bedroom.
Alice’s eyes snapped to mine and she screamed.
Connell lifted his head from between her thighs and simply said, “Oh fuck.”
My heart almost stopped dead.
She scrambled up from the bed and gathered up her clothes, hopping around the room as she dressed. My chest heaved and I literally saw red. Lunging forward, I grabbed my naked best friend by the throat and punched him in the stomach. Then I punched his face. His nose crunched and blood spattered everywhere.
Alice screamed and scratched at me. “No! Greg, please. Leave him alone. Nooooo!”
But I kept on punching him until he lay in a crumpled, snivelling heap on the floor. Then I turned to Alice as she stood there sobbing. She began to back away. A s if I’d fucking hit a woman .
I shook my head as I stepped in front of her. “I loved you, Alice. I loved you despite the shit you’ve put me through. Well, no more. It’s over. It ends right now . Don’t call me. Don’t come looking for me. I will never forgive you for this.” I could hear the pain and anguish in my own voice, but I was determined not to cave.
Not this time.
I took my mobile phone out of my pocket and dialled Sarah’s number whilst I stood in the room, seething, before my wife and her bloody lover. And I’m using the word bloody in the literal sense of the word.
Sarah answered after one ring.
With a raspy voice I said, “Sarah, darlin’, I’m sorry to do this to you, especially over the phone. But your boyfriend is a lying, cheating, scumbag bastard. And he deserves my lying, cheating, scumbag of a wife if you ask me. He’s been fucking her. I don’t know how long it’s been going on, but I’ve just found them in a rather compromising situation. So much for their fucking lies. Now I suggest you stay where you are, with people who actually give a shit about you, and have someone remove your stuff from the house as soon as possible. He doesn’t fucking deserve you.” I hung up before she could answer.
Grabbing a bag once again, I shoved all of the possessions that I could carry inside it, zipping it up when it was full to bursting. Picking up my keys, I walked out of the door and didn’t look back.
I reached the Landy, threw my heavy bag in the backseat, and climbed in behind the wheel. Turning the key in the ignition, I was greeted by the words of “In a Big Country” by the band Big Country, and the music somehow lifted me. Stuart Adamson seemed to be singing just for me about shattered dreams. A sense of serenity came over me and I actually smiled as I listened. He was right. It was time to leave.
Chapter Fifteen
May 2011
After the debacle that was my visit to Mallory’s, the day after the gig where I’d sung the song that broke her, I managed to avoid her for a while. I figured the less I saw her, the less harm I could cause.
It was a Sunday around the second week in May, and I’d just stopped into the pub to pick up my pay from Stella. As I climbed back in the Landy, I saw Josie and Brad’s van driving away from Mallory’s house. It looked like the last of her visitors was going home. Poor lass. Now she’d be alone in that new house. My chest twinged at the thought. I leaned forward and put the cash in my glove compartment and then sat back up and turned the key in the ignition. I caught sight of Mallory and her little black dog walking away from the cottage. They stopped at the midpoint of the bridge.
I set off and pulled up alongside where they stood. Winding down the passenger-side window, I shouted over, “Hey, Mallory, how are you doing?”
“Oh hi, Greg. I’m okay, I think. Having my moments.” She smiled that beautiful smile that made my insides twist.
Deciding to be brave and face up to the mistake I’d made at the pub that night, I climbed out of the Landy and jogged around to her.
“Look, I wanted to apologise for that night in the pub.” I ran my hand through my hair—a bit of a telltale, but I couldn’t prevent myself from
Alice’s eyes snapped to mine and she screamed.
Connell lifted his head from between her thighs and simply said, “Oh fuck.”
My heart almost stopped dead.
She scrambled up from the bed and gathered up her clothes, hopping around the room as she dressed. My chest heaved and I literally saw red. Lunging forward, I grabbed my naked best friend by the throat and punched him in the stomach. Then I punched his face. His nose crunched and blood spattered everywhere.
Alice screamed and scratched at me. “No! Greg, please. Leave him alone. Nooooo!”
But I kept on punching him until he lay in a crumpled, snivelling heap on the floor. Then I turned to Alice as she stood there sobbing. She began to back away. A s if I’d fucking hit a woman .
I shook my head as I stepped in front of her. “I loved you, Alice. I loved you despite the shit you’ve put me through. Well, no more. It’s over. It ends right now . Don’t call me. Don’t come looking for me. I will never forgive you for this.” I could hear the pain and anguish in my own voice, but I was determined not to cave.
Not this time.
I took my mobile phone out of my pocket and dialled Sarah’s number whilst I stood in the room, seething, before my wife and her bloody lover. And I’m using the word bloody in the literal sense of the word.
Sarah answered after one ring.
With a raspy voice I said, “Sarah, darlin’, I’m sorry to do this to you, especially over the phone. But your boyfriend is a lying, cheating, scumbag bastard. And he deserves my lying, cheating, scumbag of a wife if you ask me. He’s been fucking her. I don’t know how long it’s been going on, but I’ve just found them in a rather compromising situation. So much for their fucking lies. Now I suggest you stay where you are, with people who actually give a shit about you, and have someone remove your stuff from the house as soon as possible. He doesn’t fucking deserve you.” I hung up before she could answer.
Grabbing a bag once again, I shoved all of the possessions that I could carry inside it, zipping it up when it was full to bursting. Picking up my keys, I walked out of the door and didn’t look back.
I reached the Landy, threw my heavy bag in the backseat, and climbed in behind the wheel. Turning the key in the ignition, I was greeted by the words of “In a Big Country” by the band Big Country, and the music somehow lifted me. Stuart Adamson seemed to be singing just for me about shattered dreams. A sense of serenity came over me and I actually smiled as I listened. He was right. It was time to leave.
Chapter Fifteen
May 2011
After the debacle that was my visit to Mallory’s, the day after the gig where I’d sung the song that broke her, I managed to avoid her for a while. I figured the less I saw her, the less harm I could cause.
It was a Sunday around the second week in May, and I’d just stopped into the pub to pick up my pay from Stella. As I climbed back in the Landy, I saw Josie and Brad’s van driving away from Mallory’s house. It looked like the last of her visitors was going home. Poor lass. Now she’d be alone in that new house. My chest twinged at the thought. I leaned forward and put the cash in my glove compartment and then sat back up and turned the key in the ignition. I caught sight of Mallory and her little black dog walking away from the cottage. They stopped at the midpoint of the bridge.
I set off and pulled up alongside where they stood. Winding down the passenger-side window, I shouted over, “Hey, Mallory, how are you doing?”
“Oh hi, Greg. I’m okay, I think. Having my moments.” She smiled that beautiful smile that made my insides twist.
Deciding to be brave and face up to the mistake I’d made at the pub that night, I climbed out of the Landy and jogged around to her.
“Look, I wanted to apologise for that night in the pub.” I ran my hand through my hair—a bit of a telltale, but I couldn’t prevent myself from
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