Page 50 of The Deadbeat DILF
His eyes widened. “What? No, of course not.” He put the present on the bedside table. “What happened?”
“There’s a watch missing.”
“I didn’t take anything,” he said, getting out of bed. “I’d never touch your stuff without your permission.”
“Right,” I said, still panicking. For some reason, all I could think of was Mike’s voice, echoing in my head. “It’s just that I can’t find it anywhere. It’s worth a lot of money—over ten thousand dollars. I need to make sure you didn’t accidentally take it—”
“Are you accusing me of stealing your watch?” He started to walk over, and there was no doubt about it—he was offended, his eyes filled with pure incredulity.
I felt myself shrink. “Sorry. Of course you didn’t. I…”
He moved closer to me, expression softening. “Maybe you misplaced it?”
“I definitely didn’t displace it,” I said. I didn’t lose things. Especially valuable things.
“Well,” he said, “we can find it in the morning. It’s late.”
“Right,” I said, instinctively stepping back. “I’m sure it’s nothing.”
It didn’t feel like nothing, though.
He reached for me, but I must’ve flinched, because he stopped himself and frowned at me. “Are you okay, Brooke? You’ve been tense all day.” His expression grew worried. “Have I done something to upset you?”
I opened my mouth, ready to say no. Instead, what came out was: “Mike came to see me at work today.”
A series of emotions washed over Robert’s face. “He did? Why?”
“He wanted to warn me about you.” My voice was small. “I was trying to ignore everything he said because I thought they were baseless accusations. I’ve been trying to enjoy the evening with you, but I guess he really shook me up.”
Robert exhaled, looking suddenly very tired. “What did he say to you?”
“You really want to—”
“Yes,” he interrupted. “Tell me. Please.”
“He told me you cheated on your ex-wife,” I said.
He deflated, and my heart felt like it dropped to my feet. Still, I continued talking. “He said that’s why you lost your company. He said you were a manipulator and that you’d ruin my life.”
Robert rubbed his face. His silence felt like it lasted for hours.
“Obviously, it’s all rubbish,” I said, sounding a little desperate.
Tell me it’s lies. Tell me, please—
“It’s true.” Robert’s voice was quiet.
My throat tightened as my eyes went wide. “What?” I asked.
He took a step back. He didn’t look sad or angry. No, it was worse than that. He looked resigned.
“I’m sorry, Brooke,” he murmured. “I shouldn’t have dragged you into my mess.”
He turned around, and I grabbed his arm, stopping him from leaving. “Stop. What are you doing? We have to talk about this.”
“There’s nothing to say.” He wouldn’t even meet my eyes. “Mike told you the truth. I cheated on Emily, and that’s why she divorced me. I’m a bad man, Brooke. A bad partner. This entire time, I’ve been pretending—thinking I could be good, thatI could be worthy of you. But now I see how stupid I was.” He pulled out of my grip. “I need to leave. I can’t cause you any more trouble.”
“What?” I said, my voice breaking. “You can’t leave, just like that.”
