his weakness

thirty five

K E N Z I E

It's expected that I should feel relief and happiness that Nolan is home, but strangely, I'm not. My mind races through all the potential negative scenarios, and all I wish for him is to be okay. It's the only reassurance I need for my mind to find some peace, especially after the crazy events of today. My head still throbs with pain, and my eyes burn from the tears shed throughout the day.

I pull into the driveway, and there he is. The lights illuminate both the downstairs and upstairs areas of the house. Without wasting a moment, I slam the car door shut and rush inside. A quick scan reveals no sign of him downstairs, implying he's probably in his room upstairs, engaged in who knows what.

I'm uncertain if I'm prepared to learn what he's been up to during this time, and I really hope it's nothing troubling. I want to believe he came here to find peace, to cope with what happened earlier, but deep down, I know he wouldn't choose this place for that purpose. I'm aware of where he usually goes to clear his mind, and it's certainly not here.

Ascending the stairs hastily, I would be running right now if not for my dress, which is tight around my legs and waist. Confirming my suspicions, he's indeed here. The light spills out from his room, the door standing ajar.

As I approach, intending to call out his name, I abruptly fall silent, struck dumb by the unexpected sight within his room.

Oh, you better be joking.

Neither of them notice my presence as I just stand there watching. Alyssa is wrapping her arms around Nolan while his back is facing me and the entire room is a mess.

Hurt and upset, I discover that while I was anxiously searching for him, he was here with Alyssa in our shared space.

This girl incites a rage in me, a kind of anger I've never felt before. It's an incredible desire to grab her hair and yank it until she has no words left to scream.

What intensifies my fury is her audacity—she's still in a damn bikini, her arms wrapped around his body.

Finally, I speak, "What's going on here?" I manage to keep my hurt concealed beneath the anger. I'm not going to let something so ridiculous make me shed more tears.

"Oh! Sorry, me and Nolan were just talking about how much we miss each other!" Both of their attentions shift to me, and I refuse to look at Nolan, not even sparing a glance his way.

"Really?" I ask, sarcastically in a very 'I'm not surprised' tone.

"Ye-" I stop her from saying another word. I don't want to hear anything coming out of her mouth.

"I don't give a shit," I say, deliberately avoiding direct eye contact with him. "In case you haven't noticed, your best friend is currently in the hospital, having been close to death. I came here to tell you he's okay, but it seems like you don't really care." I maintain my distance, a necessary response considering the apparent situation. How else am I supposed to act when I walk in on what seems like him cheating on me?

Beyond anger and hurt, there's a profound sense of disappointment in me. Chase is in the hospital, recovering from a gunshot, and Nolan hasn't even bothered to show up. I anticipated him to be furious, concerned, anything but this... him cheating on me with his ex.

I glance back at Alyssa and exit the room. My heart feels burdened, and I'm reluctant to acknowledge the possibility that I just walked in on Nolan, essentially cheating on me, with the same girl who had tried to have me raped.