Chapter Twenty-Four
The tears had dried on my cheeks by the time the sun came up, but the cold, hollow ache in my chest had only solidified. I had barely slept, my mind a chaotic storm of Amber’s red lips, the easy way Jake’s hands had rested on her hips, and the devastating weight of his words outside my window: “She made her choice... and I’m giving it to her.”
By Saturday night, the clubhouse was packed again. The energy was electric, fueled by Amber’s second night back and the endless flow of alcohol.
I stood behind the bar, my hands moving on autopilot as I wiped down glasses. I kept my chin up, refusing to look like a broken, discarded thing, but my eyes betrayed me. They kept drifting.
They sat at the elevated table in the corner. Amber was in her element, leaning close to Jake,
