Page 36 of Mercy Lake

“Do you want me to stop?” he asked, his voice strained so much that I thought his throat was closing.

I shook my head, and he ran a hand through his hair but continued.

“I was wine-drunk out of my mind. Literally passed out on her couch when I woke up with her mouth on me. I was so out of it, I didn’t even know what was happening—”

“Wait, what?” I interrupted. Owen was renowned for being a lightweight and sloppy drunk, especially on wine. Everyone knew that, including Everly. “You weren’t even aware of your surroundings? That’s serious, Owen.”

He gave a defeated sigh. “Yeah. I didn’t realise it at the time, but my therapist said Everly assaulted me since I was so intoxicated I didn’t even recognise her.”

The earth paused on its axis as the new revelation hit me with the weight of the moon itself.

“Oh, my.”I crumbled. Right there on the pavement. “She… She sexually assaulted you? Fuck!” The thin tether holding my emotions in check just collapsed.

Why? Why? Why?

I came to on a garden bench, Owen sitting next to me, running his hands down my back—placating me, petting me, soothing me.

“Maybe we should stop,” he said.

“No, please. I want to know the rest… If that’s okay with you?”

“I’ll give you whatever you want, Lex. I’ve had a lot of time to wrestle these demons, so they’re not as fresh for me as they are for you right now.”

He inhaled deeply, then detangled himself until we weren’t touching anymore.

“It’s hard to reconcile… I could easily use Everly as an excuse, but her shitty actions don’t cancel out my own.”

Then, he gave me his eyes, full of heartbreak, and I knew I wouldn’t like what he said next. “Although I was out of it at first, there was a point there where I was fully aware, cognitive and in control of my actions. At that point, I still … We still—”

“You still continued … to fuck her,” I said, defeated.

“It was only a second. A lapse in judgement. Then, I threw her off me and ran. But that one second sealed my fate. Everly committed a disgusting act. But I wasn’t fully innocent either.”

I remained silent because what the hell was I supposed to say?

Owen shook his head. “When I got my shit together, I ran out of there straight away. I didn’t even… I didn’t come.”

“Like that’s supposed to mean anything!” I spat.Shit, shit, shit. This isn’t the way it was supposed to go.

Owen turned his imploring eyes on me. “It wouldn’t mean anything… if she hadn’t lied and said I knocked her up.”

“Lied?”

Chapter 21

ALEXIS

“Oh my god, Owen. You didn’t even finish, and the thought didn’t cross your mind to get an independent paternity test?”

“That’s because I wasn’t in my right mind, Alexis. I was riddled with guilt and grief. It twisted my reasoning, every damn thought. I trusted her word because what else did I have to go off?”

Is it too late to hit him? Because I definitely want to hit him.

“Her word? She assaulted you, Owen. What made you think she was trustworthy after something like that?”

“I was a fucking mess! And that baby became my lifeline. I had to have something to show after destroying my marriage. I had to have something that was worth salvaging after losing everything. That baby was filling the void that you had leftbehind. Of course I was going to latch on like an anchor. Otherwise, what was the point? That baby was my responsibility, and I was willing to step up and be a good father. Until it all came crashing down around me.”

His sincerity began chipping away at my spite, the remaining malice I had held onto for so long.

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