Page 9 of Always My Comfort

“I heard they lost?” He frowned, and I nodded.

“Unfortunately, but they can’t always win, I guess.” Shrugging, I bid him goodbye and headed down the hall to our shared apartment.

Unlocking the door, I pushed it open and paused at the sight of his discarded shoes. Next to them were a smaller pair of white tennis sneakers, but they weren’t mine.

Don’t overthink.

He wouldn’t cheat.

Take a deep breath.

It’s going to be okay.

“Rich, are you home, baby?” My voice shook as I kicked off my sneakers and dropped my bag on the couch.

There wasn’t an answer, but our bedroom door was closed. I knew I left it open earlier.

“Richard?” I called again, holding my phone in my shaking hand.

He cursed from behind the door, and then, there was movement. Before I could twist open the doorknob, he was throwing it open, bare-chested.

“Hey, babe,” he said, running a hand through his messy hair. Running my eyes over him, my eyes tracked the red lipstick marks on his neck and jaw.

“Who’s in there?” I whispered, my heart threatening to pound right out of my chest.

“No one. I was just about to shower,” he lied, but he wouldn’t let me into our bedroom.

“Who’s in there, Richard?” I asked again, this time anger lacing my tone, and his eyes hardened.

He let the door open, and there, lying in our bed, was some young girl with red lips. Her hair was ruffled, her eyes big and wild as she watched the encounter. There was no shame in her expression. She waved, her lips tilting into a smile.

“Are you going to join us?” She sounded young, and despite the false bravado she was portraying, I saw fear in her eyes.

“You pig.” I stuck my finger in Richard’s chest, and he had the audacity to grin. “How dare you?!” I screamed, storming past him to get to my closet.

“What are you doing, babe?” He followed me into the walk-in closet as I shoved a few of my things into a duffle bag. He then followed me into the bathroom, where I swiped all my makeup products into the bag.

“Leaving. We are done, Richard.”

“Babe, wait—let me explain.” He gripped my elbow, but I yanked my arm out of his hold.

“Don’t touch me! I am done with this relationship. I don’t want to ever see you again. I’ll come by when you are at practice to get the rest of my things, but I am leaving now!” I threw whatever my fingertips touched into the bag, zipped it closed, and rushed out of the room, away from the whore in our bed.

“Good! Leave! I didn’t like you that much anyway. And you know what, Logan?” Stopping in the center of our apartment, my chest rising and falling with adrenaline, I looked at him. His hair was messy from her fingers, his cheeks were flushed, and his eyes were wild. And he was naked except for a pair of black boxers.

“What?” His face twisted into a sneer, and I braced myself.

“You were fucking terrible in bed. I would have been better off with a mannequin than you. I had to find someone else to satisfy my needs.” Rushing out of the apartment, I slammed the door in his face before he could see the tears streaming down my cheeks.

CHAPTER4

Jaxon

One Year Ago

Sitting beside Luke on the bench in the pits, I worked through the breathing routine Coach taught us.

Inhale.