How Could This Be Real?

122. A Deep Scar

Tap tap tap. "Angel?" The door to my room creaked open and I moved my gaze away from the wall to cast a glance at it. Beth poked her head inside and said with a sweet, sympathetic smile, "Squiddy wants to talk to you."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. "How mad is he?" I whispered, terrified of what he was going to say about this whole thing.

"He's not mad, sweetie. Just... confused."

A tear ran down my cheek and I swiped it away, using every ounce of my strength to hope and pray that he wouldn't break up with me because of this. I can't live without him, I just can't. If everything we'd built over these past few years was destroyed because of a misunderstanding... I couldn't even imagine it, nor did I want to.

I took another slow breath and finally opened my eyes, nodding and thanking Sqaishey for letting me know. I took a minute once she'd disappeared to collect myself, and then I hesitantly ventured out into the house to start the hardest conversation of my life.

Across the hall, the door to the girls' room was cracked open and I could just about see Amy sitting inside, holding her knees to her chest and staring at the floor with bloodshot eyes.

I heard a small sigh next to me and looked over to see Ash leaning against his doorway, gazing at Amy with a painfully longing look in his gaze. As if feeling my attention on him he glanced over at me, starting when he realized he'd been caught and quickly standing up, clearing his throat.

"Oh, um, Angel. I wasn't, uh... I mean, it's not what it-"

"Go talk to her," I said simply, knowing that she needed comforting and that Ash wanted nothing more than to have a chance with her.

"No no, she just needs some time to... to cool down and..."

I gave him a pointed look and he sighed, glancing at Amy once again and chewing on his lip as he considered it. "Alright..." he finally muttered. "Here goes nothin'..."

So he set off to be the knight in shining armor, but I didn't stick around to see what the results would be. I instead headed down the stairs to look for David.

It took me a few minutes to find him since the estate was so large and Beth hadn't told me where he was waiting for me, but I eventually found him in the living room on the main floor. He was just staring at the wall across from him, just like I'd been doing for the past hour and a half or so. It broke my heart to see him like this, but I knew it would only get worse by the end of this.

"David?" I murmured, inching my way into the room.

He didn't provide a response, didn't even turn to face me.

"David, I... I'm so sorry... I swear, I..." my voice broke, tears already sliding down my face and he hadn't even said a word yet.

"Did you go with him?" he asked, his voice completely flat and devoid of all emotion. He still didn't look at me when he asked, but I was sure he could see me through the corner of his eye, and that hurt more than any accusation ever could. The fact that he couldn't even look at me.

I stopped my slow advance towards him and just stood there, a foot away from him, slowly shaking my head and just barely holding back my sobs. "It wasn't me," I whispered, begging him with all my heart to understand. "I don't know what he did, but..." My lips trembled as I watched clear beads trickle down his cheeks, his face hard as stone.

He finally turned his head to look at me, but it felt like he was staring right through me. "Did you go with him?" he asked again, his tone leaving no room for lies or excuses.