Bri

Chapter 15: Hurt

*Mia's POV*

I did my best not to cry when I left the apartment; it proved utterly difficult. While I drove to my mom's house, I couldn't hold my tears in anymore. The way Cambria yelled at me and what she said... hurt me to my very core. I felt like my heart was ripping in half, agonizingly slow. Does she really think I would cheat on her? Why would she say that to me...? Does she trust me? Why would I go fuck Nina, of all people? Hell, she's as straight as they come and enjoys sleeping with men; she's told me such things before. I have never once felt attracted to her in the slightest anyway... I only want Cambria... forever...

Due to traffic and a car accident on the highway, I had to alter my route and take the side streets, making it take much longer to get to my destination. In a little over forty minutes, I reached my mom's place. I parked the car, and that's when I heard my phone go off. My heart tightened in my chest when I saw that Cambria had texted me.

Bri: "Babygirl, I'm so sorry..."

After reading her text, I took a couple of deep breaths to calm my emotions because it made me cry again. I felt so many different things pulsing through me. Part of me was relieved that she had apologized, but it wasn't enough... not yet. She hurt me, accused me of the one thing I promised her I would never do, and I wasn't in the right state of mind to text her back. I needed some time before that happened as I did not want to say anything that I would end up regretting.

Have I not been showing her how much I love and need her? Am I ruining our relationship somehow by working as much as I have been? She used to always talk to me if there was a problem, why didn't she? Her lashing out at me in that manner couldn't have been due to something recent. My eyes shut tightly at that thought. Breathe, Mia... just get inside mom's house, calm down, and then figure everything out...

About five minutes later, I had convinced myself that I was as calm as I could be. I got out of the car, locked it, and walked up to the front door. My hand knocked four times, and I patiently waited for my mom to open it. I know it was my choice to leave and get some space from Cambria after what happened, but... I still want to hear from her even if I am not ready to reply... I miss her so much. I hope she's okay; I know she will be hard on herself.

My mom opened the door, and before I could even step inside, she gave me a soft, concerned expression. She already knows that something is up; I can tell how she is looking at me right now. Ali opened her arms, and I practically ran into them, needing some motherly comfort. She wrapped her arms around me tightly, and I began to cry again because I wasn't able to hold my emotions back anymore.

"Come on, little one; let's get inside, and we can talk about what happened, okay?" She stated, and I nodded. Unfortunately, that non-verbal response was all I could muster up at this point.

Together, we walked into her house, and she told me that she would meet me in the living room. I decided to take a few minutes to go to the guest bedroom to place my overnight bag on the floor, next to the bed. I could feel the heat radiating from my face from the crying I had already done tonight. I went into the bathroom next in order to wash my face with cold water a couple of times. I wanted to lessen the redness and heat, and after I finished with the water, I felt a bit better overall. I went back into the guest room and sat on the bed for a few minutes until my phone's notification tone went off. I took my cell out of my pocket and opened the text I just received from Nina.

Nina Mattel: "Mia, when you arrive, please make sure you bring your camera equipment. I know you usually do, but we have a new client, and I want you to take care of the newest project."

I sighed and shook my head. Damn. I knew I needed to reply to her, letting her know that I couldn't return tonight. As a matter of fact, I need a few days off, and I hope she is okay with this because it is a week earlier than we scheduled for my break.