Please let me explain.

It was from Madie. The woman who I had thought was on my side, took care of me at my lowest, stood up for me, and who I thought was my ride or die. Another vibration.

Jane, please. I didn’t know what to do.

For the second time that day, I screamed in frustration and without thought, I threw my phone against the wall. The pieces flew everywhere. I stared at the debris that was my phone, hating the world. If I was going to continue suffering, I was going to do it drunk as fuck and with a bottle Henry had been supposedly saving for our five-year anniversary. I looked in the wine fridge, taking out a Taittinger Comte de Champagne that was probably a few hundred dollars; a bottle that we had gotten when we vacationed in France.

I popped the cork and took a large gulp straight from the bottle. If I was going to wallow in self-pity, I might as well do it with the good stuff. I was already feeling the first bottle of wine as I walked into my bedroom. I stopped at the doorway, and decided I should sleep somewhere else. The memories in this damn room were stifling. I took another drink from the bottle walking towards the living room. The entire house was one terrible memory now. Tainted, because my husband couldn’t keep it in his fucking pants. I stood there feeling even more lost by the second. I couldn’t stay here or else it might make me lose my mind.

Grabbing my bag, I decided I needed to go somewhere else. I downed the rest of the bottle, grabbing a small weekender bag and filling it with just the necessities. Walking back to the wine fridge, I grabbed a few more bottles of wine and a Dom Perignon Rosé that Henry supposedly got a good deal on. One last glance at the wine fridge, I decided it probably wouldn’t look good to walk into a hotel with nothing but wine. I planned to drink and eat my sorrows away with no pants on and an enormous shirt. I fucking deserved that.

20. Aiden

TWENTY

Aiden

Two days earlier

I was shaking from the adrenaline that was leaving my body; glancing in the rear-view mirror to see Cal looking out the window. I couldn’t see Nathan, but I knew he was lying down with his head in Cal’s lap. I don’t think I could ever rid myself of the images of Nathan being held down while they beat him and someone stomped on his hand.

I exhaled forcefully, angry that I couldn’t do shit about it. I beat up a few guys before someone leveled a gun to my head, and they did the same thing to Cal.