“There’s nothing to explain. I think I really get it.”

With that I slammed the phone down. I waited a second and then left it off the hook. Let him call back as many times as he wants, I said to myself—it’s just going to go straight to voice mail. I knew how crazy that would make him. But as I sat down on my green marshmallow sofa, I felt my face crumple up. It was over.

I was still sitting on the couch when he pounded on my security gate. I had opened the front door earlier, but kept the metal security screen door locked. Through the window I could see he was holding a bouquet of daisies, my favorite.

I got up and walked over to the locked screen door. “I don’t know why you bothered coming over. I think you should get the fuck out of here!”

“Dani, let me in, I can explain,” he pleaded.

“Well, I don’t want to talk. I really don’t want to see you. What did you think you were going to accomplish by coming here?”

I almost always kept my front door open; the security screen bolted shut from the inside. Now, with Dave breathing through the screen, I felt way too vulnerable. I grabbed the front door to close it. At least then I wouldn’t feel so exposed to him. “Please leave. There’s nothing to discuss.”

He looked tired. His eyes were bloodshot and it looked like he had been crying. I shut the door on him.

“Please don’t do this, baby! Do you know what I have in my car?” He was pleading with me now. “I picked up Christmas lights. I was going to decorate your place so it would be special tonight when we watched your show.”

He was practically yelling to be heard through the screen and closed door. The neighbors were going to get an earful.

I watched through the glass in the door as he pulled his hand out of his pocket holding the key to my door. I forgot he had that.

Dave unlocked both doors and stepped inside.

“Don’t, baby. Don’t throw this away,” he said gently.

“You’re the one that threw this away. By fucking that whore.”

“I didn’t fuck her!”

I couldn’t believe he was even trying to deny this. He was so caught.

“I’m so sorry. I was so stupid—yes, Chloe and I hung out. I was just feeling insecure.”

“You were insecure?”

“Well, yeah.” Dave cocked his head and choked a little. “And upset. Chloe told me you were cheating on me. She said that when you were on the road, she heard you were messing around with someone.”

“What? She said that and you believed her, without asking me if it was true?”