Page 75 of Unspoken Words
I waited. Silence. His favourite form of communication.
“Talk to me, damn it!” I shoved the photo frame at his chest. “Use your words for once. That’s what they’re for. They’re supposed to come out of your mouth and mean something.”
Tears welled in his eyes and streamed down his face, but he still didn’t say anything.
“TALK TO ME! TELL ME IT’S NOT TRUE!”
He hung his head, eyes pressed shut.
“Noooooo,” I cried. “NO!” I grabbed another photo and threw it over his head at the wall. “You fucking coward,” I sobbed. “Open your mouth and tell me what you did.” My chest drew tight, painful, but he still didn’t speak.
I smashed another photo. “You don’t get to do that this time.” Smash. “You don’t get to hide or leave.” Smash. “You don’t get to tune out and pretend this isn’t happening.”
Connor snapped his head up, and the pain radiating from his eyes carved my heart into tiny pieces. There, written all over his face, was the truth. He’d had sex with Lilah, and I didn’t need his words of confirmation because betrayal couldn’t hide behind silence. It was a ghost that haunted in full view.
“Why?” I sobbed, cupping my face with my hands. “Why would you do that?”
“I … I don’t know. I was drunk. I—”
A sardonic laugh slipped through my teeth. “That’s what you choose to say? You finally speak to me and that’s what you say, that you were drunk?” My arms fell to my sides, all fight and fury, gone.
“But I was, Ellie. You were there, you saw me, and then you left. AGAIN. We’d had that fight, and I hated it. I hated it all, and the next thing I know Lilah was there but she was you. And you were kissing me, and I was kissing you back, but I wasn’t. And I—”
“Get out,” I choked.
“Ellie, it didn’t mean anything. I swear—”
“GET OUT!”
My body trembled violently as I pointed to the door.
It flung open, and Chris burst into my room, his eyes wide and frantic. “Elliephant?”
Connor got to his feet and took a step toward me. “Ellie, pleeease,” he begged. “I love y—”
“Don’t you fucking dare,” I hissed, stepping back.
Chris moved closer, but Connor didn’t budge.
“GET. OUT. NOW!”
He dipped his head and, once again, just … left. Walked out. Like I’d asked. Because that’s what he always did. He gave up.
And this time I was giving up too.
We were done.
Chapter Twenty
Ellie
“Eloise, open the door. Enoughis enough. It’s been two days. Let me in.”
I rolled over in bed and glared at the hardwood panel that was my bedroom door. “Why won’t you all just leave me alone?”
“Open this door right now, young lady, or I’ll break it down.”
“Break it down. I don’t care.”
