Page 116 of Kane's Awakening
Memories of the last time I’d discovered my boyfriend cheating flashed in my head, and I started crying, hating how gullible I was. Even though I’d known Kane was a renowned man-whore, I fell in love with him and trusted him anyway.
“Ryker, please, just listen to me.” Kane reached for me with shaking hands, and I jerked away from him. “I’d never do that to you, baby. I didn’t fuck him. You’re all I want and need.” He whimpered and his green eyes surged with tears. “I love you.”
I gaped at the nerve of him.
“Are you serious?” I asked with disbelief. “You really expect me to fall for that crap? You’re only saying that now to save your ass. But it won’t work.”
I reached the first step and stepped down, staring at him as if I didn’t know him anymore.
The last time I’d been cheated on had hurt, but that moment with Kane was so much worse. It felt like my heart had not only stopped in my chest, but also cracked wide open and was breaking apart, piece by piece, as if all the things I loved about Kane were slowly dissolving and leaving nothing behind but an empty vessel.
“I do love you,” he tried again as his strong body shook in front of me. “I know I didn’t say it to you before, but I’m ready now. I’ve never loved anyone as much as you, Rye, please—”
“Don’t call me that anymore,” I interrupted in the harshest tone I’d ever used with him. “I wish I’d never met you, Kane. God, I wish it more than anything. I should’ve told Anna ‘no’ that night before going to the club. It would’ve spared me a world of pain. Falling in love with you was the biggest mistake of my life.”
“You don’t mean that,” he said, choking on a sob.
“Goodbye, Kane.”
I turned to go down the steps, but Kane ran forward and grabbed my arm. “Ryker, let me explain.”
As a surge of anger hit me, I shoved him away, causing him to catch his foot on the step and fall backward on the porch. He hit so hard, I heard his back pop.
He groaned before sitting up and staring up at me with the saddest eyes.
I hated myself for pushing him down, but he looked okay. He stood and dusted himself off.
“Can we just talk about this?”
“There’s nothing to talk about,” I said, shaking my head. “I hope he was worth it.”
When I went to my car, he let me go. I started it, but before I backed out of the driveway, I looked at the porch and saw him standing there watching me.
His hands were clenched at his sides, and his stance gave the impression that he was thinking about coming after me.
I left before he could.
Not even a minute passed before my phone started ringing. I ignored it. When it rang five more times, I rejected the call and put the thing on silent.
How I was going to make it through two court sessions that afternoon, I had no idea. My tears kept falling, and I wiped them away and cleared my throat, trying to pull myself together.
Then, I saw Kane in my head, giving his goofy, lopsided smile when he was picking on me. I recalled the sound of his laugh, and how if he laughed too hard, he’d snort.
“Did you just snort?” I’d asked him before. He’d been attacking me—prepared to toss me on the bed and fuck my brains out—but he’d caught his foot on the leg of the bed and fallen flat on his face to the floor. As he’d tripped, he’d grabbed me and pulled me down with him. We’d laughed as we lay on the carpet.
“Don’t you dare make a pig joke right now,” he’d replied before laughing so hard he made the sound again.
My chest constricted as the memory tortured me, and I gasped with another cry.
His insane amount of sex appeal was something I enjoyed, but it was his kind heart and silly behavior that had made me fall head over heels in love with him.
And he betrayed me.
Not wanting to go home and be alone, I dialed Anna’s number. The kids were in school and Brian was at work, so it’d just be her at home.
“Hey, Rye.”
“Can I come over?” I asked, my voice cracking on my words.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, alarmed.
I said I’d tell her everything when I got there and hung up the phone. Changing direction, I headed for her house.
My screen flashed with three new text messages from Kane, and I deleted all three without reading them.
He was the last person I wanted to talk to in that moment.
