Page 69 of Candygrams

“You’re lucky I even chose to tell you with what you’ve done to me! The pain you’ve caused me!”

“You? The pain I caused YOU? What about what you did to me? Ghosting my ass, cutting off any contact, pretending what happened between us never happened?”

“Don’t pretend you cared or that it meant anything to you! I saw you that morning! I saw you!”

“And what, decided you were done with me?”

“You were with my sister! The two of you laughing and she…she touc..., oh God.”

She takes off running for a nearby trashcan. I am right behind her. When she falls to her knees and starts retching, I hold her hair back for her and rub her back. Between heaves, I can tell she’s crying and all I can think of is murder. Death and violence. I might kill that little bitch if I ever see her again but right now I need to make sure I am taking care of Lilly the way she needs me to.

When she tries to stand and seems like she is done, I hand her a water bottle and sweep her up in my arms so I can take us back over to the couch. I brush the tears off her face and rock her as she cries some more. Eventually the tears slow and her sobs quieten down.

“Sweetheart, I went out that morning for breakfast for us. I was in my truck about to pull out when she opened the door and slid in.”

“I don’t want to know. I don’t want to…”

“She tried to touch me but I pushed her away and told her if she didn’t get out of my truck I was going to make her and her parents’ lives a living hell.”

She looks up at me with hope in her eyes. “You weren’t…”

“The only thing that…your sister touched was my forearm and I told her she made me want to throw up. Needless to say, she got back out and walked her happy ass back over to her car and took the fuck off.”

Horror clouds her face, “Oh my God…I…how can you ever forgive me? I thought…all the time we wasted…the time I wasted with you.”

“I…I have a confession that I need to make.”

“You found someone else.” Her lower lip quivers and tears start to gather in her eyes.

“There is no one else -and there never will be anyone else- for me but you. What I have to tell you…might make you mad but I’m not sorry for any of the things I did. I told you the truth when I said I would do whatever I needed to so I could make you mine, so I could keep you by my side.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I’ve had a bodyguard watching you for the past two weeks.”

“What?”

“Murphy,” I yell loud enough for him to hear me and wait for him to stick his head through the door.

“Sir.”

“Meet Lilly…formally.”

He gives her a sheepish smile before addressing her, “Ma’am.”

“Thank you, Murph.”

He grins at me knowing all too well how crazy I have been over this woman. He's the one who gave me hourly check-ins on where she was and what she was doing after all.

“Why?”

“Because I want you to be safe even if you didn’t want to be with me.”

Her lips start to tremble, and she starts to cry again.

“I’m a horrible person. I thought you broke my heart, and I broke yours instead.”

Chapter Seventeen

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