Page 81 of The Widower
CHAPTER 19
“Even the hardest heart holds hidden feelings, buried deep down inside…”
ISABELLE CAMPBELL
Colin drove me home without saying a single word after we got in the car. Which was ironic, considering he’d just told Henry we had “a lot to talk about.”
I’d given up trying to understand what went on in that man’s head. He was impossible—bipolar, irrational. What kind of person does something like that in the middle of the street? The guy practically did a full U-turn and blocked the car I was in.
“Aren’t you gonna say anything?” I asked.
“I think you should pick your company more carefully.”
“Oh, so now you’re saying he was bad company?”I crossed my arms, staring at him.
I locked my gaze on Colin’s profile as the car stopped at a red light.
“And…?”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Wait a second—was that whole little performance because you’re jealous of me?”
Why the hell did I say that…
His face changed instantly.For a moment, I thought he might actually lose it.
“It’s not fucking jealousy! I was just trying to protect you!”
“He was nice, Colin. Gentle. We talked for a while—he told me he has a son and a bunch of other things I don’t even need to repeat. He smiled at me, made me feel special, and out of nowhere you show up claiming you were trying to protect me?”
“Isabelle…”
“Oh no, now it’s my turn to talk.”
I wasn’t anyone’s property, and Colin had no right to interfere in my life like that.
“I’m not letting you sleep with him!”
We’d just pulled up in front of my house.
“That’s not your decision to make! Ever heard the phrase ‘my body, my rules’? I can go out with whoever I want, whenever I want!”
He went silent for a moment, gripping the steering wheel. Then he slammed both hands against it.
“I can’t stop thinking about that night! You won’t get out of my head! I’m losing my damn mind because I can’t think about anything but you! I hate feeling this tied to someone! That’s my problem—and you’re not helping! Happy now?!”
He was harsh and vulnerable at the same time. Was Colin actually confessing to me?
“Is that really true?” I asked quietly.
“Of course it’s true! You really think I’d care about seeing you with someone else if I wasn’t completely into you?”
Colin stepped out of the car, running a hand through his hair as he looked up at the night sky. I got out too, watching him from behind.
I didn’t understand him—or how to deal with this version of him. Sometimes he was kind, gentle, attentive. Other times, the complete opposite. Colin wasn’t a man who handled emotions well, and I could see it in his eyes, in the cracks in his voice—it consumed him more than he’d ever admit.
“Forget what I said,” he muttered, turning toward me. “I had no right to do what I did. You’re free. Whatever I feel doesn’t matter.”
