Chapter 2

My voice came out hoarse.

"I'll sign."

Carter froze first.

He hadn't expected me to agree so easily.

Before he could think twice, he rushed over and grabbed my wrist.

There was something in his voice he didn't even seem to notice. A hint of panic, almost as if he were afraid of losing me.

"Are you sure about that?"

His eyes caught the blood on my hand, and his brow furrowed.

Like it was a nuisance, he opened his phone and placed an order for bandages.

But bandages were never going to be enough.

They couldn’t even begin to cover the wounds inside me.

"Carter, are you ordering spicy crawfish for me?"

Vanessa slipped her arm through his and gazed up at him with wide, innocent eyes.

"You really do read my mind. You knew I was craving it."

She went up on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek.

Red crept across his ears.

He quickly backspaced over the word bandages he'd just typed, then deleted it.

Instead, he ordered three different flavors of spicy crawfish.

When his gaze met mine, he looked a little guilty.

"I'm ordering a lot. You might as well have some too."

I gave a bitter laugh.

"I can't eat spicy food and I'm allergic to shellfish."

I took a shaky breath, fighting back the sting behind my eyes.

"And where are my bandages?"

"I'm sorry, Lauren, it's my fault. I was just craving it so badly."

"I'll order yours right now. Please don't be upset."

Vanessa was always telling me not to be upset. As though I were some hysterical woman who couldn't control herself.

"No need!"

"She's got her own hands, hasn't she? Let her order them herself."

Carter gently covered her phone with his hand.

Then he looked up, his gaze full of disgust.

"Hey! Stop trying to scare Vanessa."

"She's not like you. She’s sensitive and needs someone to look after her."

I stood there in stunned silence.

Then I let out a short, bitter laugh.

He used to say gently, "My Lauren is strong. She's brave. She's got a big heart."

"But I know you're the one who's hurt the most, the one wronged the most, and I can't stand to see you like this."

He used to cherish me so much that he couldn’t bear to see me hurt. Now, he didn’t hesitate to tear me down just to defend another woman.

I stopped waiting for a bandage that would never come.

I quickly signed the contract, then strode out without looking back.

"Tsk. Playing it so cool."

"She'll be crawling into Carter's bed before the night's out."

The door shut behind me, cutting off Jordan's sneering voice.

All these years, no matter what Carter and I had argued over,

the moment he sent me a single comma, I knew he was ready to back down and admit he was wrong.

And I'd curl up in his arms, pleased with myself, and let the whole thing go.

Just as I was boarding the bus, the comma came again.

This time I ignored it and turned off my phone.

But a moment later, Wesley called, his calls coming one after another.

"Lauren! Come back, hurry!"

"You wouldn't answer Carter, so he panicked and chased after you and got hit by a car!"

My heart lurched.

Without thinking, I banged on the bus door in a panic and rushed back off.

My hands flew to my belly.

But my knees hit the hard, uneven pavement.

I bit back a cry of pain, wrapped both arms around my belly, and stumbled back toward them, blood running down my legs.

But before I could reach them, Spencer's laughter rang out from up ahead.

"What an idiot. She actually came back."

"Carter, you won the bet again. Pay up, buy us dinner."

In that instant, the pain in my knees faded into insignificance.

All that was left was my heart, as if it had been plunged into saltwater, every raw nerve burning.

I turned to leave, favoring my injured leg, only for Carter to seize me by the arm from behind.