Page 127 of A Love That Broke Us
“Oh my God,” I whisper into the quiet, my fingers going cold. I can barely feel the keys beneath them.
I pull up the calculator on my phone and start adding the ATM withdrawals. The last few months are steep. He’s pulling anywhere from five to seven thousand a month. January through March were slightly lower, but it escalated fast. A direct correlation between how much he was spending and how deep he’d fallen.
I finish adding it up, my eyes locking on the number.
Forty-six thousand dollars.
My heart pounds, and my pulse is running a marathon in my chest. Forty-sixthousanddollars. Withdrawn from an ATM. This year alone.
I wait for the emotions to come—rage, grief, disbelief. But I feel nothing. I’m numb.
How could I be so stupid? Who doesn’t check their finances? How did I have no idea this was happening? If I’d just logged in months ago, I would’ve seen it. The evidence is right here.
I walk back to the bathroom to touch up my makeup and get dressed.
Forty-six thousand dollars.
I actually start laughing while I’m getting dressed.
“Forty-six thousand dollars!” I shout to myself in the closet.
Yeah—I might be losing it.
I laugh again.
“Holy shit.”
But that last word catches in my throat, and a lump rises.
Nope.
I just redid my makeup.Keep it together.
I inhale slowly and hold it. Then exhale even slower, counting.
I repeat.
And repeat.
I keep going until Matt picks me up at two, and I finally have someone to distract me from the absolute shit show my life has become.
I didn’t even do anything.
I just fell in love.
And now look at me.
The wedding has been beautiful—perfect,really. Everything these two deserve and so much more.
Both grooms look handsome as hell. Zach is every bit himself—suave, confident, his signature blend of cocky and wild that makes you want to laugh, cry, and spill all your secrets at the same time. He’s built like a model: six-three, abs of steel, strong jaw.
Joey is the yin to Zach’s yang, the calm to Zach’s chaos. He’s rugged and built like a wrestler. Hairy, bearded, and stupid hot. Zach’s got Cody Rigsby energy; Joey’s more the unruly Viking who makes women irrationally upset the moment they realize he’s gay. Yet somehow, they fit together seamlessly.
The ceremony wrecked me. I was determined to hold it together, but the second Joey started crying, I didn’t stand a chance.
The worst of it was when Zach noticed me after the ceremony with Matt. The look on his face said everything. He knew.
I only just told Zach about everything a few weeks ago. He cornered me at work, said I’d been off. Quiet. Sad. He said he knew something was going on. I broke down and told him everything. It sucked, but it’s been nice having someone to talk to besides Matt.
