Page 8 of Tainted Tempos

“Fuck.” Mav sounds gutted. “I thought we were happy and in the moment too...” He lowers his voice. “She doesn’t remember...”

I don’t remember...

“I got you now, Mckenna. Come on, don’t you want me?” he taunts.

I gasp for breath, the air too thin.

I remember... I remember that night.

“That you guys got married?” Allegra asks.

“That too,” Mav replies, letting the words he’s not saying hover in the air. He gives them time to sink in.

“Fuck, bro. She doesn’t remember that y’all...you know,” Jameson says delicately.

Mav groans miserably.

I stand up and pace in front of the bed. My teeth begin to chatter as I rake my fingers through my hair, pulling it out of the bun I had secured it in.

What the hell is happening?

Bonfire. An expanse of trees. So many stars.

His charcoal gray coat and heavy boots.

A creaking, sticky floor. Brown couch.

Laughter. Giggles. Andhisbreathing. Heavy.

“She doesn’t seem like herself,” Allegra voices quietly. “I remember, but no, that was years ago and...” She trails off. I can picture her worrying her bottom lip between her teeth, wondering if she should voice her thoughts.

“Something happened during her 1L year. And she...retreated. Disappeared inside herself for a while. I thought it was her parents’ divorce, but...something happened. And rightnow, she has that same shell-shocked expression.” Allegra lays it all out there.

Something happened during her 1L year.

Branson Burton happened.

And now, I remember.

A keening sound falls from my lips as I clutch the sides of my head. My chest tightens like a belt pulled too tight.

“What do you mean something happened?” Maverick snaps. “What happened?” He sounds furious. Horrified. Desperate.

All the things I should feel, but I feel lost right now, watching myself fall apart as if I’m a spectator to my own breakdown.

Cold and panicked.

Ashamed and guilty.

Alone.

“I don’t know,” Allegra says softly. “I was in LA at the time, and she was in Boston, but she wasn’t herself.”

“Jesus,” Levi murmurs.

“We need a plan,” Derek says reasonably. “We need a unified front for the public while you and Mckenna sort things between yourselves. We’ll have to put out a statement. Are we congratulating you guys on your nuptials?”

“You can’t get an annulment,” Jameson agrees with compassion in his tone.

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