Damaged Hearts

Chapter 21

Zach

I slam the Nicole's front door behind me, harder than I mean to, but I don't care. My fists are clenched so tight my heart's pounding like I just went ten rounds in a fight. I've never been this pissed at Nicole. Not once.

But it's not just her. It's Brian. It's everything. The lies. The betrayals. The fact that I'm somehow in the middle of it all, trying to be the calm one while everything burns around me.

I reach my truck, yank the door open, and drop into the seat. The slap keeps replaying in my head. The shock of it. The sting. Not from the hit itself, I'm a grown man, I've taken worse, but from her. Nicole. She's never done anything like that before.

I start the engine, the low rumble cutting through the silence. My grip tightens on the wheel, jaw clenching so hard it hurts as I start to drive.

I pull out my phone and call Trent.

"Yo," he answers on the second ring, casual as ever.

"Hypothetical question," I say, my voice tighter than I want it to be. "Cassidy slaps you across the face, what do you do?"

"Uh...what?" He's already alert, his tone sharper now. "She hit you?"

"Yeah," I admit, dragging a hand down my face. "What do I do with that?"

"Back the damn truck up," Trent says, and I can hear him moving around, probably getting away from Cassidy, "What happened?"

I tell him everything. The kids, Brian, the fight, the way Nicole snapped, and the way I had to catch her before she did something she'd regret. Then, the slap. I don't sugarcoat any of it.

There's silence for a second after I finish.

"Dude," he says finally. "She's spiraling."

"Yeah," I mutter, running my hand through my hair. "I know that."

"She's probably struggling more than she's letting on."

"I know that, Trent," I snap, sharper than I mean to. "I'm not stupid. I'm just—" I pause, exhaling slow, trying to find the right words. "I'm just caught off guard, man. She's never done that before."

"Yeah, I get it," he says. "If Cass did that to me, I'd be pissed too."

"Exactly," I say, gripping the wheel tighter.

"But," he adds, and I already know where this is going, "you're not thinking about leaving her over it, are you?"

"No," I say quickly. Too quickly. "I'm not. That'd be stupid, right?"

"Nah, it's not stupid," Trent says. "But you'd be an idiot if you did. This ain't normal for her, right?"

"No," I admit. "It's not."

"Then you give her a pass this time," he says, like it's the most obvious thing in the world. "One time. Everyone gets one."

"Yeah," I mutter, letting my head fall back against the headrest. "That's what I'm thinking too. Wanna join me? You still got that video?"

"Fuck yeah I do."

"I'll pick you up in 30. I gotta run home and get changed." I say and we hang up.

When I pull up to Trent's house, he's already outside. Pulling open the passenger door and sliding in.

"Still good?" he asks as he buckles in.

"Still good," I say, my eyes on the road ahead.

"You sure?"