Page 51 of Going All In

“It’s okay, Holly. I’ve got you,” I murmur. I don’t actually know that it’s okay, but I’ll make it my mission to fix it, whatever it is. I have no idea what got her to this point.

Idoknow that when I find out who’s responsible for making her cry like this, I’m going to have a few choice things to say to them.

Finally, her sobs abate, but she keeps clinging to me like a lifeline as she sniffles against my shirt.

“Holly?”

She sniffles in response.

“Are you ready to talk about it?”

She pulls back and looks up at me, swiping at her wet cheeks with the back of her hand. I brush her hair back from her face, cupping her cheeks with my hands.

“It’s—it was Jared,” she says, and a new wave of tears starts coursing down her face.

17

HOLLY

It’s been a shitty day. I’m no closer to finding a home for Julio, and the clock is ticking. To make matters worse, I had a court hearing today for a pair of siblings who were hoping to be reunited with their mother. She didn’t show, and the judge had no choice but to permanently remove the kids from her custody.

The sheer, unfiltered grief on their faces still haunts me as I pour myself a glass of pinot grigio, trying my best to block out the day’s events. I did my best, and it wasn’t enough today.

I wonder if JJ’s day has gone any better than mine. It’s after 6 p.m. and she’s not home, so she’s either having a shitty day at work too or she’s already at the bar. Or maybe she’s out with Justin, enjoying life. If that’s the case, I don’t want to be the one to put a damper on her fun.

I carry my overly full wine glass to the couch. I can stream a few episodes of CSI and then go to bed early. Yep, that sounds like a fabulous Friday night.

I lift the remote and turn the TV on. I’m about to hit play when a knock sounds at my door.

I pause. I’m not expecting anyone.

There it is again, firm and insistent.

Maybe JJ forgot her key? I’m pretty sure she’d text me, though. I get up and make my way to the door—quietly, in case it’s a serial killer—and look through the peephole.

Fuck. It’s Jared. That’s worse than a serial killer. I don’t have the strength for this right now.

“Holly? I can hear you there. Open the door. I need to talk to you.” His wheedling voice comes through the door, and I take an involuntary step back.

Double fuck.

I undo the chain and open the door a few inches. “What do you want, Jared?” I’m not scared of him. He’s never hurt me physically. Honestly, if I could swing it, I’d love to see him out in public. Somewhere I can emotionally destroy him the way he destroyed me.

He flashes me that smile, the one that gets him out of every possible consequence in life. “I’m back in town, babe. I missed you.”

No. Fuck no. “Jared, I’m not interested. Go away.”

He leans against the doorframe, looking way too sexy, but I’m not going to fall for it. Not this time. “Aren’t you going to invite me in?”

What? “No fucking way Jared. You broke my goddamn heart. You humiliated me in front of the people I love the most. There’s no way to make that right.”

He doesn’t look the least bit remorseful as he says, “Sorry, babe. I was messed up back then. I didn’t have my priorities straight. I miss you. I want to give it another go.”

I grip the door so hard my knuckles turn white. “You had your chance. You ripped my heart out during the worst time in my life. You don’t get another go at it.” Tears prick my vision. I grit my teeth. I will not cry in front of Jared.

I thought I loved him, once. We met during grad school, when I was working on my master’s in social work and he was a PhD student in the biochem department. We were hot and heavy for two years, even talked about getting married. Then my mom died in the car accident, and my world stopped. He held me, talked to me like he cared enough to help me through it.

And then at the funeral, I caught him fucking my cousin.

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