I feel better after unloading everything on my friends, but I’m still restless after they go to bed. I regret the way I left Ben at his uncle’s house. Even though his family said all of those horrible things, maybe I should’ve stayed. Even if Ben was upset with me for not telling him about my background.
Tossing and turning in the guest room, I second-guess everything. He wouldn’t have chased me out to the street if he was that angry with me.
I kick off the covers and punch the pillow and stare at the dark walls, wishing I could be curled up next to Ben instead of here alone.
A part of me thought he’d call me before he went to bed. But my phone hasn’t rung all night.
I pull it out of my purse to double-check.
It’s dead.
A flood of relief hits me so strong, I laugh. No wonder I haven’t heard from him.
Fortunately, I have a charger somewhere in my purse. I plug it in, and a few minutes later, it lights up.
I smile when I see I have several missed calls from Ben.
But then I notice I have texts from Janelle.
God, what does she want?
When I open the messages, which came about an hour after Ben’s calls, the first thing I see is someone’s bare breasts and a giant arm wrapped around this person’s tiny waist.
It’s Janelle.
A very naked Janelle.
My heart is in my throat as I flip to the next photo. Her head is on the pillow next to Ben’s. I can’t really make out his face because it’s nestled in her hair, but it’s obviously him. That’s his watch. That’s the half-moon scar on his forearm he got in the last game. He’s shirtless and spooning her from behind. I can’t tell if he’s totally naked because of the way the photo is cropped, but it doesn’t matter.
Janelle’s text says it all: I told you he’d come back to me. He’ll always be mine.
I try to make sense of it. How Ben could hook up with Janelle when it seemed like he almost hated her.
And then I’m reminded of Destiny’s treachery and how she smiled to my face and laughed with me and called me her best friend while she slept with Cal behind my back.
I guess I’m a fool. A really big, fucking fool.
I’ve learned my lesson.
With a swipe of my arm across my face, I dry the tears I didn’t even know I’d cried and decide here and now never to be duped again.
And I block them both.
But the damage is done.
My heart is broken.
50
BEN
Sienna’s ass wiggles against me, and I groan and pull her closer. Sunlight is spilling in through the windows. It takes me a second to realize I’m in my bed at my uncle’s house.
I had the worst dream last night. I kept seeing Sienna driving away from me. I’d call out to her and run behind her car, but she’d never stop.
With a sigh, I burrow my face into her neck. I don’t know when she returned last night, but I’m so fucking glad she did.
Except... there’s something not quite right.
She smells different. I don’t remember her perfume being so cloying. It’s almost nauseating.
She grabs my hand that’s wrapped around her waist and she pulls it to her bare tit and moans. Her flesh overfills my palm, and I’m about to give it a good squeeze and rock my morning wood against her round ass when I freeze.
Because this is not Sienna’s breast in my palm.
I jerk back so fast that all I see is a mass of brown hair go over the edge of the bed.
“What the fuck?” Janelle screams when she lands on the floor.
My eyes widen in horror when I see her.
“What the hell are you doing, Janelle?” I yell. “Where are your goddamn clothes?”
I leap out of bed, relieved as fuck to find I’m still wearing jeans.
She’s still bitching at me when the door flies open. Her mother gasps.
“Mija, get dressed!” Mrs. Lopez might seem embarrassed, but there’s a certain look of satisfaction in her eyes.
I tug on my shirt and storm past them both. My aunt and uncle are in the kitchen. Lily is sitting in a highchair.
I’m so fucking pissed, I can’t speak. In all my interactions with women, I’ve never felt violated before. Until now.
I lift my daughter, grab my backpack, and pause in front of my uncle.
“I’m going to file for sole custody of Lily. And if Janelle comes near me or Sienna one more time—qué Dios me ayuda—I’m filing a restraining order.”
In retrospect, I should’ve done it when this woman ransacked Sienna’s bedroom. Because I’m not buying the excuse that some random guy did it. Winston would’ve said something about it right away. He doesn’t have the ability to play his cards close to the vest for long.
“What happened?” Tío Julio sets down his cup of coffee.
Janelle, who’s finally wearing clothes, runs in. I ignore her and tell my uncle how she snuck into my bed buck-ass naked.
She has the nerve to scoff. “Don’t pretend you didn’t want it. All men do.”
“Stay away from me, Janelle. Go back to Ernest. He doesn’t want you if you come attached with my kid? Fine. Done. Lily’s not your problem any longer.”
Janelle doesn’t say anything for a second, but then she nods. “Okay.”
“Okay?” Her mother starts yelling in Spanish. “¿Qué dices, okay? No puedes hacer esto!”
I bolt out the front door, happy to leave them squabbling. My hands are shaking as I get Lily snapped into her car seat.
It takes me a solid hour to calm down where I don’t feel like I’m in the grip of rage. I’m halfway back to Charming when I realize I’ve left most of Lily’s stuff at my uncle’s house. But there’s no way in hell I’m going back there now.
When I pull into a gas station to fill up, I call Sienna. I need to hear her voice. I need to explain what happened, and I need her to tell me everything is going to be all right.
It goes straight to voicemail.
I frown at my phone and try again and get the same result. Maybe her phone is dead. She always forgets to charge it.
I leave a message.
“Hey, sunshine. I hope you got home okay last night. Sorry shit got crazy.” I scrub a hand through my hair, hating what I need to tell her. “It got worse, but I’ll give you all the details when I see you.”
After getting a few snacks, I pull into a parking spot and feed Lily. I left my uncle’s house quickly, and I don’t know what she ate this morning. She gobbles down some chicken nuggets. I change her diaper and get her settled in her car seat before I hit the road again.
I keep checking my phone for texts or calls from Sienna, but they never come. By the time I pull into Charming, I’m getting anxious.
What if she got into an accident last night? We never spoke after she left. Those allergy pills and beers knocked me out, but I should’ve forced myself to stay awake until I reached her to make sure she got home okay.
Christ, did she really take an Uber all the way to Charming? What if he was a terrible driver?
I’m a nervous wreck by the time I turn down our street.
I park behind a moving van. Two burly men are carrying furniture out of Sienna’s place. What the hell?