25. Xed
Chapter twenty-five
G etting stitches sober hurts like a bitch. Even with the anesthesia they injected into my eyebrow, all I want to do is down a bottle of vodka and snort a line.
“Look on the bright side, you’ll have a killer scar,” Devon chuckles, walking beside me out of the ER with an icepack pressed to his swollen jaw, and I scowl up at him incredulously.
“How the fuck can you even laugh after what just happened?”
He tries to smirk, but winces in pain. “Not the first time I’ve been punched in the face during a blow job.”
My brows jump, causing me to hiss when the stitches pull at my skin. “Why does that not surprise me.”
The sun is setting on the horizon as we make our way to his bike in the hospital parking lot, but I come to a halt when I see Matty parked next to it, leaning against the side of the Benz with his hands in his pockets. He looks wrecked, cheeks splotchy and eyes red like he’s been crying.
Good. I hope he feels fucking guilty for what he’s done.
Walking past him without a word, I straddle Dev’s bike, waiting for him to hop on in front of me, but Matty closes the distance between us.
“Can we talk? Please? ”
“Go the fuck home, Matthew,” I spit through clenched teeth, a headache already starting to form. Pulling the bottle of ibuprofen out of my pocket, I pop four of them, antsy to get back to Devon’s hotel room so I can spend the rest of the night drinking. Tomorrow, too.
Matty’s fists flex in his pockets, like he’s physically trying to hold himself back from touching me, and I fucking hate it. “Don’t do this. I didn’t mean to hit you, Xed, I swear.”
“What gives you the right to lay hands on anyone?” Hopping off the bike with a snarl, I crowd his space, throwing my arms wide. “Why did you do it? Answer me that, Matthew, I think I deserve it.”
“B-because he was touching you!” He stammers, pointing at Devon, who simply flips him the finger.
“Yeah, because I wanted him to. Try again. Why, Matty?”
“Because I can’t… I can’t leave things like this!” He swallows hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “Because even when you hate me, even when I’ve fucked everything up beyond repair, I still need you.”
The words hit me square in the chest, and for a second, all I can do is stare at him. I want to scream. I want to grab him and shake him and demand to know why he’s doing this to me.
Instead, I scoff, my voice shaking. “You’re getting married tomorrow. What the hell do you still need me for?”
“I don’t know!” he yells, his voice cracking as he looks at me like he’s already lost me. “I don’t fucking know, Xed. But I know that without you, none of it means a goddamn thing.”
My throat burns, and my hands clench at my sides as I fight to hold it together. “You don’t get to do this. You don’t get to break me, and then come crawling back when you’re feeling guilty. That’s not how this works.”
“I’m not trying to—"
“You already did.” My voice is quieter now, shaking with the weight of everything I can’t say. “You broke me, Matty. And there’s no coming back from that.”
I was so wrong when I thought that time and space would make getting over him hurt less. I’ll never get over Matthew. The only way to take away the pain is to cut the cord.
“I hope she makes you happy,” I whisper, getting back on the bike as Devon takes his place in front of me, thumbing the throttle.
The engine roars to life, and I glance back once—just once—to see him standing there, shoulders slumped, looking more lost than I’ve ever seen him.
For a moment, I almost jump off the bike.
Almost.
But then Devon guns the engine, speeding off into the night, and I bury my face into his back as he takes me away from the man who holds my heart in his bleeding hands.
Since my shit was still at the house, I had Devon stop there so I could grab it before we headed back to his motel for the night.
The house is dark, the driveway empty, and everyone is either on the beach preparing for tomorrow or off doing their own thing, so it’s quiet when we slip inside. One of Hannah’s shoes is on the stairs—a purple one with lights on the bottom—and my throat tightens as I move it aside. I planned to leave for Utah in the morning, but I’ll have to stop by and say goodbye. I wish she were here so I could just hold her for a bit. Soon, she’ll be too old to want snuggles, and I’m missing it all. It’s not fair.
When I step onto the landing to make my way toward Matty’s room, Valerie’s voice rings out from the loft, and I pause. Maybe Hannah’s here, after all? I turn toward the stairs leading up, Devon trailing behind me, and we both freeze when another voice joins the mix.
“Yeah, you like that, dirty girl?”
Slapping noises echo in the stairwell, skin hitting skin, the unmistakable smell of sex and sweat. We slowly creep up further until the bed comes into view, and my jaw drops when I spot Val bent over, Tyson taking her from behind. He’s got her hair wrapped around a fist, pounding into her as she moans his name, and fury lances through my veins.
“Holy shit,” Devon whispers, pulling out his phone to record right as I jump into view.
“What in the actual fuck are you doing?!”
Valerie screams, scrambling off the bed as Tyson covers his junk, and Dev has to physically hold me back from launching at the both of them.
“We thought no one was here!” She wails, quickly pulling on her clothes as Tyson does the same, his face twisted in anger
“Get the fuck out of my room.”
Ignoring him, I round on Valerie, hate for her so deep it sears my insides. “Seriously, Val? You’re marrying my best friend tomorrow, what the fuck? ”
“Oh, please,” she scoffs, running trembling fingers through her knotted strands. “You haven’t been his friend in over a year. Don’t kid yourself.”
“My relationship with Matty isn’t the problem here,” I bite out. “I’m not the one cheating on my future husband!”
“We both know you wish that’s what he was.” Smirking, a cruel glint sparks in her eyes as she steps toward me. “You wish he were marrying you instead of me, don’t you?”
Never have I ever wanted to smack a girl before, but this bitch is seriously testing my patience.
Devon’s body heat warms my side as he steps up beside me, and a side glance tells me that he’s got his phone pressed into his side, still recording. “I doubt he’ll want to chain himself to you after hearing you’ve been knockin’ boots with his best man.”
Tyson laughs harshly, zipping up his pants. “Who do you think he’s gonna believe? His best friend and fiance, or the guy that couldn’t handle getting dumped by him?”
My skin heats so fast I swear I’m steaming, bile rising in my throat. Thankfully, Devon keeps his phone hidden as I glare at Val.
“Yeah, Valerie, who do you think he’ll believe? You or the guy that helped raise your daughter?”
She draws back like she’s been physically slapped, fake lips curling into a snarl before a slow smile widens on her face. “Yes, my daughter. And if you ever want to see or speak to her again, you’ll keep your mouth shut.”
“You can’t be fucking serious,” I growl in disbelief, my jaw dropping, and her answering laugh is near maniacal.
“You don’t think so?” Evil satisfaction flickers on her features, nose pointed high when I don’t respond.
Because she just realized she won.
Backing away, I grab Devon’s arm, throwing them one last scowl before silently returning to the room to grab my bag. Devon doesn’t speak until we’re outside, standing by his bike.
“She’s full of shit,” he mutters, replaying the video on his screen of the entire conversation.
I don’t respond because part of me knows she isn’t.
“So what do you want to do?” he asks, waving the phone around. “Want me to send this to Salem?”
And then what? Lose Hannah forever?
Could I do that? Potentially risk never seeing her again to prevent Matty from making a mistake? I’m not fucking stupid. The minute they sign those marriage papers, Valerie gets half of everything: their child, Matty’s money, his life.
A sick part of me wants to celebrate. To watch it all burn down, watch him get what he deserves for leaving me. But I know Hannah would just be caught in the crossfire.
“Xed?” Devon prompts, raising his brows at me expectantly, and I slowly shake my head as I get onto the bike.
“No. Don’t send it to anyone.”
Maybe it’s time Matty realizes the consequences of what he’s done.