Page 145 of Ink Me Three Times
And I’m not sure how much more I can lose before I shatter completely.
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
Freddie
I’m wipingdown the table after breakfast, Penny playing in her room, when I see her through the front window.
Ivy.
She’s moving fast, head down, hood mostly covering her. Even from here, I can tell something’s wrong. Her shoulders are all hunched up around her ears, bracing for impact.
She doesn’t even look at me. Just brushes past into the kitchen, drops her bag on the floor, and stands there shaking.
“Hey,” I say carefully. “Everything okay?”
“No,” she snaps, as she grabs a cup off the counter.
I watch her for a second. The way her jaw keeps clenching. The way she won’t look at me.
“What happened?” I ask, keeping my voice low. Gentle. “Talk to me.”
She lets out this sharp little laugh, but there’s no humor in it. Finally, she turns to face me, eyes glassy with unshed tears.
“Your ex happened,” she spits. “Trina.”
I blink. “What?”
“She showed up at the park. Used your phone to text me so I’d think it was you. She…” Ivy cuts herself off, swallowing hard,the words physically hurt. “She said some shit, Freddie. About me. About you. About… everything.”
My chest tightens. “Wait, wait.” I hold up my hands. “Back up.Shehas my phone?”
Damn it. I thought I must have left it at the store.
“Shit,” I mutter, running a hand over my face. “I must’ve left it at the café. I’ll get a new one after work.”
“She said you left it, and she took it,” Ivy says, voice brittle. “She said… she said you’d fold for her. That you’d always fold for her. That I’m just playing house. That I’m havingtoo muchfun at work…”
Her voice breaks on that last part. She turns away fast, busying herself pouring a glass of water, like if she moves quickly enough, I won’t see her crumble.
But I see it.
All of it.
I step forward, close enough that I can smell her shampoo, that warm citrus scent that’s been lingering in my house for weeks now.
“Hey,” I say, softer. “Look at me.”
She doesn’t.
So I touch her wrist, gentle. Just enough pressure that she finally turns, eyes brimming. Tears hanging there, not falling, she refuses to give Trina that satisfaction.
“She kissed you,” Ivy blurts suddenly, voice shaking. “In the café. She kissed your cheek. Like she owned you.”
And there it is.
The memory slams back. Trina leaning in, her lips brushing my cheek. Me flinching away. Ivy in the doorway, frozen. Then gone before I could even stand up.
“Oh no,” I whisper, everything in me twisting. “Ivy, no. No. That wasn’t…shekissedme. I didn’t want her to. I didn’t even know she was coming back. She was talking about money, aboutleaving town. I was telling her to go to hell and then… you walked in right as she pulled that shit.”
