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I wipe my tears and focus on the drive to my brother’s house. It’s not a long drive by any means, but it feels like an eternity until I pull into his driveway. I get out of the car, shutting the door with a soft thud, and hold myself with care. The leaves are changing and the sun is shining and the world is so beautiful around me, but inside everything feels dark and twisted and wrong.

So not beautiful.

I walk slowly up the sidewalk and pull out my key from my purse, my hand shaking as I slide it in the lock. The memory assaults me once more of Brett’s heady moans, his glistening cock pulsing as he came.

Insideher.

I push it away, not wanting to think about it. I heard those moans, and I thought they were for me—or for the porn I thought he was watching—and my insides had twisted with delight.

Until I saw the truth staring at me, that is…

I shut the door as Pickles comes tromping up to me, his sweet meow a balm to my soul. I don’t think, I just pick him up and hold him to my chest, and I cry.

I cry like a damn baby because today is the worst day of my fucking life.

2

NORA

I stare at the text.

It’s over, Nora.

I can’t believe that this—all of this—is real.

Last week, Brett and I were fine. Well, notfine, but definitely not bad. I know he’s been stressing about his contract being up this season and worried the team won’t renew him, but I told him that’s crazy. He’s easily one of themost popular players on the team. I thought the fact we hadn’t had sex in the last month was just because he was focused elsewhere.

I guess I was right about that, at least—though it seems his focus wasn’t on the game. Seems his focus was only on where he placed his damn cock.

I’m numb as I stare at his text.

It’s been two days. Two days since I came home to find my boyfriend—well, ex-boyfriend now, I guess—in bed with his cock buried in someone else.

Two days and not a word from him until now. Just three words.

It’s over, Nora.

Should I have called or said something?

What was I going to say? How were we ever going to move past something likethis?

This isn’t just cheating. It’s so much more than that. I don’t know if she was the only one, but there’s a great possibility she’s not. He travels all the time for his games, and though I’ve always talked to him out of state—trusted him—I know now that the possibility is there.

Did he fuck them without a condom too?

Am I the only one he didn’t want in that way? Why?

Brett knew I wanted kids. I’d mentioned it on multiple occasions. I thought his insistence on using a condom was purely because he wanted to wait until we got married, and I was fine with that. I didn’t want to force my boyfriend into something he didn’t want, and I fully thought we would be getting married.

For God’s sakes, I thought our anniversary date was going to be a proposal! But instead it was a wrecking ball.

Had Pam not let me come home early, I would’ve never known. I would have met him at the restaurant, and he would have looked at me like everything wasfine,knowing what he’d done.

How could a person do something like that? Especially to someone they love?

Because he doesn’t love you, Nora. That’s clear, the bitter voice in my head reminds me.

For the last two days, I’ve been in a haze. Waiting for Brett to call, to say…well, anything on the matter.