Page 110 of Memories By the Shore
“Fuck!” I squeeze my eyes shut. “Why am I like this?”
“The whole thing sucks,” he says.
“I need to talk to her.” I rise to a stand on wobbly legs from spending days in bed.
Easton’s hands come up to stop me. “That’s the otherthing—”
“What?”
“She and Helen left this morning for school.” He grimaces, the words like poison to him.
“Shut the fuck up,” I warn, my limbs locked in place.
“I’m serious,” he tells me. “She told me last night they were catching a flight out this morning.”
“What the hell? Why the fuck didn’t my dad tell me?” I yell, panic whipping my back.
Easton’s forehead mists. “Avery asked Helen not to tell your dad.”
This cannot be happening. Heat pricks to the tips of my earlobes. This is just a fight we’re having. Everything is going to be alright. Avery can’t leave yet. She’s not supposed to go for another couple of weeks. We have to work it out. Avery and I are meant to be together.
She’s my fucking wife.
The room spins as I rush toward the door. “Dad!”
Easton is hot on my heels. I quickly turn to face him. “You knew last night? Why didn’t you tell me then?”
“I tried to call you like a thousand times,” he defends himself. “I know how you get during these episodes, and honestly, I thought it was just a threat. But then, when I went by her house this morning, and they were gone, I knew she was serious,” he rushes out. “And then I came directly here.”
Blood boiling, my heart pounding on my ribcage, I gather my thoughts. “Dad!”
I sprint toward the back door, but my dad grabs my shoulders.
“I just got a text from Helen,” he says, my back to him. “Icame straight home from the shop to speak with you.”
Adrenaline coursing through my veins, I shove my dad aside. “Get the fuck away from me.”
I open the sliding glass door, jump down the steps, and onto the sand. Making a beeline for Helen’s house, I run full speed down the beach. The hot sand burns the bottoms of my feet, forcing me to pick up my pace even more. My heart lodges in my throat until I reach the cottage’s back door. Taking the stairs two at a time onto the patio, I fight to catch my breath.
“Jasper!” I hear Easton shout from the beach. He followed me.
I bang on the door. “Avery!”
My knuckles slamming into the wood.
Easton is suddenly at my side. “They left.”
I bang on the door until my skin cracks. The rapping vibrates through my chest. Blood drops onto the painted white wood at my feet, but I don’t care.
“Avery!” I scream, my voice more desperate this time.
“She’s gone, Jasper.” My dad’s steady voice is now behind me as well.
Avery left me. Did everything that happened between us mean nothing to her?
She fucking left.
Tears spring from my eyes as my legs give out underneath me. I pull out my phone and tap her name. It goes straight to voicemail. I call her ten more times before I feel my dad’s hand on my shoulder.
