Page 71 of False Play
I gripped my glass of wine, my knuckles practically going white with the force. This crawly feeling settled on my chest and gave me a pressure I hated. I tried to form words, but I came up blank. Because a sadistic part of me believed he was right.
I had my reasons for walking away.Goodreasons.Importantreasons.
But this was what he wanted. He wanted to make me feel like shit for putting myself first.
And he was winning.
It had been a long time since I’d felt one foot tall. He made it so easy for me to fall back into a person I couldn’t recognize. The one who remained quiet and took every beating, afraid of speaking up and defending herself. A completely different side of me that only came out when he was around.
“Can you please back off?” Henry forced the words out, jaw tight. “You’ve been going at it since I got here, and God knows what else you’ve said to her when I wasn’t present.”
“Anderson’s right, man,” David chimed in.
“Whose side are you on?” Joe hissed at David. “Stop being such a kiss-ass.”
“Why don’t we all calm down?” Evelyn said through a forced laugh.
“I’m not saying anything that isn’t true. It’s what all of you are thinking,” Joe commented, folding his arms across his chest.
“This breakup was mutual, Joe,” I replied weakly.
I hated this with every fiber of my being. This was a side of me Henry had only witnessed once. But this was my life. I was only a force to be reckoned with at work. Nowhere else. When it came to Joe? I let a lot of shit fly during our relationship. It was the crude reality I lived in. I was still shocked I had managed to gather enough strength to break up with him in the first place.
It was a constant battle. Part of me wanted to fight back, to unleash my fire. Another side of me—the insecure, unlovable part—wanted him to keep attacking me. Wanted to feel the bite of every jab like a cigarette burn.
“Was it?” Joe asked incredulously. “Because if I remember correctly, you’re the one who walked out on me.”
The fucking audacity.
“I’m not going to disrespect my boyfriend by talking about this, Joe. And you should give Meghan the same respect.” I didn’t know how I managed to reply, because my head felt like it was underwater. The words were hard to get out. The world around me was moving in slow motion, but fast at the same time—it was making me dizzy.
He knew damn well the lengthy conversation we had after I left the restaurant. A lot of words were said, and not the kind ones. His true colors came out to play, and it only helped solidify my decision to end the engagement. Maybe part of him thought I was going to stay despite every jab and everycondescending insult he threw my way that night. After all, I’d fit into the mold Joe wanted me to be in for most of our relationship. He never expected me to get out, so I was sure part of him was surprised.
Uncomfortable silence fell around the table as Joe’s eyes met Henry’s. “Enjoy it while it lasts. Her career will always be more important than doing her duty as a woman?—”
Henry’s chair groaned loudly as he stood and pressed the palms of his hands on the table, leaning forward.God, he was impossibly tall and easily towered over everyone with his wide, muscled shoulders and chiseled build. His casual, dark-blue button-down shirt made the freckles of his forearms pop and his eyes a beautiful shade of intense blue.
My fake boyfriend was unfortunately so very hot.
“I’m going to stop you right there. I’ve let a lot of shit fly during this lunch because I understand I’m new to this group dynamic. I’m the outsider. I get it. But I’m not gonna allow you to continue talking about Kenny this way.Duty as awoman?” he asked with a scoff, shaking his head in disbelief. “She doesn’t owe anyone anything, much less a piece of shit like you.” He spat the words out with clear disdain. “The fact you still feel so entitled and comfortable to say something like that says a lot about you.”
My eyes met Henry’s in shock as I let his words settle me with a newfound confidence. They wrapped around me like a security blanket, calming my racing heart.
I stood and grabbed my purse as my eyes found Evelyn. “I hope you and David have a wonderful vow renewal. I will always be grateful for your friendship, but it’s best if I remove myself from this situation.” The words tasted vile in my mouth. Here I was, losing more, more,more. They were people I didn’t even have in the first place, so in the grand scheme of things, it shouldn’t have mattered. But I was only human.
I settled my gaze on Joe. “I will be sending movers tomorrow. All I ask is that you give them access to the guest room, where all my boxes are.” I turned around and walked away from my so-called friends without giving them another glance.
Every step I took chipped at my beating heart. I needed to be strong to survive, and masking my true feelings had become as easy as breathing at that point, so that’s exactly what I did.
Henry caught up to me and placed his hand on my lower back to guide me out of the restaurant. The simple touch made me nervous, but somehow managed to center me at the same time, like some kind of mind game I couldn’t bring myself to deal with.
“Walking away once again, shocker,” Joe muttered.
Henry’s eyes found mine as his nostrils flared in annoyance. He turned around and started walking back to the table with menacing strides.
I gripped his forearm with both of my hands to try to stop him, but it was futile. “Henry, don’t,” I whispered. “He’snotworth it,” I urged.
His eyes flicked to the table then to me, and he gave me a reassuring nod. “Don’t worry. I got this.” Then his eyes found Joe, piercing him with so much intensity that Joe cowered in his seat. “I’m going to make one fucking thing clear: leave Kennedy alone, okay? If you so much as look in her direction or talk to hereveragain, you will be answering to me.” He pointed at his chest with a smirk that didn’t reach his eyes. “And if you think I won’t find out—trust me, I will. And I’ll gladly live up to my hot-headed reputation. Donotfucking test me.” With that, Henry interlaced his fingers with mine and said, “Let’s go, Kenny.”
