Page 56 of Cherish

“I’m going home, Jason! My home. I’m getting as far away from you as possible tonight because I don’t want to look at your lying face. Move!”

“I never lied to you,” I say through clenched teeth.

“No?” she challenges. She puts both hands on her hips and looks into my eyes. The look on her face almost breaks me. The tears she’s holding at bay and the way her voice trembles almost brings me to my knees. “What did you say to me those times I mentioned your phone blowing up? ‘It’s nobody important, Alex.’ Lies!” she screams. “I don’t even know who the hell you are.”

“I’m the man you love, Alex. I’m the same person I’ve always been. I’ve never lied. She’s not important to me.” I ignore the pained sound coming from Natalie. “You’re everything.”

The tears fall at my words. Her nose runs, but she doesn’t care. She makes no efforts to wipe anything away.

“Not anymore. You have a baby to focus on now.”

“I don’t even know if the baby is mine, Alex,” I say softly. I close my eyes, knowing those words probably just damned me.

“The fact that you don’t know is the problem. That means there’s a possibility that it is. You need to figure that out, and I need to get out of here.” When she walks around me, I grab her wrist, only for her to yank it out of my hand. She rubs her wrist again, as if my touch causes her pain.

“Jason, let me and Sandy take Alex home. We’ll come back after.”

“I don’t need a ride. I can take care of myself like I always have.” She’s out the door before I can grab her again, slamming it behind her. When I turn, Natalie is standing in front of me, arms crossed with a satisfied smile on her face.

The smile slips off her face when I start to take slow, deliberate steps to her. I grab her by both wrists and drag her to the door.

“You, get the fuck out of my house. Out of my life, you toxic bitch.” She tries to pull away, but she’s no match.

“JD!” Jake yells, grabbing me and stepping between me and Natalie. “Let her go. Natalie, you need to leave now.”

Mellie tosses Natalie’s coat at her and it lands at her feet. “Leave, bitch,” Mellie seethes.

“Grow up, Melanie. Why is she here, Ty? I thought you hated her. You called her a fuckup.” Natalie grabs her coat and takes her time putting it back on.

“I guess our hatred of you united us, Natalie,” Melanie says.

“He didn’t exactly hate fuck me.”

I walk past her, open the door and gesture for her to leave. She turns away from the door and walks back to the kitchen; her strides angry and full of purpose. I run behind her, but I’m too late. She takes the cake, lifts it above her head and throws it on the pristine kitchen floor.

“I expect to be hearing from you soon.” With her head held high, she walks to the door, picking up her coat along the way.

I turn to my sister, to explain away Natalie’s hateful words, but she shakes her head.

“She’s poison, Jason. I won’t let her come between us. Go make things right with Alex.”

CHAPTER 37

ALEX

“Alex, open this fucking door!”

I take a drag of my cigarette, filling my lungs before blowing it out. I ignore him as he continues to pound away. If he continues, he’ll take the door off its hinges and pull the chain off the wall. That’s the only thing keeping him away because I was dumb enough to give him a key.

I take another drag, not bothering to blow the smoke out of the open window. The small space is now white and filled with the smell of tobacco. This was my solace after my mother died. I don’t remember how it began, but the pull of tobacco would ease my stress, and even though it’s been almost two years since I kicked the habit, the need is always there, lurking beneath the surface. I’m normally stronger than this, but not tonight.

“Alexandra! Angel, please open the fucking door.” He must have kicked it this time because the chain practically comes off.

“Go to hell, Jason!” I scream. He pounds on the door again, and I lose what little patience I had left. I cross the room in three angry steps and take the chain off the door. “Don’t you break my fucking door.”

Before the words are out of my mouth, he’s inside the house.

“What the fuck, Alex?” He grabs the cigarette from between my lips and crosses the room into the bathroom. By the time I hear the toilet flush, I already have a new cigarette lit and between my lips.

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