Chapter 46
1789 Words
“For what?” I explode. “For chopping up my f*****g plants?”
“They were weeds.”
“You’re a f*****g weed. Go home!”
“Suits me fine.” He turns toward the door. “You’re an ungrateful wench.”
“Henley,” I call.
He turns back to face me. “You’re a self-centered f*****g asshole, do you know that?”
He narrows his eyes and steps toward me. “Do not blame me for your delusional little love affair.”
“What the hell does that mean?” I explode. Adrenaline is surging through my body. My heart is hammering in my chest.
He screws up his face and in a whiny-little-girl voice says, “I love you, Henley.” He glares at me, contempt dripping from his every pore. “You had to go and ruin everything, didn’t you?”
I stare at him, shocked.
“Wow...”
His eyes hold mine, and he lifts his chin to the sky in defiance, as if goading me into a fight.
The stupid tears well in my eyes again. Stop it.
“At least one of us loves you,” I whisper. “Because you sure don’t.”
His jaw clenches.
“Is this...” I try to articulate my words. “Is this how you treat people who care about you, Henley?”
He glares at me.
“Yes.” I hold my hands up in surrender. “I won’t apologize for being myself.”
“Don’t.”
“Don’t what? Don’t be human? Don’t hold someone dear who means something to me?”
He twists his lips in anger.
“I am about two minutes from walking out of your life forever. What have you got to say about that?” I snap.
His eyes rise to meet mine. They’re cold and hard. “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”
Oh...
He turns and, without another word, leaves. I screw up my face in tears. My heart races out of control.
Fuck.
Tuesday night
I stare at my face in the bathroom mirror. The green mud mask needs to do miracles tonight.
I’ve never felt so bad.
Barry can sense my heartache and hasn’t left my side. He’s the best little friend ever.
I am officially sworn off men. I hate them all.
Knock, knock, knock sounds from downstairs.
Was that the door?
Knock, knock, knock sounds again.
What?
Who is that? I tiptoe down the stairs and see Rebecca at the front door.
What in the world? I open the door in a rush. “Hi. What’s wrong?”
“Let’s go,” she snaps.
“What?”
“It’s time. I put an AirTag in his car, and he’s still not home from work. He’s at a restaurant on the south side. Time to bust a move. Let’s f*****g go.”
My eyes widen. “Oh shit.” Okay. “I have to wash my face mask off. Give me one minute.”
“I’ll get the car,” she snaps.
I take the stairs two at a time. Oh crap. This could be bad. Please don’t be doing anything wrong. “f**k, I hate men.” I wash my face mask off at record speed and pull a sweater over my flannel pajamas. I pull on my sneakers. “Back soon, Barry.” I run out the front, where Rebecca is waiting in her car.
I bounce in, and she takes off before I’ve even closed my car door. “What’s happened?” I whisper as I look between her and the very quickly oncoming road.
“He’s cheating, I know he is.” She takes the corner, and we nearly lift onto two wheels.
I hang on for dear life as she drives like a maniac. “What’s the plan?” My eyes flick between her and the road once more. “Do we have a plan?”
Please don’t let us go to jail tonight.
“I just want to wait and catch him in the act. If I don’t see it with my own eyes, I know he will never admit it.”
“Okay.” I nod as I cling onto my seat belt. “Probably should slow down, though, babe.” We take another corner, and the tires screech. I close my eyes in fear.
Fuck, we’re so going to die.
Twenty terrifying minutes later, we come to a standstill, parked across the road from the restaurant.
She turns the car off, and we sit in the darkness. “That’s his car there.”
His car is parked out front.
“Do you want me to go and see if he’s in there?” I ask.
“No, I don’t want him to suspect anything. He might see you.”
“Okay.”
“Do me a favor,” she says.
“Anything.”
“If he comes out and he’s with a woman, film it on your phone for me.”
“What?”
“I need to have photographic evidence that he’s really doing this so I can look back on it to stay strong.”
I nod. “Okay.”
My heart is beating hard. f**k.
