Page 57 of Bad Ball Hitter
“We’re done here.” My voice is harsh but does little to deter Miranda.
“No, we’re not.” I study her. She’s hurt and lashing out, but she isn’t completely innocent in all of this. I suspected her infidelity, and she hadn’t confessed yet.
“You want to continue playing? Then let’s play, but it’s your turn.”
Her face is expressionless as we have the great staredown. “Fine,” she says, snatching a card.
Her mouth forms a tight line as she turns up the truth card.
I lean closer and look her right in the eyes. “Have you ever cheated on me?”
Her eyes tear up as she looks at me. I’m not in the best head space right now, but it becomes clear when she realizes I’ve always known.
“It’s a truth card, Miranda.” I point to the card in front of her. “The day Lila was sick, did you fuck someone else?”
A small whimper escapes her mouth, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. Lila’s hand flies to her mouth as she gasps.
Miranda’s voice barely rises above a whisper, each word heavy with regret and desperation. “It was a mistake.”
My voice is steady despite the torrent of emotions churning inside me. “Lord knows I haven’t been a saint in the past, but I never cheated on you.”
She opens her mouth to protest, but I cut her off. “No, Miranda, not even after finding the girl who tattooed her name on my heart years ago. I stayed faithful to you.”
Lila stands slowly, her movements deliberate. Her eyes meet mine with a mix of sorrow and understanding. “I’m going to give you guys some space.”
I let out a deep sigh as she left, suddenly tired. “Why are you doing this?”
“I wanted this to work out so badly,” she sobs, her voice cracking under the weight of her emotions. My hands ball into fists. I’m torn, wanting to reach out and comfort her, yet knowing it’s too late. I understand where she’s coming from. I was there in the same spot. I was all in, wanting the same thing. The last thing I thought would happen would be the love of my life walking back into my life.
“I wanted that too,” I admit. “I did.”
“Then why wasn’t I enough?” Her voice is barely a whisper, a heartbreaking plea for understanding.
“It’s not that. I wasn’t honest about Lila from the beginning. I guess you were right, and that’s my fault. She stole my heart when I was eight.” I soften my voice, hoping to drive home the next part. “You deserve a life with a guy who will love you wholeheartedly. But you know that life isn’t with me.”
“We could’ve tried. We can still fix this,” Miranda stutters, her voice trembling with hope and fear, but it’s too late. The truth is out there now, raw and undeniable.
“Why? Do you even love me? Like truly love me?” At her silence, I continue, “I didn’t think so.”
“But I can get there.”
“If you truly thought that, you wouldn’t have cheated.”
“Drake.” Her voice is pleading. She reaches out, but I step back, putting distance between us.
“I’m sorry to hurt you like this. But we were always heading here, weren’t we? You’ve had to have known this.”
“I want Lila out of here,” she snaps, voice hardening with anger and frustration.
I start. There’s no way Lila’s staying in this hostile environment—that’s not the issue. Could Miranda really be so cold as to kick out a woman and her child? “You can’t be serious.”
“It’s in the signed lease,” she says, her voice cold and determined. “I can end the contract whenever I please.”
“She has a kid.” The words tumble out more from shock than anything. I can’t believe I thought we would ever have a chance. But the mere mention of Jake brings a torrent of excitement mixed with dread as the situation weighs down on me. He could be mine.
“They’re not my problem.”
“Nope, I guess they’re not. They’re mine.” And I’ll gladly take them on.