The Affair

Chapter 26

Without hesitation, they quickly drove to the hospital. Mark gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white, his jaw clenched as he ran every worst-case scenario through his head. Rebecca was beside him, frantically dialing Maddie’s number, but it kept going to voicemail.

The moment they pulled up, they both bolted from the car, rushing through the emergency doors. The harsh fluorescent lights buzzed overhead as they scanned the waiting area, their hearts pounding. Then, they spotted Maddie sitting in the hallway, speaking quietly with a police officer. Her face was streaked with tears, her hands trembling as she clutched her phone.

Rebecca rushed to her. “Maddie! What happened? Where is she?”

Maddie looked up, her lip quivering. “She’s in there…” She pointed toward a closed hospital room door, then buried her face in her hands. “She—she was attacked. I—I tried to get to her, but I wasn’t fast enough.”

Mark didn’t wait. He turned toward the door just as a doctor stepped out, looking grim. The man’s expression was carefully composed, but the weight behind his eyes spoke volumes. He looked between Mark and Rebecca.

“Are you Kendra’s parents?”

Rebecca quickly answered, “I’m her mother.”

The doctor nodded, his voice lowering slightly as he carefully chose his words. “Your daughter was… sexually assaulted.”

The air was sucked from the room.

Rebecca froze, her body going rigid before a strangled cry escaped her lips. Mark—Mark couldn’t breathe. His chest tightened, his pulse pounded in his ears, drowning out everything else. The words repeated in his head, but they didn’t seem real.

The doctor continued, his voice steady yet gentle. “She’s stable, but we’re conducting a rape kit now. Once we’re done, you’ll be able to see her.”

Rebecca turned into Mark’s chest, sobbing uncontrollably. He felt her shaking, felt the dampness of her tears soaking into his shirt. But he couldn’t move. Couldn’t think. Couldn’t feel anything except the burning rage growing inside of him.

His hands curled into fists.

Someone had hurt Kendra.

And whoever it was… was going to pay.

Maddie continued to talk to the police officer, recounting everything she knew.

“Kendra called me, saying someone was following her,” Maddie explained, her voice shaking. “She sounded nervous, said she didn’t feel safe and asked if I could pick her up. She was going to take a cab, but there was an hour delay.” Maddie swallowed hard, her hands gripping her phone tightly. “When I got to the spot where she told me to meet her… she wasn’t there. I tried calling, texting—but nothing. Then, suddenly, she came stumbling out of an alley, covered in blood.” Maddie’s breath hitched, eyes brimming with tears. “I didn’t know what else to do but bring her straight here.”

Mark’s breathing became erratic, rage curling deep in his stomach. One name burned through his thoughts like wildfire.

Jake.

Without thinking, Mark took a step back, turning sharply on his heel.

“Where are you going?” Rebecca asked, her voice still trembling.

Mark ignored her, his hands shaking with pure fury. “Maddie,” he said, his tone low and controlled, masking the storm inside him. “Where does Jake live?”

Maddie hesitated, glancing at the police officer, who was still taking notes. “Mark—”

“Where?” he snapped, his patience gone.

Maddie exhaled sharply, then gave him an address.

Without another word, Mark stormed out of the hospital and got into his car. His heartbeat pounded in his chest as he sat behind the wheel, gripping it so tightly his fingers ached.

His phone pinged.

He pulled it out, barely breathing as he saw the notifications—four missed calls, three unread messages.

From Kendra.

His thumb hovered over the screen, his stomach twisting as he read the texts.

Kendra: Hey, are you busy? Can you pick me up? The cabs are delayed tonight.

Kendra: I think someone is following me. Can you answer the phone so it looks like I’m talking to someone?

Kendra: Never mind, I got ahold of Maddie. Have fun on your date.

Mark’s heart sank. A cold, crushing weight settled over him, suffocating him. She had called him. She had reached out to him for help. And he had ignored her.

He slammed his fist against the steering wheel, a guttural yell ripping from his throat.

Guilt. Fury. Hatred.

He turned the key in the ignition, his hands still shaking.

Then, with a single goal in mind, Mark peeled out of the hospital parking lot, heading straight for Jake’s address.

