I turned the corner near the edge of the dance floor intending to wait for Evan. Every muscle in my body turned to cement when I saw him. My stomach knotted, and my heart spiraled to a painful stop. I rubbed my eyes, unwilling to believe what I saw at the end of the hallway.
Evan stood at the end of the hall, his body smashed against some blonde-haired woman in a short blue dress, her arms locked around his neck. With his tongue halfway down her throat and one of his hands under her skirt, his body moved against hers in a rhythm that made my dinner lurch in my stomach.
The live music reverberated harshly through my ears. Anger and betrayal pumped like acid through my veins. Hot tears seared the corners of my eyes and my hands fisted the fabric of my dress. I tried to blink away the evidence of my shattering heart and be strong, but the tears kept coming, refusing to leave my dignity intact.
Part of me wanted to bolt for the door and drink enough alcohol to burn the image from my eyes, but the rest of me wanted to rip every last strand of Evan’s perfectly gelled hair from his head.
“Evan,” I yelled, but his name clotted in my throat.
He lifted his head, and his dark eyes locked with mine.
“Hattie, baby,” he said pushing away from the woman. “I’m sorry.” He held out his hand to me—the same one that had been up that woman’s dress five seconds earlier—and I felt something break inside me beyond recognition. My heart? Trust? I didn’t know.
I backpedaled a few steps, shaking my head from side to side, my short hair whipping my cheeks. “Don’t touch me.” A dozen fragmented thoughts collided in my brain, but my mouth floundered. The ability to focus escaped me. Was this the first time he’d cheated? Or did it happen so often that he wasn’t worried about me catching him in the act? Was he dating this woman too? Were there others? Did his friends know?
“Evan,” the blonde woman said as her bubblegum fingernails dug into the skin on his forearm. “What’s going on?”
He snatched his arm out of her grasp, keeping his glued to mine. “Lena, you need to leave. You were a mistake. It’s over.”
Her heavily made-up blue eyes widened for a minute and then she marched past him, her shoulder knocking into mine. “Go to hell. You said you weren’t dating her anymore,” she yelled, her finger waving in my direction. “Don’t call me again. I’m done with your games.”
With those few words, she confirmed I hadn’t interrupted a one-time hookup. I put a hand on my stomach willing the contents to stay put.
“It’s not as bad as it looks.” Evan took a tentative step toward me.
“You’re right.”
Relief caused his face to sag, and he blew out a long exaggerated breath. “Let me—”
He actually thought I’d fall for his dumb excuses. “It’s worse,” I interrupted. “How many times?”
His eyebrows scrunched together, marring the smooth skin between his dark eyes. “What are you talking about?”
“How many times have you cheated?”
“Baby, what happened tonight will never happen again. We’re good together. Don’t throw it away over a little misstep.”
“A misstep? It won’t happen again.” I echoed his words as the tears blurred my vision until I felt like I was looking through a prism into an alternate reality. “What does that mean? You’re insane if you think I’ll believe anything that falls out of your mouth right now.”
He slammed his hand on the wall, with a dark scowl. “I had too much to drink. She pulled me onto the dance floor and before I knew it, one thing—”
I held up my hand and willed it not to shake. “Don’t try to pull that shit with me. I don’t care if you drank a fifth of vodka. It doesn’t give you a license to cheat, much less shove your hand up some slut’s skirt.” My voice shattered on the last word. I can’t believe four years of dating Evan boiled down to this moment in a stupid bar. It felt like an out of body experience where I floated above my body watching the train wreck unfold second by second.
“Fuck,” he yelled, his eyebrows slanting downward. For a split second, I fantasized about clawing his eyes out. “What can I do to make this better? I can’t lose you. I love you.”
“Jesus. I’m not stupid. Don’t treat me like I am.” I rubbed the back of my hand over my eyes. I’m sure I had rings of mascara dripping down my face. I needed to get control of myself. I didn’t like being the crazy girl, screaming at my boyfriend in public while everyone stared in sick fascination, and I definitely sensed eyes on us—judging me, judging Evan, watching the destruction of my relationship. “I can’t talk to you right now, not here, and not tonight.” I paused, and a shudder rolled through me. “Don’t wait up for me tonight. I’m not going home.”
“No. Don’t do that.” He reached for me again, but I took a giant step back. The thought of him touching me made me sick. “I’ll sleep on the couch.”
“No,” I shook my head, whipping it from side to side. “I can’t be around you. I can’t be anywhere near you. Not tonight. Not tomorrow.” I turned and ran before he stopped me. My body ricocheted off the elbows, knees, and shoulders of faceless people as I threaded through the crowd. I didn’t stop to apologize. I needed to flee before the weight of Evan’s betrayal swallowed me whole.
Chapter Three
“Evan is downstairs again,” my mom said standing in the doorway of my childhood bedroom, the room I’d been using since I walked away from Evan. Over two weeks had slipped by, and I still hadn’t emailed, texted, or talked to Evan, and I didn’t have any intention of changing course now. Our relationship was over. I’d have to talk to him eventually, and I needed to get my things from his place, but I didn’t want to do it yet.
“Tell him to go away,” I responded without looking up from my computer. I buried myself in research for my graduate advisor, trying to ignore Evan and what happened.
“Look at me,” she barked.
I hid my smile. She hated being ignored. I lifted my head and painted a fake smile on my face. “Yes?”
Elegant, ageless, and as cold on the inside as on the outside, my mom braced one expertly manicured hand on her hip. Her blood red fingertips contrasted with her stiff navy dress. “I’m growing tired of this childish game you’re playing with Evan. You need to talk to him. He’s sorry. That’s all that matters. Don’t throw away everything we’ve worked for. Evan is your future.”
I slammed my laptop closed and stood up. “No, mom. He’s not my future. I don’t want to be with him now or ever.”
“Well, you need to alter your opinion because it’s a done deal. You’re going to marry Evan. That’s what everyone expects, and that’s what you’re going to do.” With one graceful flick of her hand, she pushed her subtly highlighted blonde hair away from her face.
“If you like Evan so much, then you marry him, because I don’t intend to welcome him back into my life anytime in the next decade.”