Unbroken Rules (Rules 3)

I’ll never fathom how he found it in himself to make this about me. He’s the one being cheated on, the one with a wife who tried to sleep with her daughter’s boyfriend. He’s the one with a partner in love with his wallet. He didn’t say much else. Anger is not who he is, but his eyes told a million stories.

Broken. That’s what he was.

He thanked me for showing it to him. Promised he’d do what was right for the family and take Maika away from Lauren. The doctor assured both me and him that they wouldn’t let Lauren see him as forced encounters may have nefarious effects on an already fragile patient’s health.

I couldn’t bring myself to tell him that Haze cheated on me when he made me promise to thank him for putting up with Lauren and recording her that night.

“All done,” Allie shrieks at the final result.

She has to practically drag my ass into the cab waiting out front when the time comes. She says this party is everything I need. I say what I need is my bed.

I changed my mind. I don’t want to meet new people. I want to shut off the rest of the world until I get a certain blue-eyed boy out of my system. As we pull up to the packed-with-drunk-people frat house, I can’t shake the feeling that this is either going to be amazing…

Or the worst night of my life.

24

One More Truth

Pushing through the sweaty crowd with Allie, I consider telling her that I don’t feel well and sparing myself while I still can. The last time I drank, Haze had to come and get my wasted ass in a place similar to this one. Everything about this moment is a reminder that tonight, he’s not here to do it. Even worse, he’s the reason I need a night out.

“Let’s get Jell-O shots.” Allie drags me and Kendrick deeper into the clusters of people. She was right. This party was the students’ topic of the week. Posters were hung everywhere in the halls when I went back to empty my locker.

“Come to mama.” Allie stops near the bar and reaches for three of the remaining shots. I throw the cup back as quickly as I can, secretly hoping it’ll make my presence here any less painful.

News flash: it doesn’t.

But what really kills my already weak mood…

Is the sight of Haze sitting on the couch across the room.

Next to him are Vic, a few other guys, and… a blonde. She’s tall, busty, gorgeous, and sitting on the armrest next to him. I can tell from the way she keeps on adjusting her shirt to draw attention to her cleavage that she has every intention of bringing Haze back to her dorm tonight.

I will make her swallow her hair extensions, I swear.

He looks bored out of his mind, shifting uncomfortably and pushing her off every time she attempts to slide on his lap. It’s obvious he’s not interested in her, but she can’t seem to take a hint. When she leans in to whisper something in his ear, he looks up.

And sees me.

Shock flashes in his gaze.

I can’t tell what he’s thinking—or feeling. Is he happy? Surprised? Mad? I’m not asking for a lot. I just need him to feel something. Any trace of emotion will do at this point.

When he peels his eyes away from me and becomes invested in the conversation with Miss Perfect, it feels like my heart is being slowly carved out of my chest.

Indifference.

Cold, hard indifference.

I don’t look away. What’s the point? Watching him flirt with her might be exactly what I need—a dose of reality.

He cheated on you. What’s it going to take to get that through your head? Do you need to actually see him fuck her?

Allie’s voice erupts behind me. “Just say the word and I’ll accidentally pour a drink over that girl.”

I shrug. “He’s single. He can do whatever he wants.”

She rolls her eyes. “What? Cut the crap. Everybody knows you were this close to getting back together. He was head over heels in love with you. This makes no sense. You need to call him out on his shit.”