Page 52 of Corrupt Me

Oddly, I didn’t have any resentment toward her. Not like I should. It was all reserved for Preston. “No, stay. I’m the one who’s leaving. I have nothing left to—” I caught a glance at the other girl as she reached for her clothes, the sheet slipping and exposing the side of her stomach. From what I could tell, she looked fit, which didn’t explain why she had a bump protruding from her belly.

Holy. Fucking. Shit.

She’s pregnant.

A new layer of betrayal and anger ached in my chest.

I gasped.

My eyes whirled to Preston. “You knocked her up? Are you kidding me?” I didn’t know a lot about carrying a baby, but if I had to guess, she was in her second trimester, which meant she’d gotten pregnant when Preston and I were still together.

“Fuck.” The curse breezed through Preston’s lips, his frown deepening.

This time I turned to the girl for answers. “Is it his?”

She chewed on the corner of her lip before her chin lifted and she nodded, meeting my gaze head-on. This girl had fire under her quiet demeanor.

So did I. “Did you know about me before you slept with my boyfriend?” My fingernails bruised the inside of my hands.

She didn’t look away. “And if I did? Would it make a difference?”

My eyes stung. “No.” The choice Preston made to cheat on me regardless still existed.

Fingers weaved through mine, tugging me toward the door. My head buzzed, and it wasn’t until I stood in the hall that I glanced at our joined hands, my eyes lifting to Preston’s. I scowled, yanking my arm away from him and disentangling our fingers. “Don’t fucking touch me.”

“You’re acting like a child,” he huffed, raking a hand through his usually styled hair. Tonight, it was evidently messy.

“And you’re acting like an asshole. Did you honestly believe I would stay with you after I found out you got another girl pregnant?” I scoffed without an ounce of sympathy or concern for who might overhear. “What was your plan, Preston?”

He leaned against the wall, taking a moment before he responded. “I don’t know. I hadn’t figured it out yet. Everything got so messed up when you told me you wanted a break. I still don’t understand what happened. I thought we were happy. We were supposed to get married. And then you suddenly didn’t want me anymore.”

“That’s what you’re hung up on? What you’re worried about? You’re having a fucking baby. I’m the last person you should be thinking about. Besides, did you ever stop and think for one second that it had nothing to do with you? That it was about me and what I needed?”

His jaw flexed. “You used to talk to me. You used to tell me what was going on.”

My voice wobbled, on the verge of breaking. “And you used to be my friend. Someone I thought I could count on. I guess we were both wrong.”

He pushed off the wall, moving toward me. “This doesn’t have to change things between us. I’m not over you, Ev. I want you back. I love you.”

I retreated, holding a hand up to ward him off before he tried to reach for me. “Are you fucking kidding me right now? How can you sit here and tell me you’re not over me when you have a pregnant girl in your bed? Do you have any idea how screwed up that is?”

Like he didn’t know what to do with his hands now that he wasn’t stopping me from leaving, he let them fall to his sides. “It doesn’t change that I haven’t stopped loving you. Yes, I made mistakes, but this past year hasn’t just been hard on you. It was difficult for me too.”

“So, you’re saying it was my fault you cheated. Classic Preston,” I sneered, my lip curling in disgust. “Blaming everyone else.”

“You’re twisting everything I say,” he spat, frustrating edging into his features.

“Or you’re digging yourself deeper into a graveyoushoveled.”

Preston started to pace. “For fuck’s sake, Everly.”

Oh, I hated it when he called me by my given name. “You don’t get to be upset. I claim that right fully. I’m the victim.”

“You’re always the victim,” he muttered offhandedly, but it felt like a slap in the face.

I swore I could feel the invisible sting of his hand on my cheek. I recoiled and instantly regretted the small flicker of emotion, not wanting Preston to see he had any ability to hurt me. But he noticed. “Nice,” I retorted sharply. “I said everything I came to say.”

He darted in front of me, eyes growing wild. “Jesus, just wait, will you? I know I’m bumbling this entire situation. You took me by surprise.”

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