Page 14 of Stay With Me

When I approach near where he’s sitting, Teddy stands and steps in front of me.

It stops me in my tracks.

“Emily, please. Let’s sit back down and talk. We can figure out how to fix this, babe.”

“What?” I whisper. I back away from him. “Teddy, this isnotfixable. Youbetrayedme.”

His face falls and his mouth hangs open. “Y-you can’t mean that. No. I love you.”

“Well, I hate you!” I snarl.

He reels back like I smacked him.

Rage floods through my veins like a tsunami. I’ve given him so many years of my life. Jesus, so many of my firsts. My first love, my first kiss—yep, I didn’t get my first kiss until I was sixteen years old. My virginity.

Hot tears of pain and anger pour down my cheeks and I grow even more furious that he sees me cry.

“Em…” He steps toward me again, tears now flowing down his face.

“Leave. Now.” My tone is sharp, but I wish I could make it sharp enough to cut him, to hurt him like he’s hurt me. I want to see his emotions bleeding all over the ground like mine are. He’s emotionally eviscerated me.

He moves to step toward me, reaching for me, and I push my hand against his chest, stopping him.

“Please, go.” My energy is quickly waning and I’m not sure how much longer the anger will fuel me. I sense a meltdown coming and I don’t want him here when it happens.

Teddy stares at me for several long, uncomfortable seconds.

“I’ll go. I don’t want to hurt you more. I’m so sorry, Emily. You’re everything to me and I’m so, so fucking sorry.”

And with that, he walks away.

As soon as he’s gone, my breathing becomes erratic and rapid. Dizziness consumes me and queasiness grips my stomach. I rush over to the porch rail and lean over it, then lose the contents of my stomach. The heaving seems never-ending and just when I’m convinced it isn’t going to subside, it finally does.

I stumble over to Trina’s glider and collapse on it, curling myself into a fetal position. I sob uncontrollably for what seems like forever.

And that’s how Trina and Charlie find me over an hour later.

CHAPTER7

CHARLIE

The crisp October air cools my skin and the earthy smell of the leaves I just finished blowing and raking for my mom loosens up the tension I’ve felt since I arrived here today. Being at the home I grew up in brings back unwanted memories of my childhood and the emotional and verbal abuse my dad handed out to my mom and me on the regular. Sometimes he used his fists to hurt us, too, but that was far less common.

I sip the hot, homemade cider Mom made and the hint of tartness complements the burst of the sweet apple flavor as it hits my taste buds. She and I rest on the patio chairs after doing the fall cleanup in my parents’ yard.

“Thank you so much for helping me today. It would have taken me a week straight to get the leaves cleared.” My mom smiles sweetly at me.

“Of course. You know you can always ask me to help with whatever you need to do around here, right?” She nods. “Though it would be a lot easier on you if Dad had let you keep the leaf blower I bought you for Christmas a few years ago.” There’s an undertone of bitterness in my voice.

“I know, Charlie. But you know your dad thought it was too much.”

I glance down and notice my mom wringing her hands in her lap. Just the mere mention of my dad seems to put her on edge.

“Yeah, well, Dad isn’t the one who does the fall cleanup, Mom. You are. So, it’s easy for him to say to do it by hand.”

“Shhh. If he hears you…”

“He’s not even here yet. Don’t worry, okay?” I smile at her as my way of letting her know I’m very aware of the need to make sure I say nothing in front of my father that will anger him. Not because I’m afraid of him—I’m not a six-year-old boy growing up with a rage-filled father anymore. But I don’t want to make anything worse for her, even if it kills me not to put the asshole in his place.

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