Page 114 of Tomorrow Belongs to Us
Her face twists with anger.
“It was you her boyfriend intended to shoot, because he was jealous. Because you had a relationship with a student.” She shrinks back in horror. “This is you. This is you all round. A serial cheater. This is how you operate. You prey on young women.”
I flinch at the description. “Don’t say that. Don’t. It’s not true.” I knew this news would come out, and with it the rumors that would spread like a virus. I never thought they'd reach Megan, which is why I never thought to tell her, to prepare her for something which is pure lies.
“You lie with such ease.” She shakes her head, looking at me as if I've shattered every nice thought she ever had of me. It was hard to win her over, and harder still to not give in to her the way she wanted. We had at last managed to find our happy place and now it's all come crashing down.
“I’m not lying to you.” From over her shoulder I can see her friends looking in our direction. Cassie is making her way back to us slowly. I don’t have much time. “I swear to you, nothing happened. I am not a serial cheater—”
“Your poor wife.”
Fucking hell. Her taking sides with Vivian is too much to bear. “It’s nothing like the picture you’re being painted of me. I swear, Megan.”
She will believe these lies as if they are a truth I tried to desperately to hide. She will see me for something I am not. The way she's looking at me now I can already tell that the damage has been done.
“Was she vulnerable, too? Did she have a hard home life?” She mocks me with ice in her tone.
“She used to come to me, too much, if I’m honest. Any excuse she could find, but she didn’t have family problems. She didn’t have any problems, as far as I could tell. She was just a flirt.”
“She was pretty, and young, just like how you like them.”
I feel the color drain from my face. “That’s disgusting. I’m shocked you would say such a thing.”
“I’m shocked you would do such a thing.”
I press my lips together as I catch the guy she’s with staring at me from a distance. “I see that you didn’t waste any time.” I jerk my chin in his direction. “Are you two double dating now?”
“I don’t date,” she throws back. “I fuck.” Her words are like a hard slap. Her anger unleashes onto me. “You fuck, too. You fuck all the pretty young things.”
“Don’t swear.” I feel my age telling her this.
“Don’t judge me,” she warns. There’s a hardness in her gaze that pains me.
“Daddy, can I go to Arianne’s house tomorrow?”
I glance down at my daughter. “Let’s see what we’ve got going on tomorrow.” I face Megan. “We need to talk,” I whisper in a low voice.
“We’re done talking,” she says, smiling, her voice sweet, so that her voice and words don’t match. “Nice to see you again, Cassie. Take care.” She swivels on her heel and turns to walk away but not before I’ve grasped her wrist. “It’s not true. I swear. These fucking rumors. Always rumors. It’s not true.”
Megan yanks her hand away. “I know exactly what you are, you monster.”
“Who is she?” Cassie asks as we get into the car.
“Someone I used to know a long time ago.”
“Really, Daddy?” she shrieks. “How long ago?”
I stare at her and weigh up my words. “Long before you came along, Sweetpea.” I fasten my seatbelt and check that Cassie is fastening hers. “Why did you make me go and talk to her?”
“Because she's your friend, and you like her.”
“What makes you think that?” I ask, sharply.
She stares at me with innocent eyes. “I can tell, Daddy.”
She can tell?From that one awkward time when she and Vivian turned up, after Megan had just given me head? Given that I wasn’t too happy to see Vivian, at that precise moment, I'm not sure I believe Cassie. “How can you tell?”
“Your face goes all soft, and your eyes smile.”
