Page 65 of Quake
“I deserve to know,” I demanded, my hands shaking. “What happened to you?”
A sob escaped her throat, and I couldn’t believe, not for one second, that she was doing this willingly. I’d seen the light in her eyes when we were together. I’d felt…
“You’re better off not knowing,” she replied.
She turned away and kept walking, pushing open the studio door and disappearing into the night. At least she wasn’t afraid of the dark anymore. Like that was some fucked-up consolation prize. The door slammed shut, and I was alone, my heart completely shredded.
I was completely blindsided. My head spun like I’d just been punched in the temple, and I fell, my ass hitting the mat with a slap.
Something had forced her to do this. She didn’t want to leave. I didn’t believe a single thing she’d said, other than…
I raised my head, anger searing through my body, replacing the despair Juliette’s words had carved into my chest. Dad had offered her fifty thousand dollars to leave me.Dad had offered her a motherfucking bribe to dump my ass.
I pushed to my feet, grinding my teeth together. My father had done this. He’d done this, and he was going to pay.
This was the final fucking straw.
* * *
Islammedmy foot on the brake, my car skidding to a stop in my parents’ driveway.
Getting out, I didn’t even bother closing the door. Forcing my way into the house, I went from room to room, calling out for Dad.
He emerged from his study, looking bewildered. It was a punch in the face seeing him act so fucking innocent when he was manipulating a vulnerable woman behind my back. A woman I cared deeply for.The nerve…
“Caleb? What’s all this noise?” he exclaimed.
Zeroing in on him, I shoved him back into the study. “You have balls, Dad. I’ve always known how slimy you could be, but this is a new low, even for you.”
Straightening up, his lip curled, and the boxer, not the father, stared back at me. He was cold, unfeeling, and a stone wall standing before me. If this came to blows, I’d be on my ass in a second, but I didn’t care. If I got in one good punch, I’d be happy.
“What did you do?” I demanded, fisting my hands into the front of his shirt. Jerking him close, I snarled, “What did you do to her, Dad? What did you do to Juliette?”
“What needed to be done,” he replied, staring at me stony-faced.
“What needed…” I scoffed, my face contorting. “You’re un-fucking-believable.”
“This is for the best, Caleb,” he said. “For our family, for your career, for our reputation. You’ll see in time.”
“Offering her fifty thousand dollars to leave me is good for our reputation?” I snorted, shoving him away. “It’s disgusting.”
“It’s more than that slut deserves.”
I raised my fist and struck, a burst of hatred exploding within me. It was so overwhelming it was all I could see. My knuckles slammed into Dad’s face, the shock from the blow tearing up my arm, but I could hardly feel anything.
He stumbled back in surprise, but it was only for a split second. He came back at me with a right hook, and there was nothing I could do to stop his fist coming down hard on my cheek. Rule number one of boxing was to never let your emotions get the better of you. Right now, mine were completely out of control.
The blow sent me sprawling, and I fell to the floor, my palms colliding with the carpet. The metallic tang of blood filled my mouth, and I spat, not giving a shit about the designer carpet. Pushing to my feet, I returned my gaze to his, my heart cold.
Dad’s cheek was red, the skin split and bleeding. In typical Carmichael fashion, the best punch of my life was wasted on him. My life, my career, it was all wasted.
“We’re done,” I said, my gaze never leaving his. “We are sodone.”
Dad sneered, and all I could see was the snake he’d become. If I was going to be completely honest with myself, I was seeing the snake he’d always been. All these years, I’d looked up to him with shit in my eyes. I saw the man I wanted to see. I followed in his footsteps because I craved his praise and was desperate for his love. The love he only gave when I was winning.
Now…I saw everything so clearly it was humiliating. All those years wasted, but now? Now I was free.
“You forced her to leave me,the woman I love, and now I’m leaving you,” I snarled. “I never want to see you again.”
