Page 111 of My Mistake To Make

He stares at me, dumbfounded for a minute, then turns and storms out, leaving the front door open. I hold it together until I hear the roar of his motorbike and the now familiar sound of him driving away, then my heart breaks, and I can’t breathe for the heart-wrenching sobs that pour out of me.

I didn’t shut thedoor. When I slid off the stool and crumpled to a heap on the kitchen floor, I couldn’t force myself back up again, so when Bree steps into my vision, she finds me exactly where I fell.

‘Oh, honey.’

I look up at her. My head hurts from the crying and the confusion.

‘Are you here to arrest me?’

Bree drops to sit on the floor in front of me.

‘Why in the world… no, Cara. I’m here to see why my brother just punched a hole in a wall, and I’m guessing your tears have something to do with it. Doug’s a dumbass. I, however, am not.’ She smiles softly, but I can’t bring myself to do the same. ‘Explain it to me, honey. What did he do?’

Two hours later, I step into my kitchen, my wet hair pulled back into a bun, an old baggy band t-shirt on with my comfort jeans, to find all traces of my fight with Doug erased. Bree cleared away the uneaten steak dinners and cooking pots and picked up all the contents of the now broken box from the floor. It looks like it never happened, but my tension headache tells me otherwise.

I told her everything. I cried until I made myself sick.

‘You okay, sweetie?’ she says softly, stepping into my space to hug me. ‘He’s an idiot, but he’ll come around.’

I push out of her embrace and shake my head.

‘I don’t want him to come around, Bree. He’s not who I thought he was.’ I see the conflict in her eyes as she nods, and I take a deep breath, then blow it out. ‘I didn’t do it, Bree. I didn’t do what he said.’ The lump rises again, and more tears threaten to fall.

‘I know, Cara. I know you didn’t.’ She holds out a hand for mine, and I take it. ‘Now come on, you need to eat a little something.’

Eating is the last thing I want to do, but I let her guide me to sit at the dining table and pick at the sandwich she placed in front of me. She doesn’t push me to talk. She just stays with me.

My phone vibrates on the table:Dad. I can’t face talking to him right now. He’ll be worried because I asked him to call ASAP, and now, I’m not answering, but I don’t have it in me.

‘I need to get back, Cara,’ Bree says softly after a while. ‘Are you going to be okay?’

I walk with her to the door and nod, yes, as is customary to do. Does anyone ever say no to that question? I see the concern in her eyes. She knows as well as I do that I am not going to be okay, but I’ll just have to get through it.

Watching Bree leave as I stand on the porch and inhale the warm night air, I cry, not the heartbroken sobs and gasps ofearlier, but a soft, sad cry of a woman exhausted and not understanding what went so wrong.

I wanted to tell him I was in love with him tonight. I wanted to thank him for taking care of me all the time and making me feel so precious, and then he walked in and crushed me.

Heading back inside, I lock the door and head up to bed. I need to sleep, and then tomorrow, I’ll figure out what’s next.

Boom, Mission Accomplished

Doug

‘Get up, dumbass.’

I glare up at Leo from my spot in the porch chair. I dropped here about an hour ago and haven’t been able to force myself back up.

Harley moves from my side to greet Leo, and I take a swig from my bottle.

‘I said, get up. We’re going out.’

‘Nah, not in the mood.’

‘Yeah, I just saw Breanne, and she told me to come and get you.’

I hang my head and take a deep breath, and Leo drops into the seat next to mine.

‘Tell me.’

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