Chapter 4-Betrayal
1970 Words
We eventually settled into the living room.
“Chet, you still drink red wine?” Spark questioned.
“Yeah.”
She smiled.
“I remembered.”
Something about the way she said it bothered me.
Spark looked toward Blaze.
“Beer?”
“f**k yeah.”
She walked toward the kitchen.
I waited.
And waited.
She didn't ask me.
A few minutes later, she came back carrying the drinks.
Spark handed Chet his wine and Blaze his beer before sitting down.
I stared at her.
Seriously?
Spark eventually looked over.
“Oh! Ana, I'm sorry. I forgot you were there.”
My brows rose.
There was no way.
I'd corrected her less than ten minutes ago.
“It's Ava.”
Her smile tightened.
“Right. Ava. Did you want something?”
Before I could answer, Chet spoke.
“Water's fine for her.”
I looked at him.
“Excuse me?”
“You said you wanted to make sure your wedding dress fits perfectly, honey.”
Heat crawled up my neck.
I hadn't said that.
“I can decide what I want to drink.”
Chet's jaw tightened.
“Don't start.”
Don't start?
I hadn't done anything.
“What the f**k is up with that?”
Blaze's voice cut through the room.
Chet looked at him.
“What's up with what?”
“Her needing water because of some fuckin' dress.”
Blaze gestured toward me.
“Nothing's wrong with Ava from what I can see.”
I blinked.
He'd known me for less than an hour and somehow this stranger was the one defending me.
Chet gave an uncomfortable laugh.
“It's between me and my fiancée.”
Blaze's expression hardened, but Spark quickly jumped in.
“I'll get her something else.”
Her.
Apparently, saying my actual name was becoming difficult for the woman.
Dinner hadn't been much better.
Spark barely spoke directly to me unless she had to.
But she sure as hell had plenty to say to Chet.
Little things.
Stories I didn't understand.
Jokes that apparently had history behind them.
Laughing like Chet was the funniest person on the planet.
Which Chet didn't really have a sense of humor.
I tried telling myself it made sense.
They'd known each other longer than I'd known either of them.
Still, something felt... off.
Then Spark suddenly pushed her chair back.
Her hand flew over her mouth.
She barely made it out of the room before I heard her getting sick.
Blaze frowned.
“She's been doing that s**t for a few days.”
My nurse brain immediately kicked in.
“Has she been sick?”
“Says she ain't.”
Spark eventually came back looking pale.
“Are you okay?” I questioned, concerned.
“Fine.”
“Any fever?”
She shook her head.
“Stomach pain?”
“No.”
“Fatigue?”
Spark hesitated.
“A little.”
“Any food suddenly bothering you? Breast tenderness?”
Her eyes snapped to mine.
That reaction caught my attention.
“Why?”
I shrugged.
“I'm a nurse. Those symptoms can mean several things.”
Spark's hand moved unconsciously toward her stomach.
“Including pregnancy.”
The room went dead silent.
Spark looked at Chet.
Not Blaze.
Chet.
My eyes narrowed.
Chet's face had lost some of its color.
“Ava, stay the hell out of it.”
I stared at him.
“I was talking to Spark.”
“And I'm telling you to drop it.”
Why the hell was he getting angry?
Spark wouldn't look at Blaze.
Chet wouldn't look at me.
Then everything from the moment we'd arrived started replaying in my head.
Spark's smile disappeared when she saw Chet.
Ana.
More than twice
Chet defending her over something as simple as my own damn name.
Spark remembering exactly what wine Chet drank.
The looks between them.
And now this.
My stomach dropped.
No.
No f*****g way.
I looked at Spark.
Then Chet.
“Oh my God.”
Chet's eyes snapped to mine.
“Ava—”
“You two slept together.”
“Shut the f**k up, Ava.”
That was all the confirmation I needed.
My chair scraped backward as I stood.
“You son of a bitch.”
“Ava, calm the f**k down.”
“Calm down?”
I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
“We're supposed to be getting married!”
“I said Shut the f**k up!”
Chet's hands hit me.
Hard.
I stumbled backward into the table.
Pain shot through me as my hip slammed against the edge.
Everything happened at once.
Blaze was out of his chair.
“You put your fuckin' hands on her?”
His fist connected with Chet's face before I could even process what was happening.
I didn’t want to stick around. I got up and left. Not saying a word.
….
I went back to Chet's place.
I didn't go there to talk.
I went there to get my s**t.
Thankfully, I hadn't moved everything in yet. Most of my belongings were still in a storage unit while we figured out how to combine two households.
Apparently, procrastinating had finally worked in my favor.
I dragged both suitcases from the closet and started packing.
Clothes.
Shoes.
Toiletries.
Anything that belonged to me went into a bag.
I had the first suitcase almost full when I heard footsteps behind me.
“Honey.”
I didn't turn around.
“It was an honest mistake. We were drunk.”
My hands stopped.
An honest mistake?
I gave a sarcastic laugh.
I slowly turned toward him.
“Don't lie to me, Chet.”
