Page 89 of Charlie
It seemed dramatic, but I reminded myself that River was already suffering from the absence of her own mother.
“Liv?” I said her name like a question.
She was holding River in her arms and looked like someone had asked her if she wanted her right or left arm amputated.
“I’m not staying a single moment longer with this asshat.” I nodded my head to Conor. “I don’t know if we can save our relationship after your betrayal, but…” I trailed off, hoping that she would at least apologize.
Liv’s face was still red and she had tears in her eyes as she stood with her arms around River, who was clinging to her. “I’m staying.”
“You’re staying?” Her rejection felt like she’d impaled my heart with a fork only to take a knife and slice it into a million small pieces that could never be sewed back together.
I couldn’t stay to ask her why, or sit down to have a civilized and rational conversation about it. The two people I loved most in the world had betrayed me and by leaving, I’d leave behind the only real family I’d known.
Maybe I should stay and fight for her.
As fast as the thought came, I pushed it away. Staying would mean accepting sharing my girlfriend with someone I had trusted and thought of as the big brother that I never had. The trust in others that he’d helped me restore over these past few months had come crumbling down and I could already feel the bitter and vile taste of disappointment fill my mouth.
“There’s no need for you to leave, Charles. You have an entitlement issue that we need to work on, but once you accept that Liv is free to have other lovers, you’ll see that it’s for your best as well. I told you that you weren’t ready for a relationship and I was right. You are angry right now, but take some time to reflect about how you’re overdramatizing the situation and blowing it out of proportion. If you let this serve you as a learning experience, you can take a step upward and become a more grounded, less controlling and possessive partner to Liv.
“No.” Backing away, I took in the scene with Conor tilting his head to one side while Liv cried in the background with River in her arms. The woman I loved was choosing Conor over me, just like Sara had done when I first arrived. How could I have been so naïve to think that I’d ever be enough for her?
Slamming the door to my room, I called a taxi and tore all my clothes from my closet, filling my two suitcases in under five minutes. What I couldn’t fit, I left behind. Carrying them down to the entrance, I was met by Atlas, Lumi, and Maximum in the foyer.
Atlas tried to step in front of me. “Please don’t leave.”
“I have to.”
They were trailing after me as I walked outside to wait for the taxi.
“You don’t have to leave, Dad said so himself,” Maximum insisted.
“Was that before or after he fucked my girlfriend?” I regretted my harsh words immediately. It wasn’t their fault and I was directing my anger at the wrong people.
Lumi looked down while Atlas kicked some gravel. “Why did you bring her here when you know what he’s like? You know he sleeps with every woman who comes here.”
“He hasn’t slept with Estelle or the twins,” I said in my defense.
Pushing his glasses up, Atlas rolled his eyes. “Yes he has. The twins gave in months ago and had a threesome with him.”
“How would you know?”
Atlas and Maximum exchanged a glance, and then the younger brother answered, “Because Dad’s room is right next to ours.”
“And Liv? Have you ever heard her in his room?”
They both shook their heads. “No. We would have heard it. The walls are thin.”
“And you’re sure, Liv was never with Conor in his room.”
“Yes!” Atlas confirmed.
Lumi touched my elbow. “Are you sure they were really together? I always got the feeling that Liv didn’t like Conor much.”
I lowered my brow. “Why would you say that?”
It was cold and the teenagers didn’t have any jackets on. Lumi folded her arms, making herself smaller. “It’s like she’s always fishing for dirt on him every time she’s alone with us, and her smile becomes fake around him.”
“No, Liv is just critical of people in general. She clearly likes Conor.”
