Page 69 of Crash
Griffin did not want to leave without talking to Quynh, but in this case, he didn’t have much of a choice.
He just hoped she would be more willing to talk to him when he got back.
And it wasn’t too late to set things straight.
thirty-one
QUYNH
Quynh went through every range of emotion possible. First, she was in disbelief at what she overheard. She didn’t want to think the worst was possible, but there was no denying what that woman called Griffin.
Second, there was anger at his audacity. If Griffin was seeing other women, he could have been upfront with her from the get-go instead of implying he was a single bachelor.
How dare he lead me on like that!
Third, after anger was irrational rage. She wasn’t sure if it was an actual step in the grieving process, but what she knew was how the thought of his betrayal incensed her. It was as if there was a raging inferno living inside of her at the thought of Griffin lying to her. Coupled with Ruth’s abrasive encounter, she was ready to erupt.
Am I perfect? No. But I do not deserve to be lied to orcheated on. Did he cheat on me? Am I the other woman in this scenario?
She had so many questions, but she was far too emotional to have a rational conversation at this moment.
She needed time and space. Quynh needed to be alone to sort out her own thoughts and feelings. During her rage, she spotted her suitcase poking out from the closet and packed her meager belongings into it. It didn’t take her long, and she realized she couldn’t leave town without a very important person. Pickles. Who was still at Griffin’s place.
Quynh cursed her luck. Of course, she would need to get the grumpy cat before she could make a getaway. This only made things more uncomfortable if she ran into Griffin before she was ready.
Her phone dinged on the bed just then. She approached it slowly. Not wanting to see who messaged her, but also dying to know. Griffin’s name lit up her phone with an unread message.
She ignored it. She needed to stay strong. She collapsed on the bed and buried her head under the pillow. Quynh resisted the urge to scream, not knowing how thin the walls were.
She wasn’t sure how long she stayed lying there, letting her thoughts spiral, when she heard the garage bay doors shutting. Quynh rushed to the window and peeked through the slits of the blinds as she watchedGriffin’s muscled back as he walked across the street. Rover ran happily along his side, but instead of going inside the house, she watched as he got into the truck and drove off toward town.
Quynh frowned. This deviated from his normal routine, but she wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Jumping into action, Quynh grabbed her suitcase and ran down the stairs. Her car keys were already in hand by the time she made it to the parking lot. She popped the trunk and threw the suitcase in it before shutting it with a loud bang.
Hurriedly, she ran across the street, across Griffin’s yard, and opened the front door. She found Pickles’s carrier in the hallway closet and went in search of the creature. He hated the carrier, but there wasn’t much she could do at the moment. Normally, she’d sweeten up the deal with loads of catnip and treats, but time was of the essence. Who knew when Griffin would be back, and she had a long drive ahead of her.
She found Pickles snoozing on the bed. It wasn’t long before she wrestled him into the carrier, and she was out the door with a growling Pickles. She let out a breath of relief when Griffin’s truck was nowhere in sight.
At the end of the driveway, she turned around to look at the colonial that felt more like home than her apartment after just a few weeks. A small smile touched her lips as she turned away and made her way back to Shelly.
Gently, she placed Pickles in the back and adjusted her mirrors before turning the ignition. She took in a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and put the car in drive.
There was no turning back now.
She needed to leave, and it was now or never.
Quynh knew she was being a coward, leaving before talking to Griffin, but she needed to do this.
She just hoped she wouldn’t live to regret this.
thirty-two
GRIFFIN
Griffin cursed as he sped down Main Street. Ricky’s favor ended up taking him a couple of hours longer than he expected. A couple of hours too long to leave Quynh alone. He hoped the time apart allowed her to cool down, but all it did for him was ratchet his anxiety to unbearably high levels. It had been ages since he’d experienced this restlessness.
The last time the anxiety rode him this hard, he was still abusing narcotics and alcohol, using substances to dull his senses when life became too overwhelming. An unhealthy coping mechanism passed down by his deadbeat father. His mother left them when he was barely a toddler.
Whenever his father was reminded of his mother, it would often send his father into a rage. A flurry of fists against his small body until his father decided his belt would do a better job. His cries for help went unanswereduntil he learned not to make a sound. There was nobody around to help him. Nobody cared enough about him to bother.
