Crazy Stupid Love

Chapter 63: Shattered Heart

"Marriya, open up!" Ratliff demands. I don't even bother moving, giving him the same response he has received every time he's asked before. Silence.
"Mar... Whatever it is, I can help you. All of us can. If you would rather talk to Ross, he is waiting in the living room. He is really worried about you, you know?"
"No!" I immediately respond, mentally cursing myself out the second the raspy words leave my lips.
"Why? What did he do?" he asks, his voice colder than ice.
Knowing that I now have no choice, I slowly roll over and attempt to stand up. Aching pains ripple through my body as I move the joints that have been still for I don't know how long. I stiffly make my way to the door, my joints cracking and popping the whole way.
I can hear my brother's sigh of relief as I unlock the door and pull it open slowly. He darts in, and I quickly slam it behind him. Clicking the lock back into place, I turn to face him.
My long blond hair is greasy and tangled, my eyes are so far past bloodshot. I am completely repulsive, but he pulls me into a tight hug regardless.
"Oh, Mar," he breathes, holding me closer to his body.
"Rat? Can I have 10 minutes to take a shower? I can't even imagine how disgusting I look right now," I request in an attempt to to stall the inevitable conversation.
"Sure, but I'm not leaving."
I nod, and move towards my bathroom. I grab a fresh pair of sweats and a tank top that are sitting on my vanity as I pass by. I press the door shut quietly, immediately beginning to hyperventilate. Ross is in the house right now. Once I tell Ratliff, there's no telling what he might do. No matter how much I want to hate Ross, I can't. I've loved him so strongly for so long, it feels wrong. I don't know if I will ever be able to forgive him, but I don't think I will ever fall out of love with him.

.

"Ell, is my hairbrush out there?" I call through the door. Once I remove the knots from my hair, I will be as good as new. On the outside anyway.
"Yeah, it's right here," he replies.
Slowly, I swing the door open and lose the security of having a locked door between myself and everyone else. No matter what I feel, I need to tell Ratliff what I saw. He deserves that much.
"Thanks," I smile weakly; taking the brush from his extended hand.
Apprehensively, I sit down on the bed beside him. I gently pull the brush through my damp hair, attempting to focus on my breathing.
"Mar, I don't know what happened, but you can tell me," he whispers, rubbing his hand reassuringly against my back.
"I know, Ell, and I will," I say quietly. "You just need to promise me you won't do anything without my permission."
"Okay, I won't," he mutters; his jaw locking.
"Promise?" I press.
"Promise," he confirms.
Taking a deep breath, I open my mouth to speak. I quickly close it as a steady stream of tears begin flowing from my eyes.
"Oh, Marriya," Ratliff whispers, his voice cracking. "What happened to you?"
After wiping his thumb under my eyes to dry my cheeks, he pulls me into his lap. Gently, he rocks me until I stop crying, humming softly the entire time. The tears continue to come as I register the fact that Ellington's actions are almost an exact replica of the way Ross would hold me.
"Ross... Ross... Ross cheated on me," I whisper.
"What?" Ratliff exclaims, his eyes growing dark as a look of malice overtakes his face.
Shakily, I begin to explain what I saw at the coffee shop. Once I finish, I begin crying harder than I ever have before.
My head begins pounding violently; a sharp pain stabbing into my abdomen. I can feel my entire world slipping through my fingertips, and I know there is nothing I can do to stop it. How could I have been so naïve to believe a guy like him would actually love a girl like me. I broke my own heart loving him, and I don't know if I will ever get better. Hearts break, and I think it would be easier if we just died when they did. But we don't. This shattered something inside of me that had never been broken before. I didn't love Jeremy the way I love Ross. I will never be the same.
"Marriya?" A voice calls through the door. "Babe, are you okay?"
My body seizes with panic; my breaths grow ragged. I cling tighter to my brothers as I burry my head in the crook of his neck.
"Please, Baby, talk to me," Ross desperately begs. "Whatever it is, I promise I can help. I love you so much, please just open the door."
"It's okay, I'll handle this," Ellington reassures me. He stands, presses a gentle kiss to my forehead, then walks out of my room after locking the handle and slamming the door behind himself. I hear Ross say something, but Ratliff's strong voice overpowers his.
I fall back onto the bed, tears continuing to fall from my eyes. Why would he do this? I thought he loved me. What did I do to make him hate me this much?

-

Ratliff's PoV

I shove Ross into my bedroom, the slam of the door echoing through the house.
"Ratliff, what the hell is going on?" Ross asks.
"Funny, because that's exactly what I was going to ask you," I reply venomously.
"Can I please go see Marriya? Is she okay?"
"No, actually, she isn't, and it looks like we've got you to blame for that," I seethe.
"What?" He exclaims.
"Seriously, dude. We could have dealt with you breaking up with her. It could have ended in an okay manor. If you stopped loving her, just fucking tell her that! Not go behind her back and make out with another girl!"
"What the hell are you talking about?" Ross cries. "I would never do that. I love Marriya more than anything!"
"Look, she was really shaken up. All he was able to tell me was you cheated on her with some girl in a coffee shop."
"Shit," Ross murmurs, running his hands through his hair and leaving them on the back of his head, sighing loudly as he brings his elbows together.
"Ross, who was she?"
"A fan," he replies shakily.
"Why was she worth more than the year you spent with my sister?" I ask weakly.
We stand about a metre apart, both of us talking in hushed voices. The anger I began with has channeled into determination to find out exactly why he did what he did. Marriya deserves to know, and I plan to tell her everything.
"I didn't know her," he answers. "I was grabbing the strings out of the van when she came up to me and started talking, even offered to buy me a coffee. When she asked me to sit with her for a bit, I thought it was the least I could do. After a few minutes, she grabbed me and kissed me. I tried to push her off, but I didn't want to hurt her."
I study Ross carefully, trying to decide whether or not to believe him. He's never given me any reason not to, but it still seems wrong.
"Please, just let me talk to her," he begs.
Through the silence, Marriya's muffled sobs are audible.
"Hell will freeze before you ever go near her again."

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Hey guys! Two updates in two days, I hope you're all proud of me 😂 if you're all enjoying this story, please vote and leave me a comment. I love you all so much, thank you for everything.

All the love. Always.
~ Hannah xxx