Page 88 of Shattered Oaths

“Ow, what the hell?” I bite, clutching my ear as pain sears through it.

“What the fuck were you thinking?!”

My mouth drops open, eyes widening as I gape at my mom, a woman whonevercusses, as she glares at me with murder in her eyes.

My mouth opens, closes and then opens again, words not forming on my tongue.

“In what world did you think it was acceptable to defile that poor girl and then pretend like it never happened? I raised you better than that, Noah Calloway.”

“Defile her?I didn’t defile her,” I argue.

“It was her first time, yes?” She counters.

“Yes, but-”

She dips her head, cutting me off. “Then you defiled her.”

“I didn’t know,” I admit in a quiet voice. “I didn’t know until after.”

Mom scoffs, disgusted. “And you think that makes it any better? You didn’t know and evenafterlearning about it, you still chose to lie. You let that girl go through life believing that her first time was wasted on a man who couldn’t remember. And not just any man.” She holds up a finger, driving the point when she points it at my chest. “But a man whom she trusted with her life.”

Fuck.

When she put it like that…

I’ve really, really fucked up.

“What am I going to do?” I ask, more to myself as I drag my hands over my face.

Mom answers me anyway. “You’re going to drag your sorry little ass out of this bed, out ofmy houseand go and fix it.”

I peak at her through my fingers. “Why are you so mad?”

Her eyes flare and I realise instantly that that was the wrong thing to say.

“I’mmadbecause my son is an imbecile. Bella is like a daughter to your father and I andyoubroke her heart. I’m extremely disappointed in you, Noah.”

With that, she stands and leaves my bedroom, leaving me alone with the knowledge that not only have I destroyed the best thing in my life, and lost my best friend, but I’ve alsohurt my parents too.

CHAPTER 38

BELLA

The soft creak of the bedroom door alerts me to the fact that someone has entered, but I keep my back to them, not even opening my eyes as whoever it is moves around the bed and crouches in front of me.

The smell of wood mixed with cologne tells me it’s my brother and although I still haven’t spoken to him, something inside of me relaxes in his presence.

“Bells?” he whispers softly, his rough hand clasping mine. The move is so gentle, so delicate, that I feel my chin begin to tremble as tears well behind my closed eyelids.

“Come on, Bells. I know you’re awake. You need to eat something,” he says, and I hear him place something on the nightstand beside me.

I finally open my eyes, my stare blank as I look at him without a word.

His lips tip up in a closed smile but his eyes shine with despair. “I’m really sorry for my part in this, Bella. I just…” he pauses, looking away briefly and clenching his jaw before looking back at me. “I was trying to protect you.”

Yeah, well… I guess he was right to.

I told you so,and all that.