Wrong for Me

31|newfound happiness

DANTE MANCINI—SEPTEMBER

NAOMI'S MY EX. THE words rang in my ears over and over in the absence of sound that ensued between the four of us.

"I knew that name sounded familiar," Mr. McNamara laughed, clearly not picking up on the elephant in the room. That definitely wouldn't last long. "I didn't even put the pieces together. Small world, huh?"

My eyes were locked on Jonathan's, sending him a glare that I know he could feel as his gaze danced between Naomi and I—a smirk on that disgusting face of his. Standing across from—or even being in the same vicinity—as the man who had assaulted my girlfriend was enough to have my blood boiling and my mind fixated on one thing—trying my hardest not to kill him.

I so desperately wanted to reach over and pull Naomi into my arms—to comfort her—I just didn't know if I was ready to let our relationship out. She knew I was there to comfort her and defend her despite me not being able to physically reach out to her.

"Is there something I'm missing here?" Mr. McNamara continued when no one responded or even chuckled at his jokes.

Jonathan's smile curved up even more as he turned to face the man beside him. I was desperate to know how they even knew each other.

"Uncle Malcolm, you remember what I told you...our break up was...messy," Jonathan explained, lying through his teeth.

A deep chuckle rumbled through my chest at his explanation. Finally, I glanced down at Naomi whose eyes were fixated on her heels, her body visibly shaking. It pained me to see my girl—my girl who was usually so confident—feeling so upset.

"Messy? What was messy about the break up?" I decided to ask, locking gazes with Jonathan again who seemed to be challenging me back. He knew I was knowledgeable about what he had done.

"Da...Mr. Mancini," Naomi sighed, her voice cracking as she spoke, lifting her head to look at me with glassy eyes. "I...I'll be right back."

Before letting me respond, I watched as she rushed away to the bathroom, her hand frantically reaching up to wipe at her face right before she disappeared behind the door. I glanced back at our table, hoping that Lauren had watched this and would rush after her, but of course she wasn't.

"I feel like there's something I'm missing out on."

I wanted to chuckle again, yet I knew that I had to keep my respect for Mr. McNamara. I just knew that there was no way he was absolutely clueless as to what his nephew had done and the legal process his family must have had to have gone through to get him off without any consequence.

"She's always been a tad dramatic," Jonathan replied, still staring at me with an emotionless expression. He had no remorse as Naomi was struggling—and would be left struggling—for what was probably the rest of her life.

Finally, I couldn't hold myself back. I knew that I was risking breaking my connection with Mr. McNamara, yet there was no way I would feel any decency about respecting an abuser and someone who possibly enabled him. If Mr. McNamara was really someone to be respected, he would understand my anger once I said what I needed to get off my chest.

"If you call suffering from the abuse she endured from you dramatic, then sure. You're a fucking disappointment of a person if you think that sitting here looking smug knowing that you tortured Naomi is somehow charming to anyone," I spoke as calmly as possible, though my hand was clenched at one side and the other gripped my champagne flute so tightly I was sure it would shatter. "Now if you excuse me, I'm going to go make sure Ms. Cole is okay."