Chapter Sixteen - Thalia
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Thalia
ZEUS DOES NOT like Eric. It was funny at first, but after a few days, the whole growling thing is getting old. It doesn’t matter how many times I scold him, if Eric is in the room, Zeus is either growling, or staring him down with the try me and see how serious I am about staying away from my mom look.
If I didn’t know better, I’d think Sebastian had trained the dog to hate Eric.
He adores Penelope, though, making it so much more frustrating for Eric.
Zeus and I have been thick as thieves the rest of his time here. I had to spend the morning at the gallery, but Penelope came in to cover for me so I could take Zeus for a hike, but I’m wishing we’d gone for a walk instead.
He got into a cocklebur bush, and I’ve spent the last twenty minutes trying to get all of the stickies from his fur. “Oh my god, Bash is going to kill me. I’m so sorry, Zeus,” I mumble under my breath when he whimpers again as I pull one out from behind his ears.
The pitiful look Zeus is giving me, doesn’t instill much confidence that I can get all of these out in time. We only have another ten minutes to spare before we really have to go home, or I’ll be late for when Sebastian is supposed to pick him up from my house. I’d hate to waste his time after a wonderful weekend with his doting fiancée.
The humidity today was terrible and my hair is sticking to my neck and face. I feel disgusting.
Fuck, this would be easier if I had a brush or something to comb his fur out. At least Zeus is letting me pick them off him. This would be so much worse if he were fighting me in the process.
I feel awful pulling one out, taking a chunk of fur with it. “I’m sorry. I promise I’m trying to make this go as quick as possible.”
His tail thumps gently against the ground, and I do my best to get a few more before loading him up into the car, but I know I didn’t get all of them. Maybe if I give Sebastian money to get him groomed, then he won’t be too mad at me?
I didn’t even think about the cockleburs when I brought him out here. Before that, I think he was having a good time, though.
Zeus is panting happily in the passenger seat, sticking his head out the window happily when we pull up to my house. My anxiety instantly spikes because instead of Sebastian’s car, I see Kiera’s. I am not in the mood to deal with her bullshit today.
“What the hell is she doing here? Your stupid dad was supposed to come get you. Sorry, I shouldn’t call him stupid to you, but that’s what he is,” I complain to Zeus, as he leans forward to lick my face. It makes me feel slightly better before grabbing the leash and climbing out of my car at the same time Kiera gets out .
She looks nervous as hell, as she should be. I know her secret, and I still haven’t figured out what the fuck I’m going to do. I mean, do I say something? All that’s going to happen is they’re going to shoot the messenger— a.k.a. me .
“Hi, Thalia. I’m just here to pick up Zeus. Seb was going to come but he had a last second meeting with his agent,” she explains quickly, watching me nervously.
“Let me grab his stuff quick.” I brush past her without a second glance, because I don’t trust what is going to come out of my mouth.
Kiera follows, but lingers to wait on the front porch while I grab the bag of Zeus’s things. “Thanks for watching him,” she says awkwardly, and I scratch Zeus on the top of his head.
“I didn’t do it for you.” Even I’m a little taken aback by the harshness of my voice, and I’m the one who said it. I can’t let myself feel bad, because I’m not the one who screwed up. “We were hiking, and he got into a cocklebur bush along the trail. I tried to get as many out as I could, but I didn’t get all of them.”
“Whatever you’re thinking about me, please know that I’m thinking worse things about myself.”
Is it too late to yell fuck you, I’m keeping the dog? Did she even hear what I just said about Zeus, or is she too damn worried about what I could do to blow up her perfect life?
I cross my arms over my chest, mostly to ensure I keep my hands to myself. “Look, it’s none of my business what you choose to do. I don’t care why you cheated, because it’s not like you can take it back now. What I don’t understand is how you can still marry Sebastian when he doesn’t know the truth about what happened while he wasn’t home. ”
For fuck’s sake, it sounds to me like she let him apologize for everything he didn’t tell her, and then went on a vacation with him.
“Don’t act like you’re so much better than me, Thalia. He kept the full extent of what happened between you guys a secret for our entire relationship. You let him do it too! All of you did! I know I messed up, but it was a mistake.”
My mind might actually be broken because she’s actually trying to defend cheating on her fiancé. I guess perfect Kiera isn’t so damn perfect after all.
“For the record, I told him to tell you on many different occasions. That’s what we were fighting about the night of that stupid dinner party.” Among other things, but I don’t want to think about that. Out of sight, out of mind. I’m so angry right now, my body is shaking. I could scream. “I know Bash fucked up by not telling you, and he knows it too. But his reasons, as stupid as they were, existed because he was worried about how you would handle it. Clearly, he was right to worry, because you immediately ran back to the house Sebastian owns and fucked another man. You made the conscious decision to cheat, so I don’t feel bad for you. He loves you for some godforsaken reason I can’t understand, but now you get to live with the guilt of your choices.”
Her face pales, my words piercing through her stupid reasoning. Good . Kiera should feel guilty. “What would you do if you were in my situation, and you found out this huge secret he’d been keeping?”
I shake my head, a dark chuckle coming from me. “I haven’t been in your exact position, but I have been there with him on the secret keeping. I was mad as hell when I found out the truth, but never once did I consider fucking someone else for revenge. That is the difference between me and you.” Sure, I didn’t react well back then, but I didn’t want anyone else.
“You’re such a bitch,” Kiera says, blinking back her tears as Zeus paws at the door to go back inside.
“I am a bitch, but a bitch who has had enough of your bullshit. I quit. I don’t care about the deal I made with Sebastian; I’m not going to photograph your wedding. Good luck finding someone last second.”
The look on her face is identical to when I caught her with that guy. “No, you can’t. Please, Thalia, I will do anything, ” she begs, yet I’m not exactly in the forgiving kind of mood today.