Suddenly I’m given a new perspective. I think I’ve got problems? I was only with Fuckface Henley for two weeks, and I’m heartbroken. This is Rebecca’s husband that she has spent twelve years with. The man who is supposed to love and protect her forever. I can’t imagine what she’s going through.
“What time does the restaurant close?” she asks.
I quickly google it. “It says eleven.”
She glances at the clock. “Ten minutes.”
Shit.
We sit in the darkness, not speaking. I mean, what is there to say?
The door opens, and we hold our breath. Two men walk out.
We both let out a sigh of relief.
I really hope this is innocent. I don’t think it is, though.
The door opens, and a man and a woman walk out. “Is that them?” I frown.
“No.”
We both sit back.
The door opens again, and this time John comes into view. He’s holding a woman’s hand. She’s wearing a red dress and has long blonde hair. She’s young and beautiful.
“f**k,” I whisper.
Rebecca watches, and I take her hand in mine.
They walk to his car. He opens up the passenger door for her. He pushes her up against it and kisses her deeply. He says something, and the woman laughs out loud.
“I know her,” Rebecca whispers through tears.
My eyes flick to her. “Who is it?”
“Her name is Mia.”
My heart sinks. “How do you know her?”
“She’s his secretary.”
We watch as they drive away, and sit in silence, both in shock.
“I’m so sorry, Bec,” I whisper.
She starts the car. “Not as sorry as he’s going to be.” We pull out into the traffic and drive home in silence. I’m holding her hand in her lap.
“What are you going to do?” I whisper.
She shrugs as she grips the steering wheel with white-knuckle force.
“Stay at my house tonight, okay?” I squeeze her hand.
“No.” She keeps her eyes on the road. “I’m dealing with this tonight.”
“Just wait.”
“For what?”
“For him to come home.”
Oh hell...
We drive into our street and pull up in her driveway. She hits the remote, and the garage door goes up, and we drive in.
“You can go home,” she says calmly. “Thanks for coming with me.”
I feel like I shouldn’t be witnessing this, that it’s a private matter, but then I’m not leaving her alone with the douchebag.
“I’m not going anywhere,” I tell her. “I’m waiting with you.”
She gives me a sad smile and gets out of the car and walks inside.
Two hours later
Rebecca paces as I sit on her couch. The house is silent and sad, lit only by the lamp.
She doesn’t want him to know she’s still awake when he comes in.
Neither of us is saying anything. We both know that this is the end of her marriage, and what could you possibly say to make this better?
Rebecca stares into space. “He’s having s*x with her right now,” she whispers.
I get a lump in my throat. “Don’t think of it.”
“I wonder if she gives him anal...”
My eyes well with tears.
“It’s been going on for eighteen months,” she says idly.
I’ve got a bad feeling about this.
“Why don’t we go back to my house, deal with this tomorrow when we’re fresh? I’ll take a few days off. Maybe we could go on a girls’trip away to clear your head,” I say hopefully.
“No.” She walks into the office and returns with a baseball bat.
My eyes widen... f**k.
“What... what... are you doing with that?”
Is she going to kill him?
I think I need to call Chloe for backup. I don’t know what to do here.
“Rebecca, give me the bat.”
The car pulls into the driveway, and before I can even look out the window, Rebecca is running through the front door toward him. “You f*****g asshole,” she screams. She takes a run up and smashes the bat into his windshield, shattering it into a million pieces.
“Fuck.” I run out after her. “Rebecca, stop.”
The lights in the houses all go on.
“How could you?” she screams like a crazy person. Her screams echo for miles, and she lifts the bat back again and smashes his car once more.
“What are you doing?” John cries.
“How is Mia?”
His eyes widen.
“Bec, don’t. Please,” I beg. “He’s not worth it.”
She smashes the car again. “I leave all my family and friends, move across the country for you, and this is how you repay me?”
“What’s happening?” Blake calls as he runs toward us from his house. He’s in boxer shorts and disheveled. “Rebecca,” he yells. “What are you doing? Stop.”
“How could you?” she cries.
“Rebecca.” Blake struggles with her to take the bat out of her hand as she fights him.
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