“I'm not lying.”
“Yes, you are.”
His jaw tightened.
“There was something off the second Spark opened that door. The way she looked at you. The way she treated me. The way you kept defending her.”
I shook my head.
“That wasn't a woman feeling guilty because she slept with my fiancé one drunken night.”
Chet looked away.
There it was.
“You two have been f*****g around for a while, haven't you?”
“No.”
His answer came too quickly.
“It happened once. I swear.”
I stared at him for a moment.
“Okay.”
Chet seemed to relax.
I held my hand out.
“Give me your phone.”
His expression changed immediately.
“What?”
“Your phone.”
“Why?”
“I want to see your messages.”
Chet actually took a step backward.
“That is a complete invasion of my privacy.”
I almost laughed.
“Privacy?”
“Yes, Ava. Couples are still allowed to have privacy.”
“Absolutely.”
I held my hand out again.
“But you were just caught cheating on me. So right now, I'm giving you an opportunity to prove you're telling the truth.”
“I don't have to prove anything to you.”
“Then don't.”
I went back to packing.
“Ava.”
I ignored him.
“We're supposed to be getting married. If you can't trust me, we have a serious problem.”
That got my attention.
I turned around.
“You cheated on me, and somehow my lack of trust is the problem?”
“You're twisting my words.”
“No. I'm repeating them.”
His face reddened.
“Maybe you're so suspicious because you're the one doing something.”
I stared at him.
Then smiled.
“Okay.”
“What?”
I pulled my phone from my pocket, unlocked it and held it toward him.
“Take it.”
Chet looked at my phone.
“Go through everything.”
He didn't move.
“Texts. Emails. Call history. Social media. Whatever you want.”
I held my other hand out.
“And I'll take yours.”
Silence.
Yeah.
That's what I thought.
“I'm not playing these childish games.”
I lowered my phone.
“Neither am I.”
I tossed it onto the bed and continued packing.
“This is bullshit, Ava. I shouldn't have to prove anything to you.”
“You're right.”
He went quiet.
I zipped my suitcase.
“You don't.”
I looked at him.
“And I don't have to marry you.”
His face changed.
“It's over, Chet.”
“Ava—”
“No.”
“You're seriously going to throw away two years over one mistake?”
A bitter laugh escaped me.
“I always find that interesting.”
“What?”
“How cheaters somehow blame the person they cheated on for the relationship ending.”
I opened my second suitcase.
“I'm not throwing away two years. I'm using them as a learning experience.”
"How to spot the wrong asshole."
I grabbed another stack of clothes.
“You threw them away. When you f****d another woman.”
“It happened once!”
“Sure.”
“It did!”
“Then unlock your phone.”
Silence.
I nodded.
“Exactly.”
I went back to packing.
That's when his tune changed.
“Okay.”
I stopped.
Chet ran both hands through his hair.
“Okay, maybe it happened more than once.”
There it was.
“How many?”
“It doesn't matter.”
I laughed.
“Of course it doesn't.”
“I screwed up, honey.”
“Don't call me that.”
“Ava, please.”
He moved closer.
“I have a problem, okay? I'll get help.”
I stared at him.
Now he had a problem.
Five minutes ago, it was one drunken mistake.
Then it was my fault because I didn't trust him.
Then maybe I was cheating.
Now that none of that worked, suddenly he had a problem and needed help.
Interesting.
“
We can go to counseling,” he continued.
“I'll do whatever you want. Just don't throw everything away.”
“There you go again.”
“What?”
“Making me responsible for ending something you destroyed.”
His face hardened.
“I said I was sorry.”
“And?”
He stared at me.
“An apology doesn't mean I have to forgive you.”
I finished packing the last of my clothes and zipped the second suitcase.
Then I looked down at my left hand.
The ring suddenly felt heavy.
I'd looked at that damn thing so many times and thought it represented my future.
A husband.
A house.
Maybe kids someday.
Normal.
Everything I'd convinced myself I wanted.
Now it just represented another person who'd made me feel like I wasn't enough.
I slid the engagement ring from my finger.
Chet watched me.
“Ava, don't.”
I tossed it onto the bed.
“Goodbye, Chet.”
His face went pale.
“Don't do this.”
Chet begged.
“I'm already done.”
I grabbed the handles of my suitcases.
“And don't approach me again.”
I walked out of the bedroom.
“Ava!”
I kept going.
I made it to the top of the stairs.
“You don't get to just f*****g walk away from me!”
I turned my head.
That was my mistake.
Chet was right behind me.
I barely had time to register the rage on his face before both his hands slammed into me.
Hard.
My feet disappeared out from underneath me.
A scream tore from my throat.
The suitcase slipped from my hand.
Then I was falling.
My shoulder hit first.
Pain exploded through me.
Another stair.
My back.
Another.
I tried grabbing the railing, but my fingers couldn't catch it.
Then my head slammed against the final stair.
White flashed across my vision.
For a second, I couldn't hear anything.
Couldn't move.
I tasted blood.
Then everything went black.
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