Page 116 of Crimson Desires

Jack hadn’t exploited my father’s illness to promote his image. He hadn’t seen me as a charity case. He hadn’t used me.

I’d just assumed the worst of him, because... because I’m a fucking asshole who assumes the worst of everybody.

I put my head into my hands, barely fighting off the sobs that threatened to consume me.

“Melinda, did you know about all of this?” I asked, my breathing labored.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t feel that it was my place to tell you, dear,” Melinda apologized.

“Aster, what’s wrong?” Violet asked. “I’m sorry that we didn’t tell you, but-,”

“No! It’s not you,” I said, tearing my face out of my hands to look Violet in the eyes.

There weren’t enough words in the English language to explain how epically I had fucked up. I had thrown away the only good relationship I had ever built with a man that wasn’t family—and I had done it all because I was too scared and stubborn to believe the truth that had been staring me in the eyes this entire time: that Jack really did care about me.

And now he probably fucking hated my guts. At best, he probably thought I was clinically insane.

“Then what’s this all about?” Violet asked.

My voice felt small as it left me. “Violet, I messed up.”

“That’s okay. We can fix it. What happened?”

I explained to her what had happened. How I’d seen Ava’s emails with Jack’s father. How I’d assumed that Jack had paid off Dad’s medical bills. How I’d wrongfully believed that his love for me had been rooted in selfishness and personal gain.

“God, how could I have done that to him?” I said, nearly choking on my words.

Violet didn’t indulge my self-flagellation. “Aster, where is Jack now?” Violet asked.

“He’s in Cleveland for the last show of Wicked Crimson’s tour,” I managed. “The band has a post-tour media thing—but none of the crew were given any details about that since our contracts were only for the tour itself. Why does that matter, though? It’s not like he’s going to fucking forgive me after this.”

“Oh, yes he will,” Violet said.

“You can’t know that, Vi.”

“Yes, I can. Because we’re going to Cleveland so that you can apologize to him.”

In pure disbelief and shock, I laughed. “What are you talking about? Cleveland’s a ten-hour drive from here.”

“Then take this,” Dad said. He reached into his pocket, pulled out his wallet, and passed me two twenty-dollar bills. “Hopefully that’s enough to fill your tank.”

I looked between Violet and Dad, at a total loss for words. “I can’t-,”

“Aster, we’re sick of seeing you torture yourself because you think that it’s what you deserve,” Violet said. “Melinda can watch Dad for a few days. Right, Mel?”

“Oh, sure. I was already planning to be here,” Melinda chuckled.

“Then, it’s settled. We’re going to Cleveland. It’s four. If we start now, we can be there by two in the morning.” Violet smiled at me. “I’m not going to let my little sister break her heart over a boy. Understand?”

I didn’t know whether to laugh, or cry, or both.

Slowly, I came to my senses. I took the forty dollars that my father had placed on the table. I hugged him and thanked Melinda again for everything that she had done (taking care of Dad, cleaning the house, in general being the best). Then, I grabbed my keys and led Violet to my car.

We wouldn’t get to Cleveland until two, but I wasn’t worried. The band had a post-tour wrap party planned at a local bar and they were staying overnight in the city at a hotel. Finding Jack would be the easy part.

I set a course for the hotel on my GPS. Then, Violet and I were off.

Chapter Thirty-One

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