I grabbed my face, feeling like I was suffocating. I didn’t want this. I swear I didn’t want this, but what other choice did I have? I was doing this for him. After all these years, it was my turn to be his savior. I stood there, desperately trying to catch my bearings, composing myself as best as I could before placing one foot in front of the other and walking into that building.
For the next hour, I blanked out.
It felt as if I was having an out of body experience.
I was there but I wasn’t.
Cognitive dissonance saved my life more times than I cared to remember. I just never imagined my defensive instincts would protect me from him. I came to when I heard him slam his pen on the conference table, realizing that my stare had been glued to the document in front of him the whole time.
His signature was now below mine.
Bright.
Bold.
Standing at attention.
It’s over. Your marriage is over.
At the end of our love story, all Christian said to me was…
“I hope you’re fucking happy. You got what you wanted.”
With that, he turned and left me there.
Alone.
Shattered.
Once again, the broken girl he couldn’t save from herself.
Chapter 16
Christian
Then
“Congratulations! We’re so proud of you guys! Just one more picture!” Mom celebrated, much to my annoyance, but I played nice for her.
We had just graduated from high school, so it was the least I could do.
“Honey,” Dad reasoned. “You have like three hundred pictures already.”
Julian and I nodded in agreement.
“I know, but our babies are growing up.”
“Oh, honey…” Dad pulled her into a tight hug.
Kinley beamed, looking at my parents adoringly. I knew she admired their marriage. She loved being around them any chance she could get.
“Mom,” Autumn chimed in, standing next to fucking Jax. “If you take any more pictures, we’re not going to make it to lunch, and I’m starving.”
Of course, he was there with us.
The worst part was, my parents actually liked him. My mom thought he was sweet and lonely, and she basically invited him to all our family functions which I couldn’t do anything about.
He made Kinley happy, and at the end of the day, that was all that mattered to me.
“Okay, okay,” Mom surrendered. “Just a few more of Christian and Kinley.”
I smiled and threw my arm around my girl as I tugged her toward me.
“Smile. Oh, come on, Christian, smile!”
“I am smiling,” I griped, unable to take much more, my face fucking hurt from smiling so much.
“You guys look so nice! Now give her a kiss!”
I did.
“Christian!” Mom chastised. “There are children around! Don’t grab her butt!”
Kinley giggled, pulling away from me.
“Great, are we done now?”
“Yes, my impatient son.”
Thank fuck.
“You’re going to thank me when you have these amazing photos to look back on one day. You’re just like your father. You have the most beautiful smile too. You used to love pictures as a child. I don’t understand what happened.”
I glanced at Kinley, wanting to smile for her, but her gaze was captivated by someone behind me.
I never expected what happened next, only ruining our graduation.
“Babe, you oka—”
“Mom,” Kinley announced out of nowhere, making my body snap around to the woman who was suddenly walking toward us.
All eyes flew to her mother. In my head, I’d built her up to be this monster, but the woman walking toward Kinley was pretty.
Normal.
Not what I thought she’d look like.
Her hair was pinned back, and she was wearing a nice dress with a bag hanging off her shoulder. She appeared put together.
Sober.
My gaze went back to my girl, who was standing there frozen with wide eyes and an expression I’d never seen before. I didn’t know what came over me, but I stepped out in front of Kinley and placed her securely behind my back.
Her sorry excuse of a fucking mother stopped dead in her tracks.
“Christian,” Kinley exclaimed, surprised by my action.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I snapped at her mom, incapable of holding back.
I’d seen Kinley bawl her eyes out too many times to give a flying fuck about this woman.
“Christian!” Mom reprimanded, grabbing my arm to yank me away from her, but I didn’t move an inch.
I was rooted to the ground. After what she’d put my girl through, she had no business being here now.
“Please, excuse my son,” Dad apologized for me, and I resisted the urge to tell him he didn’t owe her a damn thing. “He’s very protective of your daughter.”
She cautiously smiled. “I’m happy to hear she has such great friends—”
“I’m her boyfriend.”
“Oh, well I’m glad she has someone to protect her.”
I didn’t falter. “Somebody has to.”
“Christian…” Mom tried to get me to move again, but she didn’t need to that time.
Kinley stepped out in front of me instead.
—Kinley—
“Mom, what are you doing here?”
“It’s your graduation, Kinley. I’m here for you.”