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“Everything.” Nervous, I plucked at my sleeves. “I didn’t mean any of that.”
“No,” he agreed with a nod. “Youdidn’t mean any of that, but this version of you sure as shit did.”
“I’m fine again, Hugh,” I croaked out, willing him to hear me. “I’m thinking clearly.”
Stepping closer, he reached for my chin and angled my face up to his. His eyes studied mine for a long beat before he released me and shook his head. “Do you honestly think, after all these years, that I can’t tell when you’re off balance?”
“But I feel steady,” I tried to tell him, feeling panicked. “Please, I swear I’m okay.”
“Your pupils are so dilated, there’s no blue in them, Liz.” He folded his arms again. “Are you back on your meds yet?”
I started to nod, but thedon’t bullshit melook on his face had me admitting the truth. “Not yet.”
“Then we have nothing to talk about.” Unfolding his arms, he reached for the door.
“Can we please go inside and talk?” I begged, feeling the tears sting my eyes.
Pain flickered in his eyes, and he released a frustrated growl before storming away and leaving the door open behind him.
Trailing after him, I continued to plead. “Hugh, I am so,sosorry.”
“You already said that.” Stepping around me, he walked into the lounge, and I quickly followed him, afraid to let him out of my sight in case he changed his mind about seeing me and bolted.
Flopping down on the couch, he stretched out and reached for the remote.
Shivering, I sat on the armchair opposite him. “Are we going to talk about it?”
“What’s there to talk about?” He didn’t look at me when he spoke, eyes trained on the television mounted over the fireplace instead. “Did you come over to tell me how good Pierce fucks you? Because I’d rather you keep it to yourself.”
“Please let me explain.”
“No need.” He flicked through channels. “I already know what happened.”
“Hugh, I was drinking.”
“So was I, but I somehow managed to not cheat on you,” he replied breezily. “Funny that.”
“I didn’t cheat on you.”
“You let another lad put his dick inside you, Liz. If that’s not cheating in your book, then I don’t know what to tell you.”
“No, I mean Ididn’tdo it on purpose.”
“Oh.” He feigned surprise. “You didn’t do it on purpose. Why didn’t you say that sooner? That changes everything.” Retraining his attention to the television, he continued to rant. “That makes the mental image of my teammate fucking you like a dogsomuch easier to swallow. I can easily forget the image of him fisting your hair while he was pounding his dick into your pussy.”
“Hugh, don’t…” I choked out, covering my mouth with my hand.
“I’m sorry. Am I not being graphic enough?” He threw the remote at the wall. “Jesus, I’m sorry, Liz. I’d love to tell you more, but I only had a ten-second sneak peak of the party.”
“Hugh—”
“In my room, Liz!” Chest heaving, he stormed out. “In my fucking bed!”
“I know, I know, I’m so fucking sorry!” Falling off the armchair in my rush to follow him, I chased him up the stairs and into his room, where he was stripping his bed. “What are you doing?”
“Do you want this?” he asked, dragging the mattress off its base. “Because I sure as shit don’t.”
With that, he stormed past me, mattress in hand, and flung it down the staircase.
