Fragile Things

26 | A Heart Torn in Two

twenty-six • a heart torn in two

The air in the room turns chilly as my body grows aware of whatever was just revealed to me through Dax's lips. My hands drop limply to my sides as I stare at him, all the fight in my body vanishing in an instant.

Damien took Mira from Dax.

Damien Spencer.

"No." When I speak, my voice sounds weak. "No...this can't be."

"I'm not lying, babe. This is the truth, whether you believe it or not."

I back away, my back hitting the door behind me as the reality of this situation sinks in. My heart rate slows down, my ears ringing with Dax's words.

In front of me, he stands with a sad look on his face, his eyes twinkling as they meet mine. The closeness of his body is the only thing blocking the chill which has risen from somewhere within me and not outside.

Outside, the sun is bright. Inside, my heart has a dark cloud in it.

I find myself close to tears, a hiccup leaving my mouth when I try to stop an oncoming sob. The emotions I feel right now are nothing compared to what I felt when I doubted Dax of being the guy who betrayed Mira. There is something more hitting me close to my heart this time.

I remember Damien's words from last night — I'll keep you safe — the words he had spoken to me with such care, such gentility. I would have never doubted him for a second.

"Why...did you lie?" I ask, freeing the sob that comes out of my mouth along with my words. "Why did you lie to me, Dax? Why didn't you just tell me the truth before? How do I believe you now?"

Something similar to hurt flashes in Dax's eyes.

"He's my brother, Daria," he says. "Good or bad, I have always loved him. He might not understand that but I have always protected him, even from himself. How could I tell you the truth when I knew it would hurt him?"

"Why would it hurt him if you told me the truth?"

"Because he likes you, Daria." Dax comes closer, erasing the distance between us until his face hovers over mine, his lips so close to my forehead that I feel the rhythm of his alcoholic breath. "He has liked you since the first moment I took you to the ghetto..."

"The Tracks," I correct him, recalling how Damien said that Dax keeps giving people the wrong assumptions. "I went there yesterday. I saw a race..."

Dax's eyebrows pinch together.

"Fine," he sighs. "The Tracks. What I mean is...Damien has wanted you since then. He even asked me if I would be willing to share you with him. I knew his intentions then....Daria, I was hesitant to leave town...because I knew once I left he would try to replace me for you. He did just that, didn't he?"

A memory of Damien's head between my legs, about the kiss we shared, flashes across my mind. It was in this room only that he had me wanting something more a day ago. He came here unannounced and I gave myself to him like a person without self-respect.

I squeeze my eyes shut, the memory hurting me now when it once had pleased me.

"Baby..." I feel hands on my arms as Dax's soothing voice greets my ears. "I'm so sorry I left you here. I...I should have told you the truth."

I open my eyes, giving him a disdainful glance. My hands find the hem of his jacket and I hold it into fists as I look at his face.

"Then tell me," I plead. "Tell me everything that happened with you and Mira. Please...I need to know. Don't let me be a fool again."