Page 22 of Infected By Virus

“The hell.” He looked around, remembering where he was. “The hell I didn’t. The proof is right over there. Not to mention, you saw it with your own two eyes.”

The memory made him gag.

“Yeah, don’t remind me.” She spoke with a touch of levity, but a lot of sadness. “It took me years to make peace with it, and I didn’t think I ever would have if not for Celeste, of all people.” She tossed his words back at him.

“How so?” Did he really want the answer? He wasn’t sure he did.

“When she was laying there looking vulnerable and frail, she admitted some things. Mainly her part in what happened between us. My head was spinning, having just learned about Adam and her dying and all, but I told her I forgave her for cheating with my boyfriend, among other things.” Virus shot her a look. He would never forgive her.

“Don’t give me that look. I did it for me and for Adam, not for her. It was what she said back that changed my perspective on everything. She said she accepted my forgiveness for everything else but rejected my forgiveness for that because you weren’t my boyfriend at the time.”

He yanked his hand from between hers and stood. Pacing back and forth by the table.

That night was seared into his brain. He’d gone there looking for Rae to beg her forgiveness when Celeste answered the door in a towel. She’d offered him a drink, then another and another. Pills and joints were involved and the next thing he knew, Rae was standing there crying.

When Rae had fled, he grabbed his boxers, shouting at her the whole time to stop, but she didn’t. When he got to the door, he heard Celeste behind him goading him on, saying all manner of things about Rae. Instead of listening to Rae’s tears, he just couldn’t hear them anymore—they cut too deep—he hurled her words back at her. “You said I was free to see who I wanted.” He remembered the look on her face when she turned at those words, hands on her door handle.

He’d fucking broken her, the woman he loved, he’d hurt her on purpose. But at that moment, he couldn’t take responsibility for it. He couldn’t handle it, so he drove the point home because he deserved her hate. Then he slammed the door in an attempt to block out Rae’s heartbreak. He’d never forgiven himself for that.

Broken up or not, he’d still considered her his, so it was still cheating.

“Darrin, please sit down.”

He was reeling but complied. Out of habit, he corrected her. “Virus. It’s Virus now.”

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