I knew I had f****d up. I knew I should’ve done better, that I shouldn’t have let David goad me like that, that I should’ve walked away, been the bigger person, taken a breath. But the truth was, he’d asked for an ass-kicking—and when David got in that mood, the best thing for him was usually to be taken down a notch or two. The guy needed reminders sometimes, reminders that not everyone would just put up with his bullshit.
Still, none of that mattered once I saw the look on Cora’s face. That was the part that stuck. That was the part that hurt more than any punch could. That expression—equal parts disappointment and frustration—was like a gut punch that lingered long after the fight ended. It always wrecked me when she looked at me like that. Always had.
It didn’t happen often anymore,
