Chapter 3

Something inside me shattered the moment I heard that voice. There was no mistaking it. I pushed past the redhead and stepped into the room before she could stop me. In my worst nightmare, I never would’ve imagined Jackson lying there completely naked with another woman. But there he was.

I sucked in a sharp breath, my eyes widening in shock. Jackson’s lazy smile vanished the second he saw me. All the color drained from his face as he scrambled out of the bed like he’d seen a ghost. “E-Elara,” he stammered. For the first time in two years, hearing my name come from his mouth made my stomach turn.

“Hey, you! What the hell do you think you’re doing?” the redhead snapped, but I didn’t even look at her. My hands clenched into tight fists as the sheet slipped, leaving Jackson standing there in nothing but his briefs.

“Elara… I..”

“Don’t,” I cut him off, disgust thick in my voice. He took a step toward me and I threw my hand up. “Don’t you dare come any closer.”

Every muscle in my body stayed locked tight until I felt Clara’s hand settle gently on my shoulder. That small touch helped me breathe again. “How could you do this to me?” I asked, the words coming out more like a plea than anything else. Here I’d been beating myself up, thinking I’d ruined everything by cheating on him. My chest ached so badly I could barely pull in air.

“Can someone please explain what the hell is going on?” the redhead interrupted again, sounding annoyed. “Mike..wait, Jackson do you know these women?”

“Let me handle this,” Clara said, stepping forward. Her voice came out loud and sharp as she glared at him. She’d never liked him much before, and now that hatred was written all over her face. “This guy..sorry, this pathetic jerk” she jabbed a finger at him, “is her boyfriend. And he’s been cheating on her with you.”

“What?” The redhead’s voice cracked with shock. “Is that true?”

I stood frozen, my eyes locked on Jackson. He was the one who had betrayed me.

“Yeah, she’s my girlfriend, but babe, I was planning to end it with her,” Jackson said quickly, walking over to grab the redhead’s hands. “I swear.”

The whole scene made my skin crawl. Both of them made me sick. I actually had to fight the urge to throw up right there on the carpet.

“Oh my God, you are a complete asshole, Jackson Carter!” Clara yelled. Jackson’s jaw tightened and he shot her a dirty look.

“You haven’t broken up with her yet?” the redhead cried, yanking her hands free. “You never told me you had a girlfriend!”

Flash news, lady no one ever does.

“I’m sorry, things got complicated and I didn’t get the chance,” he pleaded, panic flashing in his eyes as she stepped away from him. “But I was going to break up with her today, I swear.”

I let out a bitter laugh. Shouldn’t he be talking to me? Shouldn’t I be the one he was explaining himself to? I used to think I was the most important person in his life. Guess I wasn’t even in the top five.

“Nice one, Jackson Carter,” I said, slow-clapping. Both of them turned to stare at me. “You remember yesterday was our anniversary, right? Is that why you planned to dump me? Is that why you ignored every single text and call?”

The guilt that flashed across his face told me everything I needed to know. How stupid I’d been, thinking he was just busy or stuck in traffic. How pathetic I’d felt waiting for him. He stayed quiet because there was nothing he could say.

Anger boiled up so fast I saw red. I took two steps toward him, shooting the redhead a sideways glare as she narrowed her eyes at me. Then I slapped him hard across the left cheek. The sound cracked through the room like a whip. Everyone froze especially the redhead, who gasped.

“What the hell?” Jackson barked, snapping his head back toward me, eyes blazing.

The nerve of him to act outraged when he was the one who’d done this. “You deserved that, Jackson Carter. You cheated on me! I waited for you all night while you were here with her!”

Okay, I hadn’t actually waited the whole night, but that didn’t matter. What I’d done by mistake didn’t even come close to what he’d done on purpose.

“Tell me,” I demanded when he didn’t answer. “How long have you been sleeping with her behind my back?” The silence felt crushing. He opened his mouth, closed it, glanced at me, then at her. “Tell me,” I pressed, keeping my voice steady even though a storm was raging inside me. I surprised myself I wanted to scream, but somehow my face stayed calm.

“Three months.”

Three months. Ninety-two days. He’d been cheating on me for over three months. I’d missed all the signs the sudden mood swings, seeing me less and less, the way he never wanted to be intimate anymore, even that lipstick mark on his shirt I’d brushed off as nothing.

“I can’t believe this!” the redhead exploded. “You were in a relationship and you still came after me? You’re a disgusting sleaze!”

“Babe, please, listen,” Jackson begged, reaching for her again. “It’s not what it looks like. I love you I’m crazy about you. That’s why I couldn’t bring myself to tell you about her.”

I’d heard enough. I wasn’t here to watch him beg another woman like some lovesick idiot. I was here to end this.

I walked right up to him, looked into those emerald-green eyes one last time, and said, “We’re done, Jackson Carter. I’m dumping you. Go rot in hell with this bitch for all I care.” I yanked off the thin gold necklace he’d given me last year and flung it at his face.

He growled, “Watch your mouth, Elara!”

“You should’ve watched what you were doing!”

I gave them both one final glare, then turned and walked out. I didn’t stop. I kept moving until I pushed through the hotel’s glass doors and stepped into the bright morning air. The sun was shining high overhead, but everything inside me felt gray and heavy.

The second I was outside, all the emotions I’d been holding back came rushing out. I broke down right there on the sidewalk and cried like a little kid loud, ugly sobs that shook my whole body. I didn’t care who saw. The pain was sharp and deep. My first real relationship had just ended in the worst possible way.