“How would you even know who she is?”
I shrug, “I didn’t, she found me,” I reply sarcastically.
“How?”
“I don’t know, Harrison, I’m assuming you paid for her day at the spa too.”
Harrison shakes his head. His finger starts playing with his lip. He looks at me, his eyebrows squished together. “I haven’t spoken to Alicia since she walked out of my apartment, you know that.”
“No,” I yell as I step forward with my finger pointing at his chest. “I know the lie. I know the stories you told me to get me into bed, to get me to trust you. The sad-single-dad whose girlfriend walked out on him and their baby.”
“She wasn’t my girlfriend, Katelyn. I’ve told you this.”
“You lied!”
“About what?” he roars. He throws his arms up in the air in exasperation. “Why the hell do I need to lie about that shit? Do you think it makes me proud that I was fucking drugged and raped by a groupie and produced a son that I didn’t fucking want? What purpose does that serve me?”
“I saw pictures,” I yell louder. “You kissed her on the red carpet.” I lift my chin higher in defiance. “You played me for a fool and I won’t allow it anymore.”
“I’m so fucking confused right now, Katelyn. I sent you to the spa to get pampered and you think I sent Alicia there too? That I’m having some torrid affair with the mother of my child, whom I haven’t seen since he was born? And what… am I keeping Quinn from her too?”
“Oh, I’m sure Quinn sees his mother all the time. It just proves to me why you won’t kiss me in front of him.”
Harrison rakes his hands over his face and lets out a groan. He shakes his head and wipes wildly at his eyes. For some reason, it breaks my heart that he’s crying and it shouldn’t.
“Katelyn, I don’t know what happened at that spa, but I can tell you there are no pictures of me and Alicia, unless they are from the night Quinn was conceived –“
“I have them,” I say as I go over to my bag. I pull them out, disgusted that I’m even touching them. I drop them at his feet. I don’t want him to touch me, to pull me into his arms. I don’t think I can handle that.
He bends and picks them up. He flips through each one before throwing them down on the table.
“You know…” he shakes his head before putting his hands in his pockets. “I’m in love with you, but I see now that it’s not going to matter.” He bites the inside of his cheek and lets a tear drop. “You believe the lies over me, and that’s fine. I told you I thought you were naive when it came to the industry, and this just proves me right. If you can’t trust me, this will never work. I just wish I found out sooner.”
He picks up the pictures again and hands them back to me. “I want you to really look at those and tell me why she’s wearing the same fucking dress you were. And tell me how someone that is about five foot seven without heels doesn’t even come up to my shoulder.”
I don’t take the photos from him. He lets them drop to the floor. My eyes follow them as they scatter all over. Of course he’d buy her the same dress I wore so he could use it as an excuse.
“I don’t know how she found you, but I’m so fucking sorry that she did. You don’t deserve this and frankly, neither do I. I haven’t been with another woman since the night I met you at Liam’s. I’m not going to stand here and try to fight for something you don’t believe in. I have a feeling I’ll be wasting my breath.”
I take a chance to look at him and wish I hadn’t. He doesn’t bother to wipe away his tears. I hate that he’s crying, but he deserves it for what he’s done to me.
When he moves toward the door, I don’t try to stop him. I won’t. I need to close this chapter and move on. The door opens, letting in a gust of wind.
“If you don’t believe me, ask Quinn. He’s never met his mother, he’ll tell you that.”
I scoff. “I can’t believe you would drag your son into this.”
Harrison stalks over to me. “I wouldn’t, but you’re leaving me no choice, Katelyn. You’d rather believe her fucking lies than me. The man you’ve given yourself to. The man you said you’d try with. This isn’t fucking trying. This is bailing. You’re looking for any damn excuse to shut me out, and you’ve done it. You want to trust someone you don’t fucking know, good luck with that. You need to open your eyes and look at those pictures and tell me what you see.”
“You need to leave.”
Harrison shakes his head as he moves away from me, toward the door. “Last chance,” he says. I don’t know what that means and I don’t care.
“Go,” I say loudly.
He turns and steps out, slamming the door hard. It bounces back open from the force. The window rattles and the girls’ pictures fall from the wall. I jump when the glass shatters and hits the ground.
I slide to the floor clutching my knees to my chest and sob. Everything is ruined.