Mark pulled up to Jake’s apartment complex, his knuckles white as he gripped the steering wheel. The place was rundown—cracked pavement, flickering streetlights, a stench of cheap beer and weed lingering in the air. He stepped out of the car, his fists clenched so tightly his nails dug into his palms. His pulse pounded in his ears as he climbed the stairs two at a time, stopping in front of apartment 2B.

Laughter echoed from inside. Music thumped against the walls.

Mark didn’t knock.

He kicked the door open.

The laughter died instantly. Inside, a few of Jake’s friends sat around a table littered with beer bottles and playing cards, their eyes going wide at the sight of Mark storming in like a goddamn hurricane. Jake was leaning back on the couch, a cocky smirk on his face—until he saw Mark.

“The f**k?” Jake sat up, clearly caught off guard. “You lost, old man?”

Mark didn’t speak. He just stared at Jake with a deadly calm, his body coiled with pure, unfiltered rage.

Jake scoffed, standing up. “What, you here about Kendra?” He rolled his eyes. “Man, that b***h—”

Mark was on him before he could finish the sentence. He grabbed Jake by the collar, shoving him back so hard he crashed against the wall, knocking over a lamp.

“Whoa, whoa—” One of Jake’s friends started to stand, but Mark shot him a glare so lethal, the guy sat right back down.

“Talk,” Mark ordered, his voice dangerously low. “Tell me what you did to her.”

Jake chuckled, though there was fear in his eyes. “Look, man, she was being a tease. You see the way she dresses? The way she acts? She was asking for it.”

That was it.

Something inside Mark snapped.

His fist connected with Jake’s jaw, sending him sprawling to the floor. A strangled groan escaped Jake’s throat as he clutched his face, but Mark didn’t stop. He loomed over him, dragging him up by his shirt before slamming his fist into his stomach, then his ribs. Jake gasped, wheezing, trying to block the blows, but Mark was relentless. Every punch was filled with pure, vengeful rage—each strike fueled by the image of Kendra’s bloodied, broken form stumbling out of that alley.

Jake coughed, spitting blood onto the floor. “S-stop,” he wheezed.

Mark grabbed him by the collar again, slamming him against the wall. His voice was deadly quiet, the rage barely contained.

“If you ever come near Kendra again—if you so much as think about her—I will kill you.”

Jake’s bloody face twisted in pain, fear finally taking over his arrogance. He nodded quickly.

Mark shoved him to the ground, standing over his broken, heaving body before stepping back, his hands dripping with blood—Jake’s blood.

Without another word, Mark turned and walked out of the apartment, his heart still hammering.

—

Mark drove back to the hospital, his mind still a whirlwind of anger, guilt, and something else—something deeper, something that terrified him.

He walked into the waiting area, where Rebecca and Maddie were sitting outside Kendra’s hospital room.

Rebecca looked up—and immediately gasped. “Mark! What happened?” Her eyes widened as she took in his bloody hands.

Mark exhaled sharply, brushing it off. “It’s not my blood.” His voice was rough, strained. “How is she?”

Rebecca hesitated, her brows furrowing. “She… she doesn’t want anyone,” she admitted quietly, sadness lacing her voice.

Mark swallowed hard, nodding. He took a deep breath and stepped toward the door.

Inside the hospital room, the air was heavy. Dim. Too quiet.

Kendra lay on her side, her back to the door, staring blankly out the window.

Mark closed the door softly behind him, hesitating for a moment before clearing his throat. “I’m sorry.”

No response.

She didn’t even flinch.

Mark stepped closer, his movements slow, careful, as if approaching a wounded animal. He sat in the chair beside her bed, watching her.

She wouldn’t look at him. She just kept staring out the window, her body stiff, tense.

Gently, he reached out, touching her shoulder.

Kendra flinched.

Mark felt his breath hitch in his throat. His hand fell away, his stomach twisting. Then—quietly, almost imperceptibly—he heard it.

A soft, broken sob.

Kendra’s shoulders shook as tears slipped down her face, silent but endless.

Mark moved without thinking. He slid onto the bed beside her, wrapping his arms around her.

At first, she didn’t react. But then, slowly, hesitantly, she turned into him, her body pressing against his, her hands clutching his shirt as she buried her face in his chest, her cries muffled against him.

Mark closed his eyes, holding her tightly, his own throat tightening with emotion.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered against her hair, his voice raw. “I’m so f*****g sorry, baby.”

And for the first time in his life, Mark Bennett felt utterly powerless.