A Revengeless Life

Return

*Emily's POV*

I pulled back into the parking lot at the bar, not wanting to face Jack, but knowing it was inevitable. Better to do it in private than in the public eye. I opened the door and walked in. Jack had been sitting in a chair, slumped againt the table, but when he heard me, he shot right up. 

I looked over at the bar. Flashes of last night came back to me, but all I could see now were tons of empty shot glasses laying there.

"Where were you?" Jack asked. 

"Why were you having sex with Charlotte?" I asked. He sighed. 

"I don't know. I was still mad about the whole kiss thing. I guess I started believing everything that's been in the tabloids lately. I started drinking, she started drinking and stripping. The bar was empty. I was so drunk I didn't even remember that I was married. Or that I had a kid upstairs," Jack said. He sounded miserable. I felt a little bad for what I had done last night. 

"Where's Charlotte now?" I asked him. 

"She left. Right after you did," Jack said. 

"You let her drive drunk?" I asked him. I really didn't care. I was just hoping I could distract him enough that we wouldn't have to go back to the conversation about where I had gone last night. 

"I wasnt' thinking. Clearly. Where did you go last night? Did you check into a hotel?" Jack asked me. 

"Not exactly," I said. He paled. 

"Then where were you?" He asked. 

"You cheated," I said. 

"So did you, I'm guessing," he said, standing up, fury in his voice. 

"Well, you were drunk. I had just walked in on my husband having sex with my half sister. I wasn't thinking clearly either, for a different reason, of course," I said, my voice becoming more high-pitched. 

"So you were with Daniel," he said. It wasn't a question. 

"Yeah," I said, sighing. I sat down at the table Jack had been sleeping at and put my head in my hands. Jack sat down, too. 

"So what are we going to do?" Jack asked. 

"I don't know," I replied miserably. 

"Do you love him? Even a little bit. Do you love him?" Jack asked. 

"Yes," I answered. 

"More than me?" He asked. I heard the hurt in his voice. 

"I don't know. It's complicated. I was just fine until I kissed him in that hallway-"

"You did what?" He said.

"Right before he kissed me in front of everyone. I kissed him. We were alone in the hallway. I just...I just needed to know if I had feelings for him. And I did. Do. But I told him it meant nothing to me. And then he kissed me and I didn't want him to stop, but I pushed him off anyway. And then I saw you and Charlotte. I don't know why. I didn't even know where I was going until I showed up at his poolhouse," I said. 

"I feel like I drove you to this," Jack said, broken. 

"You didn't drive me to this. It's not your fault, it's mine. I just can't believe I was so stupid," I said. 

"So...where are we right now? I don't want you dragging me along if I'm not the one you want," Jack said. 

"But I feel the same way when I'm with you," I said. He ran his hands through his hair.