HEALING THE SCARS

CHAPTER 26

DYLAN

I did it again. The moment Joey and I enter the kitchen, he doesn't give me a chance to explain. His fist slams into my jaw, hard and precise, the pain shooting through my face. It's not the physical pain that stings the most, though; it's the look in Joey's eyes—disappointment, anger, betrayal. I deserve it, but it still feels like a knife to the gut.

"Dylan, you messed up again. You promised you'd try," Joey says, his voice heavy with frustration.

I stay silent, running my fingers through my hair, trying to calm the storm brewing inside me. My thoughts are jumbled, tangled in a mess of guilt, anger, and confusion. How do I even begin to explain myself? Can I?

"She wants a divorce," Joey continues, his tone laced with finality. "As we speak, Mabel helps her pack up her things. This is what you wanted, right?"

Divorce. The word hangs in the air, choking me. I feel a surge of panic, but it quickly gives way to defensiveness. "Joey, you have to understand that she made me angry. She's messing around with Eric. She's not innocent in all this."

"Are you even listening to yourself?" Joey snaps, disbelief coloring his voice. "Get out of your head, man! She's not messing around with anybody."

"She is!" I shoot back, my voice rising. "She isn't home most nights. She sneaks out every evening and comes back late. She's been seen with Eric a few times."

Joey's expression hardens, a mix of pity and disgust. "You dumbass. You don't even know your wife goes to college for her evening classes. Now look at what you've done. I can't support your behavior anymore, Dylan."

I'm stunned. "She's been going to school? Which school? Who pays for her tuition? How do I not know about this?"

"How could you know anything about your wife when you're too busy screwing my sister?" Joey retorts, his voice dripping with contempt. "And on that note, stay away from Lindsey. I swear, if I find out you're seeing her again, our friendship is over, man!"

"Joey, come on," I plead, trying to regain some control of the situation. "I'm not sleeping with Lindsey. I haven't in a while. We just... we have this arrangement. The nightmares are back."

Joey looks at me, his expression softening for just a moment before it hardens again. "And I already recommend someone for you to see. But you're too stubborn to listen. Now the one thing that could've been good for you, the one person who could've helped, you push her to the edge. You should've tried, opened up, gotten to know her. But all that is a foreign concept to you, huh?"

"You of all people should understand me, Joey," I say, my voice desperate. "You know what I've been through. I can't just tell her about me. That'll make her want to leave."

Joey sighs, shaking his head. "I know, Dylan, but does that give you the right to do all these hurtful things to her? Don't even try to defend yourself."

He turns and heads for the living room, leaving me standing there, feeling more lost than ever. I follow him, needing... what? Advice? Direction? But Joey's done with me. He sits on the couch, scrolling through his phone, his face a mask of indifference.

Minutes tick by in heavy silence, and then I hear the sound of footsteps on the stairs. Mabel and Penelope appear, Penelope's face blotchy from crying. The sight of her like that stirs something in me, a pang of guilt mixed with a desperate need to make things right. I jump up, rushing toward her, my heart pounding in my chest.

I grab the bag from her hand, more forceful than I intend. "No, Penelope. You're not leaving. You can't leave."

"Dylan, let go of me," she says, her voice steady but trembling beneath the surface. "Please, leave me alone."