Page 94 of Fault Lines
“And I don’t like the idea of you spending so much time there.”
Something inside me snapped. I turned on him. “And I don’t like the idea of you screwing other women, but you do that anyway. I also don’t like that you won’t tell me what last night was about, but I’ve accepted that you won’t. Another thing I don’t like? That you dumped me on our anniversary to see her. I don’t care if it was a crisis. I’m supposed to be the most important woman in your life, but as of today, it’s pretty clear I’m not. So stop worrying about where I am or what I’m doing. You can focus all your energy on her for all I care. Until you’re ready to tell me what happened and why you stood me up, there’s nothing else to talk about.”
He glared at me, voice closer to a growl. “So what—you’re just going to ignore me until you get your way?”
I shrugged, sliding my purse over my arm. “That’s up to you, Cam. Do you want to finally tell me what was so important last night?”
He glowered. “You don’t understand. I need time to think. To sort out my head.”
“Okay.”
The silence stretched out so long it felt like the clock had stopped.
“Okay?” he echoed.
I barely looked his way. “Take all the time you need, Cam.”
And I left, slamming the door hard behind me.
∞∞∞
The next few days felt like living in a waiting room: everything suspended, tense, waiting for something to break or change. I filled up the empty hours with Rachel and Jackson. After work, I’d head straight to Rachel’s, curl up on her couch with a paperback and quietly banish thoughts of home. Sometimes they were out and I had the place to myself. Half the time, Rachel joined me, and if she did, she always brought snacks and a smile. She never judged. She just let me be.
Nate came over a couple nights, too. He’d hang out with us, laugh too loud at Rachel’s dumb jokes, and we’d all play nice. We didn’t even flirt—not on the off nights. I was furious with Cam but I wasn’t going to make things worse by crossing any lines.
Home was a minefield. If Cam and I crossed paths, a heavy silence pressed out all the air. I quit being the perfect wife. No more dinners; I’d microwave something for myself or order takeout without a second thought. If Cam wanted to eat, he could fend for himself. I stopped bringing him coffee in the mornings, too. The first day, I watched him fumble with the machine and almost laughed out loud. Eventually he gave up and just bought coffee on the way to work.
We barely spoke. If he asked me a direct question, I gave him the shortest answer I could. If he tried to talk, I shut it down. At night, whenever he reached for me, I’d say I had a headache, or else move to the couch, sometimes both. He always carried me back to bed, which was more about control than care, but it amused me to make him mad. Childish? Maybe. Satisfying? Absolutely.
Beneath all that, I was still angry. He’d said he’d tell me what happened, and then just… didn’t. More secrets. More lies. How much longer was I going to be left in the dark?
A knock at the front door startled me from my thoughts. I opened it to find Nate, grinning like always.
“You look beautiful,” he said.
I glanced at my reflection in the hallway mirror and just laughed. “You always say that. I didn’t even dress up. You just told me to dress warmly.”
“You’re always beautiful so it’s always true. I just think someone should remind you. A lot.” His smile was soft, and for a second I wanted to kiss him.
I shouldn’t have let him pick me up from my place, but there was no threat of Cam coming home tonight. He was with Lacey. Or, at least, I assumed it was still her. Not that Cam would ever admit it.
Nate had insisted we drive together tonight. He liked pretending we were just a normal couple, with no secrets or stakes, just a boy picking up a girl for a date like everyone else. The illusion was nice. It made my heart ache a little.
Because, the truth was, I could imagine a life with Nate. If I let myself. In that life, we’d be together, only each other, no wondering if my partner was sneaking around behind my back, no lies. He’d never broken my trust. It would be sweet, and simple, and safe.
But I still loved Cam. Even when he hurt me. Even when he acted like I barely existed. I missed him more than I wanted to admit—even though I was the one keeping us apart, I still wanted things the way they used to be. I missed his arms around me in the morning, the way he’d press a kiss to my forehead at night, the hunger and heat in his eyes when we made love. I missed the feeling of mattering to someone.
It was my fault. It was his, too. If he would just talk to me… Maybe I wouldn’t be so desperate for answers.
I couldn’t help spinning theories. Was he protecting her? Was she married, and now her husband was threatening Cam? But Lacey’s social media made her look definitely single.
“Are you ready to go?” Nate’s voice broke me from my spiral.
I smiled and nodded. At least with him, I didn’t have to pretend to be anything other than what I was. Even on the days where everything felt wrong, Nate made things hurt a little less.
He opened the car door for me, like always, and buckled my seatbelt. Weird little ritual, but it made me feel cared for.
“Where are we going?” I asked, brushing a stray hair behind my ear.
