Page 53 of The Most Perfect Wrong

He pulls back suddenly, taking my hands in his and gently lowering them into the water, as if breaking the moment is the hardest thing he’s ever done. “You’re engaged, Cooper. Don’t be that person,” he murmurs, his voice strained, his breath hot against my lips.

What?He’s pulling that card on me? Acting like I’m the bad guy? The cheater?

I step closer, our lips almost touching. “Oh yeah? And what about you?”

He scowls, confused. “What do you mean?”

“Your wife, Ryan… or did you forget about her?”

With a disgusted sigh, I dip under the water and push myself toward the stairs.

“Cooper,” he calls after me.

I don’t look back as I climb out of the pool.

“Cooper!” Ryan shouts from the pool. I gather my things, my movements jerky and rushed, as I see him push himself up on the edge, ready to hop out. I spin on my heel, storming off as fast as possible.

“Cooper!”

I walk faster, almost running. I’m dripping wet, and the second I get inside, I stab the elevator button repeatedly. “Come on, come on, come on,” I plead, my voice rising with panic. Theelevator to my right dings open just as Ryan reaches for the handle of the glass door.

I hammer the close doors button in the elevator. “Come on, come on,” I mutter loudly, teeth clenched. The doors start to close as Ryan lunges forward. They shut just in time, my eyes locking with his, my glare cold as dry ice, burning to the touch.

I release a breath I didn’t know I was holding. My heart is pounding like a drum in my chest, my hands trembling. I will them to steady as the elevator climbs to the fifteenth floor. I know he’s going to follow me, and I’m realizing I haven’t thought this through. As soon as the doors open, I rush down the hallway, slipping inside my room just as I hear him call my name.

What am I even doing? What am I going to do now—just hole up in my room like a child?Shit. What have I done?Why didn’t I just ask him about his wife? Did I really just create all this drama because I can’t decide if I want a reason to hate Ryan or to fuck him? Maybe I just want to feel something—anything—different from what I have with Brad.

Maybe I want to feel what I felt in Newport.

God, I’m so fucked up.

That’s when the tears come.

And the pounding on the door.

“Cooper! Open the door.”

I squeeze my eyes shut and slide my back down the wall, letting my head hang heavy in my hands, elbows resting on my knees.

“Cooper. Open the goddamn door. Let me explain.”

I don’t say anything. I just silently sob.

I silently hate myself.

What kind of person does this?

The kind that feels trapped.

Chapter 17

COOPER

I cried myself to sleep after the pool, a mix of emotional exhaustion and the edible catching up with me. I woke up at 11:00 PM and I’ve tried to fall back to sleep, but now I’m too restless. My mind is going a million different directions. Sitting up, I reach for the remote. Some mindless television might help. But a few minutes later, I find myself in bed with the lamp on, staring at the TV, without actually watching it. My thoughts are all over the place. I think about Brad, Ryan, hell, even my mom and dad. How did I end up in a relationship like theirs? Is cheating like abuse—one of those cycles that’s hard to break? Is it a pattern that gets passed down?

I wonder what it is about me that makes me stay with Brad—what’s different about me and Casey. Are we different, or did she just find one of the good ones?

Do I really believe Ryan’s an asshole? Is Brad actually a good guy? How can I love my dad so much when he betrayed my mom too many times to count? And why do I blame her for everything, even when she was the one who was hurt the most? Is this a me problem or a them problem—or are we just humans that sometimes lose ourselves when it all goes to hell?

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