Page 104 of The Moment You Know

“We’re good together in bed,” he clarified. “And that’s not enough, not when everything else is shit.”

“But we’ve been together four-and-a-half years—”

“I know. And what a waste of time that’s been.”

“It hasn’t been a waste of time!”

“With the exception of Jacob, yes it has. But the rest of it? None of that was real.”

“Of course it was real,” she protested, looking like she was on the verge of tears. “How can you even say that?”

“Your definition of ‘real’ is obviously much different than mine, then. Because mine involves honesty and trust.”

“I know I wasn’t honest, and you don’t trust me right now, but I will earn back your trust. I just need a second chance.”

“You’ve already had a second chance. You could’ve come clean about the emails after I confronted you about my phone. That would’ve showed some integrity, and it might’ve made a difference. But you didn’t say anything, so … we’re done.”

Her face crumpled a little and her eyes took on a sheen of pending tears. She blinked rapidly a few times, as if to keep them at bay, but she lost the fight and began crying in earnest, almost surprising him. “You’re really going to throw away four-and-a-half years?”

“Yes, I really am,” he said, barely moved by her waterworks. “The minute I found out you dicked with my phone, we were on life support and the minute I found out you dicked with my emails, the plug was pulled. We can’t come back from this.”

“No, I don’t believe that.” She wiped at her eyes. “I’ll do whatever it takes to earn your forgiveness, I swear it.”

He regarded her for a long moment, as if giving her pledge serious consideration. “Does ‘whatever it takes’ include earning Paige’s forgiveness?”

Her red, slightly puffy eyes widened almost comically as she registered what he’d said, making it clear that course of action had never occurred to her. It was almost funny, except it wasn’t.

“I wasn’t the only one you fucked over, you know,” he said, aggravated that he had to point out the obvious. “What you did to her was egregious and unlike when you blocked her, this email bullshit was active and ongoing. You might not see what you did as a gross violation, but I can assure you that I do and Paige does. And she deserves the mother of all apologies.”

Seemingly verbally paralyzed, Ashley just looked at him. David looked back, seeing the physically beautiful woman that she was … and feeling absolutely nothing. He didn’t know if she’d been motivated to do what she’d done because she was young (she’d been twenty-three years old when they’d gotten together) but it definitely showed a lack of a moral compass and whatever they’d had together was completely destroyed.

But, as disgusted as he was with her, he was also grateful that it had all come to a head now, and not several years down the road.

“I’ll be gone by the end of the day tomorrow,” he told her.

Her mouth opened, then closed, then opened again, like a fish gasping for air. “Tomorrow? Are you kidding?”

“Do I look like I’m kidding?”

“You can’t pack everything in one day!”

“I know. That’s why Dick’s coming to help. He’ll be here in the morning, around seven, so you probably won’t be able to sleep in—”

“You cocksucker,” she hissed at him. “You told him you were leaving me before you told me?”

“Don’t call me a cocksucker.” His voice was low and deadly. “And no, I didn’t tell him I was leaving you. I texted him and asked him to help me pack my shit tomorrow. That’s it. He’s probably figured out that I’m leaving you on his own, though.”

She saw the animosity he wasn’t even trying to hide and attempted to backtrack. “I’m sorry I called you a cocksucker,” she quickly apologized. “I’m just so upset right now.”

“As am I. But I’m not calling you something shitty, am I?”

He wanted to, though. God, did he want to.

He cleared his throat, ready to keep moving. “Let’s talk about Jacob. And custody.”

“What’s there to talk about?” she asked with a sniffle, wiping at her nose with her fingers. “I assume I’ll have sole custody.”

He raised his eyebrows at that bold claim. Was she on crack? “Why would you assume that?”

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