Of Loss & Betrayal (Madison & Logan 2)

“Maddie, this is a set-up. Kristina is trying to drive us apart by making you believe I cheated with her. Don’t believe her.”

“You were the one who wanted to be considerate of her feelings,” I said scornfully. “You were the one who opened the door to having her in your life. Now you’re telling me not to believe her? How convenient for you.” I turned around abruptly. I needed to get out of here before all my anger and pain suffocated me.

“Fuck this shit,” I hissed to myself, as I quickly gathered my belongings. I didn’t want to have any reason to come back to Logan’s apartment. I never wanted to see him again.

“Maddie, no.” Logan grabbed my wrist, holding on so tightly that it was painful. “You’re not leaving. You can’t. You can’t believe I would do this to you.”

Something inside me exploded. “How the hell did she get into your apartment if you didn’t let her in!” I screamed so harshly that my throat felt raw. I wrenched my arm out of Logan’s grip. He let go, but not before my wrist was painfully twisted, but I barely noticed it. The physical pain was nothing compared to the gaping hole in my heart.

Logan didn’t say another word as he watched me grab my belongings and practically run to the door. Kristina just stood there, her expression taunting. She flinched when I stalked over to her, and as much as I wanted to strike her, I just reached around and roughly took the chain off her neck.

After I got Cassie’s necklace, I opened the front door and shot Logan one last look over my shoulder. His face was shadowed and he looked like a man who had lost everything. Defeat and resignation hung heavy on his shoulders.

“Don’t contact me,” I said in a low voice. “I never want to see you again.”

I slammed the door closed, leaving my past and future behind me.

Chapter Sixteen

I didn’t hear from Logan that night. Either he was taking heed of my warning to never contact me again, or he was too busy with Kristina to care. I cried myself to sleep, wracked with violent sobs, until my body couldn’t take anymore and I fell into an exhausted restless sleep.

When I woke up the next morning, my face was swollen from all the crying and I looked horrible, but my appearance was nothing compared to the mess inside of me. A part of me couldn’t believe what had happened. I desperately wished that this was a nightmare and I would soon wake up to Logan cuddled against me. It was a pathetic thought, and showed how weak I was when it came to him.

I spent most of the morning in a daze. I considered calling Emily to tell her about what had happened, but I couldn’t muster the energy. It seemed like too much of an effort to lift a spoon to eat cereal, let alone relive the emotional turmoil by telling her what had happened.

My heart clenched when my phone rang, but I didn’t know if I was disappointed or relieved that it wasn’t Logan.

“Hi, Mack,” I answered. I wondered if he had spoken to Logan. By the cheery tone of his voice, I doubted it.

“Hey, Madison. I was just calling to thank you again for inviting me over for Thanksgiving. I really enjoyed it.”

“You’re welcome. I appreciate you coming,” I replied, thinking it was a bit odd that he was calling me just to say thanks for dinner. I reconsidered whether he had spoken to Logan or not. I wondered what his real agenda was.

Mack paused before speaking again. “Are you at Logan’s right now?”

“No.” I didn’t elaborate, waiting for him to reveal the real reason for calling. He obviously hadn’t spoken to Logan; otherwise, he would know that I wasn’t at his apartment.

“I was wondering if you wanted to hang out today. I need a break from being stuck inside working all day.”

I hesitated. Why wasn’t he asking Logan to hang out? Then again, since Logan didn’t remember him, Mack and I probably had a stronger bond now than they did. I was about to make an excuse but then decided against it. It would be nice to get out of the apartment. It felt like the four walls were closing in on me and I felt suffocated. Unlike Emily, who knew me so well and would immediately know something was wrong, I could hang out with Mack and not have to talk about what had happened between me and Logan.

“Sure,” I replied. “What do you feel like doing?”

“After all that talk of nachos on Thanksgiving, I can’t get it out of my head. Do you know of anywhere we can go?”

My chest tightened as I thought of the Half Pitcher. I couldn’t go there without thinking of Logan. I steeled myself against the thought. I wouldn’t let Logan ruin things for me, including going to one of my favorite bars.

“I know the perfect place.” I gave Mack the details of the bar and we agreed to meet there in an hour.

“You can invite Logan, if you want,” Mack offered.

“He had some work to get done today,” I lied. “I’ll see you soon.”

After we hung up, I made an effort to look somewhat presentable since I didn’t want Mack to be embarrassed to be seen with me in public. Even for a bar, my current outfit of baggy sweatpants and oversized Hello Kitty t-shirt was a little too drab. Besides, it made me feel better to put on some makeup and a decent outfit. Thankfully, the puffiness in my face had gone down and I no longer looked like the Stay Puft Marshmallow.

Even with a heavy jacket and hat, I instantly started shivering when I left my apartment building. I decided against taking the L, and hailed a cab. It was a quick ride to the Half Pitcher and I was grateful for the heat when I stepped inside. I didn’t see Mack so I sat down at a table and ordered a beer from the waitress. Before my drink arrived, I saw Mack walk in and scan the bar. I couldn’t help noticing how attractive he was. His overcoat emphasized the broadness of his shoulders and his athletic physique. His dark hair complemented his olive skin, and when his dark eyes stopped on me, his smile was heart-stopping. Except my heart didn’t skip a beat. I admired him objectively, appreciating what a handsome man he was, but the only face that made my heart stop had piercing blue eyes.

I pushed the thought aside as I watched Mack walk towards me. I was torturing myself by thinking about Logan. I had to remember he was a cheater and a liar.