Page 75 of The Chemistry of Us

“Do you feel any remorse? Because you don’t get to pretend to.”

“I love him,” she simply stated.

My eyes instantly widened. “So… that makes it okay?” The fact that his dick can’t stay in his pants. How can you let him do this to you?”

Her eyes widened.

I never spoke to her this way, but this was my last straw. I couldn’t deal with these people anymore. They were insane.

“Do you have any idea what you’ve done to me? Do you even care?”

I sucked in air and disgustingly shook my head. “You have no idea what you’ve done to my life! It was so much easier foryou to ignore me and keep pretending that your marriage means something to all these high society people when we both know it’s a joke.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. Our marriage isn’t a scam,” she justified, but it meant nothing.

Nothing that came out of her mouth really did, did it?

I took a much-needed breath. “This is seriously messed up, and you’ve been pretending to live in this perfect fake little fairy tale you’ve created for everyone to see when it’s just a smokescreen.” I wrapped my arms around my body, suddenly feeling more cold and alone than I’d felt in my entire life, and that was saying something. Vaughan. I needed Vaughan. He’d become my shelter, my comfort, my home. This, with Sandra and her lies? Was not my home. It would never be.

“That’s enough,” he roared from behind me.

I closed my eyes, hearing his voice.

I waited for the storm to wash over me.

I was sitting in the eye of it, awaiting the mass destruction that would wreak havoc on my being. It would take me right along with it, and I would let it.

I turned around and looked deep into his broken eyes that mirrored mine.

Vaughan.

He didn’t know.

I couldn’t tell him.

He wiped away my tears, and only then did I realize I was crying.

“I’m so sorry, Van.” That was all I could express.

I felt like I was standing in quicksand, and it was taking me under, along with anyone with me.

Lovewas blind.

Lovewas selfish.

Lovemade us stupid.

L-O-V-E, a four-letter word that meant something different to everyone.

All sides oflove.

The different shades and colors.

“You knew all along?” he asked.

I could only nod. “I walked in on them last week.”

“So you knew all the shit, them, my dad, and never said anything?”

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