Page 13 of Ripple Effect

“Where’s your car?” he asks, glancing across the rows of street parking.

“I walked here.”

His eyes flash with suspicion, a brow arching. “Sure that guy in there didn’t give you a ride?”

I flinch at the accusation, my lips pressing into a tight line. “What are you doing here, Lo?”

He sighs heavily, running a hand through his thick, blond hair. “I just ... we needed to talk.”

Well, that’s just great.Everyone knows that’s the worst way to start a conversation. I’m willing to talk, to hear him out, but I’m not listening to another word until we’re safely tucked inside my space.

The drive back to my apartment is painfully silent, each tick of the clock an echo in the void between us. Logan’s hand reaches for mine, his thumb rubbing circles on the base of my thumb. I allow him the comfort, though it does little to ease my mind.

When we arrive, I lead him inside. Gracie’s in the living room, scrolling through something on her phone. But at the sight of Logan, standing so stiff and awkward beside me, her eyes widen.

“Everything okay?” she asks, voice cautious. I give her a nod, but the look on my face must say otherwise because she quickly retreats. “I’ll be in my room if you need me, alright?”

Once she’s gone, Logan falls onto the couch, head in his hands. He looks defeated, the normally confident, handsome man I’d fallen for seeming so lost.

“Logan ...” I start, uncertainty threading my voice.

“Daisy, I ...” He struggles to find the words, a pain etched onto his face that I’ve never seen before. “I really fucked up.”

A lump forms in my throat, a premonition of what’s to come. “What happened?”

“I ... God, this is really fucking hard. Baby, I,fuck, I slept with someone last night.” The words hang in the air, heavy and heart-wrenching. My whole world tilts on its axis.

“What?” My voice comes out as a whisper, his betrayal sinking deep into my bones.

“It was a mistake,” he rushes to explain, his hands reaching for me. I recoil, the touch I once sought now tainted. “I love you, Daisy, I really do.”

“But . .. Why, then?” I ask, tears pricking at my eyes.

He looks down, a deep breath trembling through him. “I’ve missed you so fucking much,” he confesses, voice barely a whisper. “This girl ... she was just there. Everywhere I turned this past week, she’d be there, flirting with me, and it felt good to have that kind of attention again. I let my guard down.”

“We’ve been apart for less than a month, Logan.” The words slip from my lips, laced with disbelief and pain. His confession burns, searing a hole straight through my heart.

“I know, I know.” He rubs his face with his hands, his voice thick with regret. “But you know, with the team and all, I’ve always been surrounded by this type of attention. And I’ve tried, I’ve really tried to keep my focus. But when you’re not around, it’s ... it’s harder to resist.”

I squeeze my eyes shut, desperate to make sense of his words. “But why would you throw it all away for some fling?”

Logan looks down, and I can sense the battle waging inside him. “You know I love you, Daisy. More than anything. But . . .” His voice trails off, he swallows hard, and then, “When we—the two of us ... look, our sex life, it’s always been very careful, reserved.”

My heart slams into the walls of my chest, each beat echoing his words. “Did you enjoy it, then?” I ask, my voice a choked whisper. “Being with her, was it ... better for you?”

He swallows, thick and heavy, a look of anguish crossing his face. “It was different,” he finally admits.

His words are a punch to the gut.Different.I’d always thought we were enough, that we were good. His confession shatters that belief.

“You know I can’t forgive you for this,” I whisper, the tears stinging as they pool in the corner of my eyes, dripping down my cheeks, and flooding the neck of my T-shirt.

He nods, gaze never leaving his feet. “I know.”

A heavy silence fills the room, the sting of his betrayal still ringing in my ears.

Slowly, I rise from the couch, every ounce of pain and heartbreak radiating through me. Wordlessly, I open the door for him, my hand shaking as I turn the knob. He walks out without a backward glance, leaving behind a silent apartment and a shattered heart.

The door closes with a click, the finality of the sound resonating in the empty space.

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