Page 88 of Playing Pretend

Macy? Macy was part of this?

Suddenly the conversation I’d overheard the day before made sense.

“Then how does the media know?”

Caleb looked at Aaliyah, and their silent conversation made my gut tighten.

“Tell her,” said Aaliyah. “She deserves to know.”

“It’s a little too late to give a fuck about what I deserve, Liy.”

She hung her head in what I hoped was shame. She was as much to blame for this as anyone, and in the end, it was me who looked like a fool.

“Natalia gave the information to the press,” said Caleb. “She got everything from Jennifer. I don’t know the specifics but I’m going to find out, and make this right. Kadence, I swear, I’m going to fix it.”

I closed my eyes, mustering what little strength I had left. When I opened them, Caleb’s pained expression gave me that little extra push.

“You can’t fix it,” I told him. “This can never be undone. I’m afraid your plan was wasted.”

When Caleb frowned, I continued, “My father is dead. So all of this was for nothing. I wanted to believe you were different, that I’d fallen in love with an honorable man, but do you know what I’ve realized, Caleb? You are no better than my Father. He was a coward, a fraud, and so are you.”

And then it hit me.

All at once.

Like a freight train going full speed on tracks that were coming to an end.

“He’s dead,” I exhaled, my tone shaky. My breaths came quicker and quicker, until I couldn’t inhale a lung full of air. I was being strangled, my air supply limited. All by the realization that everything was falling apart.

My Father.

Caleb.

Bile slowly made its way up my throat, and I scrambled to make it to the bathroom in time. I ran down the hallway, pushing through the bathroom doors. My knees hit the tiled floors hard enough to bruise, and I heaved until my stomach was empty. Hands brushed my hair out of my face, and with blurred vision, I turned to see Caleb standing above me, his features creased with concern.

I slapped his hands away. “Don’t touch me.”

I wiped my mouth, and stood up, using the wall as leverage. I suddenly felt tired, so tired. “You’re a liar, and you used me to settle a debt that was never mine to pay.”

My fist connected with his chest. Over and over again until I had nothing left.

“You win,” I cried. “You win.”

Caleb caught me, but the thought of his hands on me was repulsive. Not one of his touches were honest, or real, and I now felt the marks he’s left in the worst way.

“Get away from me.” I shoved him with all the might I could muster. “Consider this my resignation, effective immediately.”

“Kadence, please -”

“I never want to see you again.” It hurt to say those words, but I was so angry and so hurt, they were all that came out of my mouth. “You’re so good at pretending, so why not pretend we never happened.”

The look on Caleb’s face when I said those words, and walked away would forever haunt me. But it would have haunted me more if I’d stayed, if I’d forgiven him.

I couldn’t do that.

I couldn’t stay for something that wasn’t real. I couldn’t forgive something that was nothing more than a lie.