“If you tell Sebastian about that guy, I’ll do it. Except, I think we both know that as soon as you tell him, your relationship is over. So I guess that means I quit.” I stand my ground, firm on my stance about her telling him, because I know I won’t be able to. I watched his heart break at the same time mine did when I told him not now. I refuse to see that expression on Sebastian’s face again. This will break him. “Tell Sebastian I’m keeping the damn dog, and if he wants Zeus back so badly, he can come get him himself.”
I turn away from her to return inside with Zeus when she calls out meekly after me. “Did you tell anyone?”
I’m not sure why I’m surprised.
“Goodbye, Kiera. Don’t ever contact me again,” I say firmly, slamming the door in her face. I lean against the wall, running my hand down my face as Zeus licks at my cheeks. Damn, it felt good to quit. I should have done that weeks ago, and I could have avoided this whole mess.
I should have listened to Blake and Penelope when they told me it was a terrible idea. I’ve put up with so much shit since agreeing, but I refuse to stand by and watch him marry her now.
I know I’m going to catch major hell for this, but I pull my phone out of my pocket to send Sebastian a text. I’m sure Kiera will spin it in whatever way fits her narrative and how I’m such a bitch, but at least I’m not a cheater.
Thalia: I quit, and I’m keeping Zeus. Please leave me alone.
Not even a minute after I hit Send, my phone is ringing with a call from Sebastian. He can believe what he wants, because I don’t think he’ll believe me. Even if he does, and I tell him what actually happened, I’ll look like the jealous ex-girlfriend trying to break up his engagement. Bash deserves to know, but it’s not my place to tell him. I decline it and turn my phone off immediately.
Zeus plops down in my lap, his tongue hanging out of his mouth happily.
Quitting the wedding and keeping my dog are the best decisions I’ve made in a long time.
What happens to Sebastian Walker isn’t any of my business anymore.
~
I’m baking cupcakes for Zeus when Penelope gets home. The music is playing loudly, and I’m having fun . Turning my phone off was a great choice. Baking certainly isn’t my strong suit, but Zeus isn’t complaining about the ones I’ve let him sample.
Penelope looks at me and the dog sitting at my feet skeptically, dropping her keys on the part of the counter that isn’t covered in ingredients. “Are we having some kind of mental breakdown here? I thought Zeus was going back to Sebastian’s?” she asks while I shake my ass to the rhythm of the music.
I smile widely at her. “No, we’re celebrating. I quit Sebastian’s wedding, and Zeus is going to live with us for a bit.”
“Well, I guess this explains the texts from Blake asking if I knew if you were okay or not,” Penelope says, her face relaxing into a smile. “Are you?”
“Am I what?”
“Are you okay?” she repeats slowly, and I throw my arms around her to hug her.
“I’m great. Thank you for putting up with my moody ass lately.”
Penelope’s arms wrap around me, returning my hug. “Of course; you’d do the same for me. Now what kind of cupcakes are we making?”
I point to the slightly misshapen cupcakes cooling on a rack. “Dog cupcakes.”
“Madame Thomas would be so disappointed. What did you do to them to make them look like that?” Penelope teases, and my mouth instantly starts to water at the thought of her pastries.
“Her food sounds amazing right now, but these are dog cupcakes, and Zeus only cares about what they taste like.” I spin as the oven timer starts to chime, grabbing the pan with my oven mitts, pulling them out carefully.
Penelope smiles hesitantly, reaching down to pet Zeus. “It always sounds amazing.”
“What’s that face for?”
“Don’t hate me, but I’ve been thinking of going back for a visit next month. I miss home, and if you’re not photographing the wedding anymore…then I don’t really think there’s a reason I shouldn’t go.”
Oh shit. How did I miss this? “You should absolutely go, Pen. I could never hate you, especially not for wanting to visit your family.”
She immediately smiles in relief. “Thank you.”
“Of course! I appreciate you wanting to stay in case of the wedding, but I am not going, so there’s no reason for you to worry about me. I love you for it, but I’m going to be just fine.”
Penelope pulls her dark hair back out of her face, her prominent cheekbones standing out with her blue eyes. I hope the guy she’s with right now appreciates what a catch he has. “What about the deal you made with Sebastian?” she asks curiously, and I let the question roll right off my back.
“I shouldn’t have agreed to it in the first place. What was I thinking?” I shake my head at my stupidity as I pour out more batter into tins. I don’t think there’s going to be a wedding anyway, but I keep that to myself.
Penelope’s smile widens. “Honestly, I’m not sure. I’ve been thinking you’re nuts for a while, and agreeing to photograph your ex’s wedding only provided more evidence that theory is correct.”
“I came to my senses, and realized I don’t want or have to watch them get married. My presence will only be a distraction on what’s supposed to be the happiest day of their lives. Plus, Sebastian hasn’t had the opportunity to talk me out of it because I declined his call before turning my phone off.” I motion to where my phone sits on the kitchen table. I don’t even want to know what kind of voice mails he’s leaving on it .
A part of me is surprised he hasn’t shown up here demanding to know what happened, and for his dog back. I’d have no problem telling him that Kiera cared more about whether I’d tell him she cheated, than taking Zeus home.
“So, what are they going to do for a photographer now?”
I shrug and stir the batter a few times. “I don’t know, and I don’t care. It won’t be me, though.”
She hugs me from behind, and I’m glad she’s supporting me in this. I knew Penelope would, but it makes me feel better. “I’m so proud of you, Lia. You’re doing the right thing putting yourself first.”
I know I am, but the tiniest sliver of guilt inside me is threatening to expand.
I’m a bitch, but not a cheater.
That title belongs to the soon-to-be Mrs. Sebastian Walker.