Page 74 of Worth the Risk

He’s quiet. I got him with that one.

“I realize how it sounds when you say it like that, but we weren’t together.”

True, we weren’t together at that point, but it still hurts hearing it, and it’s probably a lie.Why would he not have told me if it was before we got together?

Been there, done that. Plus, she said she hasbeenfucking him.Does he really expect me to believe that it was only once?

“She said she has been with you more than once, you prick.”

“She’s fucking lying. It was once. I wanted to tell you, but after a while, it got harder. I know she is a trigger for you, and I didn’t know how to tell you. You must believe me,” he pleads. I hear the anxiety in his voiceprobably because he’s been caught.

And isn’t this what James used to do? Plead, lie, tell me he loves me?

Then he knocked the bitch up.

“I mustn’tdoanything. Stay the fuck out of my life. I mean it, Leo. Do not ever contact me again. We’re over.” I throw my phone against the wall, shattering it.

Lying on the floor, I cry as my heart breaks along with my phone. This hurts. I took a risk, hoping not to have my heart crushed, and he broke it to pieces. I made him a priority, and I was nothing more than an option for him. All our late nights, the talks, the cuddling I mistook as him actually caring about me.

Beth was right about one thing. I am pathetic.

I lie on the floor crying for what feels like forever, and sometime later, Amber comes into the room.

“I heard what happened. Let me help you up.” She puts two glasses on the bedside table and comes over to me. I need to get off the floor, so I wipe my tears and allow her to help me. We sit together on the end of the bed. I can’t look at it.

Did he have sex with her in this same bed he pretended to make love to me in?

The thought makes me nauseous, and I clutch my hands over my stomach.

Amber grabs a glass from the side table and hands it to me. A strawberry daiquiri. If ever I needed a drink, it’s now. I take a sip, noticing it’s stronger than usual. If I didn’t know any better, I’d assume it was straight-up liquor.

Fuck it, though. I’m going to drink it.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Not ready to talk yet, I take another gulp then one more.

“This summer has been enlightening. I never thought Leo would settle down, but I do believe he loves you, Kylie. He’s not a liar. It’s one of the traits I love about him.”

I drink again, and before long, it’s halfway down.

“Maybe you should hear him out. He deserves it, and so do you.”

I take another big gulp, and it goes down quickly. At this point, not only will I not be driving anywhere, but I also won’t be walking.It sure feels good, though.

The alcohol is quickly doing its job as I’m getting woozy and lightheaded.

We sit in silence, and before long, I’m quite drunk. My eyelids are getting heavy, and my upper body is having a hard time staying upright.

“I need to lie down for a little,” I slur.What the hell?I can’t talk, so I lie back and slide my body into the middle of the bed. It takes all my energy to get a couple of feet.What was in that drink?

I might have said my last part out loud because the last thing I hear before passing out is “Exactly what you deserve.”

* * *

Waking up, I’m groggy. and my head is pounding.What the hell happened last night?

I try to recall the night prior, but everything is fuzzy. I remember being at the lake with the girls and Beth’s claims about Leo but nothing else.

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