Page 115 of Beyond Oblivion

“Trent,” Thomas warned, holding one hand out toward his brother and putting a hand on my shoulder.

“Let me guess,” Trenton said. “It’s not what it looks like? I get out of the shower and hear voices through the openfuckingwindow, then I come out here and see you and my wife having some kind of secret conversation alone, her draped in your robe and your goddamn hands on her. Tell me, Tommy, what is it?”

“Trent,” I said, taking a step toward him.

He pointed to me, then to Thomas. “Start talking, Tommy… or I swear to God… I swear to God, man…”

“Val’s all set,” Liis said, walking out holding up her phone. “Oh, hey, Trent. We were just out here talking about the plan tomorrow. Thomas wanted to surprise you, but one of our favorite restaurants is about ninety minutes away, and it’s going to be hard to not explain…” she trailed off, her eyes dancing between us.

She was playing it off. She’d known exactly what she was walking into. I knew she was lying, and yet I was still convinced.

“Everything okay?” she asked.

Trenton blinked, then he rubbed the top of his head. “Oh, shit,” he swallowed hard as if he was about to vomit. “I did it again.Fuck, fuck, fuck…”

“It’s okay,” I said, walking toward him.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry… I’m sorry,” he said, unraveling after every word.

I cupped his face and shook my head. “It’s fine. It did look suspicious. No one blames you.”

Trenton’s eyes bounced from me to his brother, to Liis, and then his gaze met mine. He was spiraling, and by the looks of it, on the verge of a panic attack.

“Come on,” I said. “Come with me.”

“What can we do?” Thomas asked.

“Nothing, I’ve got it,” I said, guiding Trenton back to our room.

Once the door shut, he leaned back against it and then slid to the floor, his knees to his chest, his hands covering his face even as he struggled, his breaths coming in sharp, uneven gasps. Gently, I rested my hands on his, hoping he’d feel the reassurance I so desperately needed him to.

“Trent,” I said softly, leaning closer so my voice could cut through the storm raging in both his mind and body. “You didn’t do anything wrong. Do you hear me? Nothing. This isn’t on you.” His head shook as tears streaked down his face, his entire body trembling, but I didn’t move away. “Look at me,” I whispered, fighting to keep my voice calm. “It was an innocent mistake. Anyone would’ve thought what you did. Just breathe with me. Slow and easy, one breath at a time.” His hands began to relax under mine, his breathing beginning to slow as my words reached him.

“Good. That’s good,” I said. He looked up at me and I gave him a smile, nodding. “Deep breaths. That’s it.”

“Whoa,” he said, still focused on his breathing. “What was that?”

“I don’t know. You tell me.”

“I just,” he began, letting out a shaky exhale, his voice barely above a whisper. “I’d just, um,” he faltered, his eyes glistening as he stared past me, lost somewhere between shame and regret. “I’d promised myself earlier that I’d apologize to you on this trip for what I said about you and Tommy. And then I go outside, and I see that, and—I don’t know—I just saw red. It took everything in me not to grab the closest thing I could use as a weapon and murder him, Cami. I thought he was taking you from me.” His voice cracked, his words tumbling out faster now, his breaths uneven. “And when Liis came out…” His words broke off entirely, the tears spilling over, carving their way down his face. “I realized how bad I’d fucked up. I’d done it again, and I panicked. I just knew you were gonna leave me for good this time. For accusing you of what everyone else always has. Because I was,” he paused, his lips trembling so hard it was a wonder he could even speak. “I’ve always been the one who believed you. I’m supposed to trust you. And, I haven’t. I haven’t been good to you. So, he could. He could take you from me and I just lost it, I…” His head ducked, his expression crumbling, his voice breaking as he whispered, “I’m so fucking sorry.”

I held him to me, fighting my own tears. “I love you. You’re the only man I want, the only one I’ll ever want. Don’t you know that?” I kissed his head and put my thumb under his chin, raising his gaze to meet mine. “When we get home, we’re going to find someone to talk to. Because what we’ve been through? It’s too much, baby. It’s too much.”

He nodded and then buried his face in my chest. “I’m sorry for being such a pussy,” he said, laughing once.

I scoffed. “I’d rather you lose your shit over the thought of losing me than be indifferent like you have been.”

He looked up at me with wet, red-rimmed eyes. “I can be an idiot, and God knows I’m a total fuck up, Cami, but I know without a doubt that I’d die without you.”

I put my hands on each side of his face and grinned. “Then you’re going to live forever, Trenton Maddox.”

We held each other for a long time, neither of us speaking, the silence heavy but not unwelcome. His breaths, shaky at first, began to even out against my shoulder, and I felt the tension in his body begin to fade. My fingers ran absentmindedly over his back, and he clung to me like I was the only thing keeping his head above water.

When we both relaxed enough to move to the bed, I stood, taking his hand and gently guiding him over. He followed without protest, his eyes weary but calm. I pulled back the covers and waited as he climbed in, then slid in beside him, wrapping my arms around his shoulders, shielding my husband from whatever darkness still lingered in his mind. He buried his face in the crook of my neck, and we held on to each other, our breathing syncing in the quiet. It might’ve been an hour or more, but eventually, exhaustion won out, and we both drifted into a fragile but much-needed sleep.

***

The sun was barely above the horizon, but its pale light still felt harsh against our groggy eyes, an uncomfortable reminder of how little sleep we’d managed the night before. The scent of coffee and maple syrup lured me to the table, and I stopped short at the sight of it. The breakfast spread was nothing short of extravagant, with stacks of pancakes, crispy bacon, bowls of fruit —enough to cater to a small department meeting rather than the four people seated around it. Thomas and Liis were clearly working overtime to turn this trip into their version of a royal bed and breakfast. It was almost too much, feeling more like an apology for the mess they’d brought to our doorstep than a bid for the best host award.

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