Page 51 of Decoded
“Anna, you have to come out of the bathroom.” Amanda has been trying to summon me for the past hour, but I haven’t been wallowing in self-pity long enough to surface from the harsh fluorescent lights and the powdery air freshener that fills the small space. After security escorted Daniel off the premises and Keaton went into his office, I took in the hushed whispers that were circulating and the look of disdain from my previously super friendly colleagues. It wasn’t until Lincoln bustled through and told everyone to get back to fucking work before I bolted to the staff bathroom, where I’ve been hiding for some time.
Amanda’s voice sounded on the other side of the door mere moments later, and she’s been trying everything in her power to get me to emerge. I’ve tried to tell her I’m never coming out. That I’ll die in this bathroom. I haven’t decided yet if it will be from thirst, starvation, or if I’ll just drown myself in the toilet. I’ve tried to tell her that people can shit somewhere else, when shesays other people need to use the facilities. I’ve tried to tell her all those things, but I can’t. Every time I open my mouth I choke on my sobs. This perfect little life in this perfect little town with this perfect little man is no longer a reality.
Because there’s no perfect little me.
“Shit, fuck, damn,” Amanda curses. “Listen Anna, I know that life seems really shitty for you right now, but things are a helluva lot worse for Keaton right now. You have got to come out of the bathroom. Now.”
Somehow knowing that Keaton is in trouble has my voice returning. “What’s going on with Keaton?”
“I don’t know,” she admits, “but the police are here.”
I escape my fetal position from the floor and make my way to the door. I deserve the wrath that comes from Daniel showing up, but Keaton doesn’t deserve any of this. He is the most generous, caring, loving, selfless man I’ve ever met. He defended and protected me when I didn’t deserve it. He loves me despite me being completely unlovable.
So, when I open the door and see him being escorted through the office with two police officers, I feel the pain of the sharp shards my heart has broken into.
Keaton stops as he passes us. “Amanda, call Cam and explain what happened. Tell him to meet me down at the police station.”
He looks over at me. “Is it true? Does he know how youtaste, Anna? Does he know how you fuckingfeel?” His words are like ice and his glare at me sends sharp pains as I nod.
“But it’s not what you think,” I try to explain as he stands there, cutting into me with those bright blue eyes.
I wait for him to ask what I mean. To yell at me. To spit at me. To tell me to get the fuck out of his office and out of his life. But instead, Keaton doesn’t say anything. He hardens his features and walks away.
And that’s so much worse.
Chapter thirty-six
Keaton
“H
ow much longer?” I’ve been pacing the tiny interrogation room for what’s going on centuries. No wonder people confess all sorts of things in here. It feels as though the concrete walls are caving in on you and knowing someone is on the other side of that window is unnerving.
My hand is bruised and throbbing, but the pain is nothing compared to the one in my chest where it feels like my fucking heart has been ripped out. Normally when I’ve had a bad day, I can’t wait to hold Anna in my arms and let her make all the problems go away. But what do I do when she’s the fucking problem?
“You’re being questioned for assault, Keat. They’re trying to determine if the damage you did to that asshole’s face is worthy of a misdemeanor or felony. It’s not gonna be a quick process.”
Amanda followed through and Cam was here waiting before we even made it to the station. It helps that his office is close by, I suppose. He’s already spoken with the officers and the prosecutor and now I’m just waiting to hear that I can go home.
The word home cuts me like a knife. Home is where Anna is. Home is where all of her things are. Home is where she told me she loves me. Home is both the last place and the only place I want to be right now.
“Gotta say, I’m pissed I missed the show. I would have helped you take down that asshole.” Lincoln cracks his knuckles before throwing punches into the air.
“Yeah, and then I’d be trying to bail out both of my big brothers for being complete idiots,” Cam rolls his eyes.
“You’re right,” I say with a heavy sigh. “I am a fucking idiot.”
“Keaton, stop. I didn’t mean it like that.”
“Whether you did or not doesn’t make it any less true. I’ve been an idiot since the first moment I met her.” A vision of Anna in the airport has my heart aching and my teeth clenching. “I was an idiot when she dragged me into that chapel. I was an idiot when I told her I love her. And I was a fucking idiot for believing her.”
“You know what, when you say it all out loud, you are a fucking idiot.”
“Lincoln, stop,” Camden says. “Keaton, he doesn’t mean it.”
“Oh, I fucking mean it alright. But you’re not an idiot for marrying the girl you’re so obviously in love with. You’re not an idiot for believing what she said about the guy we could instantly see was harassing her.. No, you’re an idiot for being so goddamn willing to throw all of it away.”
“She fucking slept with him, Linc!”
