Consequences of the Heart

Chapter 51

Quinn's POV

"Brenton please just let me explain." I say almost begging him but it doesn't seem to matter to him. "My sister was right about you, and I look like the biggest idiot in world for believing you over everyone else." Brenton places his hands on his head and I swear that he is having some kind on mental breakdown. 

"Brenton please, we can talk this out." Brenton growls at me and it breaks my heart to see him like this because of me. "How many times did you sleep with him while I was away?" Brenton asks in a venomous tone of voice. 

"Just once I cross my heart Brenton, I only slept with him once while you were away." I take a step towards him but the second I do he takes a step backwards. "It was a mistake and a lapse of judgment." My friends hearing all of this look at me with shock expressions on their face. 

"Quinn? You really went all the way with Nick?" Caily asks as I feel like my world is once again crashing all around me. "We got close after the Halloween party and kept it from everyone because I knew how you all would react." I take in a deep breath seeing the betrayal in not only Brenton's eyes but also in the eyes of my friends. 

"Then one night Nick invited me to his apartment, we ate dinner, hung out, and he gave me a tour of the place which ended in his bedroom." Tears form in Brenton's eyes but I know that what Nikki told him is a twisted version of the what really happened. 

"We ended up having sex, but then the next morning Nikki forced him to tell me the truth about everything and I have regretted it ever since." In a very odd way I feel like this weight has been lifted off my shoulders because I have finally told the secret that I have been caring around for what seems like forever. 

"I can't believe I ever loved you." Brenton says with tears falling down his cheeks but I am suddenly reminded of another conversation I have had tonight. "Really? You can't believe that you ever loved me?" I ask my mood shifting. 

"I was honest with you by telling you I slept with Nick once. Now tell me how many times did you sleep with Mandi Brenton?" Brenton straightens up because it is my turn to be the angry one. "What are you talking about?" He asks but I can see right though that and he should know me better than that. 

"Mandi told me everything, how the two of you hooked up countless time while you were overseas." Brenton stands there no saying a word or moving a muscle. "I had one moment of weakness, but the way Mandi talks it would seem that you had a whole another girlfriend and even a whole different life." Brenton looks at me unsure of what to say. 

"You wanted to stand there and blame me for cheating when it turns out that you were doing the exact same thing." I walk up to him and look him dead in his eyes. "How long Brenton? How long did you have a relationship with Mandi?" Brenton roll his necks letting out a frustrated sigh.

 "We were never in a romantic relationship Quinn, it was just casual sex from time to time, but moment I heard that I was coming home I ended it." I start laughing wondering how the man I love could cheat on me and think it was nothing.

 "I want to know about when you left early that morning and came back with sagging shorts and a ripped tank top." Brenton takes my hand and places it over his heart.

 "Mandi called me and told me that if I didn't meet up with her that she would tell you everything. I met her at her place where she tried to seduce me which lead to her ripping my tank top and the sagging shorts, but I told her off and told her that I loved you and couldn't see my life without you in it." I try to pull away from him both of now with tears running down our faces.

 "I know that I should have never done anything with Mandi, but you don't know what it was like over there Quinn." I rip myself away from him with mix emotions. "You think that I don't know. I had get up and go to classes everyday with everyone asking me if I was okay or if I heard from you, I had to come back home because being alone in our apartment was too much for me, I clung to these dog tags like my life depended on them because it was the only way to feel close to you." I snap at him wanting him to know just some of what I went through while he was away. 

"We both made mistakes, and now that everything is out in the open we can work through this." I shake my head at him pulling his dog tags off from around my neck. "I need time to decide if our relationship can survive this Brenton." I grab his hand placing the tags in his palm. 

"It has been a long night and with everything that has happened tonight right now I need space to figure everything out and what I truly want." I wipe the tears from my eyes before taking a deep breath and walking out of the room calling an Uber to pick me up before finding Knox, Ridge, and Bay. 

"Can you guys please look after him tonight? I still love him and I don't want him to do something crazy." Knox nods his head and the other two after him. "We got him Quinn, us Marines look for one another." I smile at him kissing his cheek before walking over to my friends.

 "I know that you all must hate me for lying to you all these months, but I swear to you that the only reason I didn't tell you is because I didn't want any of you to think less of me." Before I anyone can say anything I quickly walk out of the house and get into the Uber leaving everything up in the air for right now.