Page 26 of You Found Me
I leave the exam room to find a green looking Theo. “What’s wrong with you?”
He dramatically shivers. “Someone just came in even bloodier than you, missing the tip of a finger or something. I was about to walk to the truck before I saw you. Everything good?”
“Geez. I’m good to go now.”
We make our way to the parking lot and once we’re in the truck, I bring up my conversation with Emmaline. “She told me how you guys met. You really punched a kid?”
“I really did. My mom was upset, while my dad was extremely proud of me for protecting Mia and her new friends. Unfortunately, I was still grounded. Em, Colette, and Cori became a constant in our lives after that.”
I don’t know what comes over me, but I find myself asking, “So you never had a thing for her?”
His face scrunches up in absolute disgust before he bursts out laughing, causing me to laugh as well. “Oh gross. She’s basically my sister. When I met her, she was a goofy looking thing, and I wasn’t really interested in girls at the time anyway.”
When I don’t respond, he looks over, brows furrowed. “I mean, you know she just broke it off with her ex, right? She isn’t really in the best place to start dating again.”
Gone is best friend Theo, right now protective brotherly-figure Theo is fully glaring at me.
“I know. I was just curious.” He raises an eyebrow at me, and I laugh, “I swear.”
“Hmm, alright man. Whatever you say. Let’s go grab some lunch.”
***
Emmaline
I’ve been constantly checking social media the last couple of days to get an idea on Chance’s whereabouts throughout the last week.
I noticed he’s normally out all day on Thursdays for practice and conditioning, which is why I’m in the car with Colette and Cori to get my belongings. They are both necessary for this trip for separate reasons. Colette is someone that can always bring me a semblance of comfort during my worst times, and Cori—well she insisted on coming as my legal counsel in case Chance decided to be a super mega douche-canoe.
So, all of my bases are fully covered.
When we get there, I’m relieved to see my minor stalking was correct and Chance isn’t home. Cori waits in the foyer while Colette and I go to the master bedroom to grab my things. Iimmediately notice a folded note on the bedside table with my name written in his messy scrawl.
Baby, I can never apologize enough for how I treated you this past year.
You’ve supported me since the moment we met. I wish I could take back what I did, but I can’t.
I can only hope you forgive me, and I promise to never do it again.
Everything is so bleak without you.
Please come home so we can talk.
I finish reading it just as I step into the bathroom to be greeted with dirty bras and panties on the floor.
And surprise, surprise, they’re not my size.
He’s actuallydeluded if he’sleaving me messages and notes begging me to come back, only to bring a woman, or multiple women, back to the apartment. If I wasn’t so hurt, I might laugh.
He’s slowly becoming a person I no longer recognize. He was never outright cruel—more passive aggressive here and there in the ways he’d speak to me sometimes. But this? This manipulative side of him I can’t handle.
Colette walks in while I’m frozen in the middle of my spiral, the bras and panties being the only tethers to the dark recesses of my mind right now.
“I’m so sorry, Em. He sounded sincere in the first dozen voicemails.” She comes closer, pulling me into her side. “I hate to say it, but I think your gut was right . . . about everything. Despite all his pleading and apologizing, he’s still a cheating, pathetic, asshat. You deserve so much better, and you’ll have that epic love you deserve one day soon. I have faith in the universe when it comes to you.” I give her a weak laugh, too afraid that I’ll cry again if I speak.
Even when I know he’s not worth the pain, my heart can’t seem to get the message. Colette squeezes me once beforehelping me put my things in a few different bags. She snorts, causing me to look her way, eyebrow raised. “You’re really lucky Mia and Piper couldn’t come with us today. We would’ve had to talk them out of putting glitter in the vents or on the ceiling fans.”
“I think I might’ve let them after seeing that note and lingerie. He deserves it, but I wouldn’t want to deal with his epic meltdown at finding this place ‘glitterfied.’”
