs and watch as she struggles to throw the bag in her car. “Please, listen to me.”

She slams the back door and opens the driver’s side door. “Noah, there is nothing you can say to me anymore. I’ve heard enough. I’ve seen enough.” She points toward the house. “The minute you let her walk through that door when she showed up on your doorstep was the day we were done.”

She slides into her car and slams the door. I watch her drive away until her taillights turn the corner.

“Motherfucker,” I shout as I storm back into the house.

Claire is standing in the living room, that snake-like grin on her face.

“What the fuck was that!” I yell at her.

She shrugs. “Poor timing on her part.”

“What the hell did you do, Claire?”

She grins at me. “Whatever I needed to make you mine again.”

I walk up to her and get in her face. “When are you going to realize I will never be yours?”

Her hands go to my briefs. “That’s not what you said last night.”

I push her hands off me. “Nothing happened last night. You set this whole thing up.”

“Baby, I would never do that.”

I clench my fists. “Get out of my house.”

She looks up at me and smiles.

“I mean it, Claire. I need you gone. Out. Take all your shit and leave. And get that fucking underwear you planted out of my room.”

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