Page 16 of If He Hadn't Cheated
“I’m busy.”
“You look like you haven’t slept in days.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re not.”
I slam a bottle down harder than necessary.
He doesn’t flinch.
“I don’t need saving,” I snap.
“I didn’t say you did.”
“Then stop playing the hero.”
“I’m not. I just don’t want to watch you destroy yourself.”
“It’s none of your business.”
“I’m making it my business.”
That stops me. I look at him, really look. His jaw is tight. His hands are steady. But his eyes are full of something I can’t name.
Concern?
Regret?
Pity?
I don’t want any of it.
“You’re not who I thought you were,” I whisper.
“And who was I?”
“Someone who didn’t stand by while I fell apart.”
He finishes his drink and stands. “I’ll be back.”
“I don’t need you to be.”
He walks away. And somehow, I feel colder than I did before he came.
The rest of the night blurs.
More drinks.
More fake smiles.
More forgetting.
When I clock out, it’s nearly 3 a.m. I walk outside into the silence of a sleeping city. Knox is waiting by his car.
“I don’t need a ride,” I say.
“I didn’t ask.”
