Page 60 of This Life of Mine

Joey’s mouth twitches despite himself. “I’m not saying he deserved it…but I’m alsonotsaying it.”

The sound of a thud as his body hits the ground.

Cole staggers, trying to pull himself upright.

Blood streaks from his nose as he laughs—a broken, ugly sound. He points at me, swaying on his feet, eyes wild.

That’s when Cole throws his accusations that I’m screwing Alex, that I’m dressed up for him.

The words hit the room like a slap.

Kay gasps. “Oh, my God. This guy.”

Donna’s face goes hard. “He really can’t stop.”

“He’s projecting,” Val says flatly. “That’s all he has left.”

Alex appears calm, almost bored, before he steps forward. Cole barely has time to register what’s happening before Alex’s fist connects. One hit. Cole drops. Out cold before he even hits the ground.

For a moment, nobody says a word.

“Jesus,” Joey says, stunned.

Donna nods her head, as if agreeing with how it all ended.

Val crosses her arms over her chest. “He did exactly what I’ve been wanting to do to that asshole for years.”

I watch the frozen frame on my phone—Cole unmoving, Alex already stepping back, creating distance. No victory or spectacle—an ending.

The tension fades, and the room exhales with it.

Kay’s hands cover her mouth in shock. Joey stares at the wall, jaw locked. Donna’s gaze drifts away, lost in thought.

Val turns to face me, her eyes blazing with fury and something like awe. “You fought him, Lina.”

I smile. “I tried.” But beneath my humor, the anger is still there.

She reaches out and squeezes my hand, firm and loving.

I lock the video and slip my phone away into my pocket. Then I glance around the room, suddenly unsure where we go from here.

The silence stretches until Donna breaks it.

She squints at me. “Okay, serious question—how’s your head after head-butting that asshole?”

I burst into laughter.

It surprises me how easily it comes, how badly I needed it.

“Solid,” I say, tapping my forehead. “Steel trap.”

Joey snorts, the sound breaking the tension that has been hanging over the room since I started the video.

Kay lets out a shaky laugh and presses a hand to her chest. Relief pushes through the shock. Tears still cling to her lashes, but her breathing begins to steady.

Even Val’s mouth curves. It’s small. Brief. But it’s there. A crack in the fierce protectiveness that’s been hardening her expression all morning.

Donna nods approvingly. “Good. That was kick ass.”