Page 29 of Twisted Redemption

Plopping into the chair at my desk, I grab my tablet and pull up Pinterest. My feed fills with inspirational quotes, fantasy book recommendations, and a few home decor ideas.

I save the ones that catch my eye, my mind still on David’s text. What could he possibly want to talk about? We’re done. Over. And we have been for two months.

Felix’s words flash through my thoughts. Delete his texts, block his number, and forget he ever existed.

Yet for some reason, I can’t bring myself to do it. It’s like there’s a part of me that can’t stop hoping that he’ll change. That Felix is wrong—maybe the hard drive isn’t David’s.

I don’t know who else’s it could possibly be, though.

And then, on top of it all, there’s Blaze. He looks at me like he hates me, but then he picks the blueberries out of my fruit salad and puts me to bed when I’m drunk and gets me a cat when I tell him I’m lonely.

My eyes slide closed as I remember what else he did. But the memory is immediately interrupted by the twist of pain in my heart.

He cheated on Charlie. With me. I did that to her, knowingly. And I enjoyed it. I want more, even though it’s wrong.

I’m hit with that sickening feeling again. The one that tells me that David is exactly the type of person I belong with.

As I scroll, the pictures on my tablet unfocus. There’s too much going on in my head to be able to process anything else. So after a minute, I shut off the screen and let the tablet drop to the desk.

How the hell did this all happen? Six months ago, I was head-over-heels, happily ignoring Blaze and ready to marry David. All of his faults seemed so small at the time.

But now Blaze is the one engaged, and the way I feel for him has only intensified—just for us to ruin everything.

Cheating. That’s not me. That’s not anything like me. And I didn’t think it was Blaze’s thing, either. Do I really not know him as well as I thought I did? Do I not know who I am?

I let out a frustrated yell, just to hear the scampering of paws across the kitchen tile. Shit. I must’ve scared Angel.

With a sigh, I get up to go find and comfort her. I ignore my phone on the couch, even as I hear it vibrating again. Because I can’t handle another text from David—or from anyone.

I just need to keep my mind occupied until tonight. Once I’m with Alex—and hopefully Sophia—I can relax. And maybe I’ll be able to talk to Soph. Maybe she’ll have some insight on what’s going on with Blaze.

Because I’m about to lose my mind with the way he’s treating me.

AFTER A LONG SHOWER and a nap, my mood has lightened. By the time I get to Alex’s, beer in tow, I’m ready to keep myself distracted.

The possibility of seeing Soph again lifts my spirits as well. I’m still not clear on how serious she and Alex are, but I can’t help but hope that they’re both in this for the long run. The darkness that constantly envelops Alex fades when she’s around him.

As I pull into Alex’s driveway, my hopeful mood dissipates in an instant. Three cars are parked in the driveway—Dominic’s, Felix’s, and Blaze’s. My heart sinks. I didn’t mean for Alex to invite everyone.

Inside, Felix sees me first. He takes the beer from my hands, grinning. But when I return it with an uneasy smile, he narrows his eyes.

“We’re crashing a brother-sister night, aren’t we?”

Shrugging, I give him a short hug. “Apparently I was the only one who thought that.”

“Sorry, kiddo. We had a meeting here, and he invited us to stay.”

A meeting. With a single glance at Felix, I know exactly what it was about. The hard drive.

“Movie’s already set up in the living room.” He jerks his head in that direction.

Following him, I dig my nails into my palms to try to stop my hands from shaking. This is exactly the type of night I don’t need—with the one person I’m trying to not think about.

With a beer Felix pops open for me in my hand, I settle onto the couch next to Sophia. She gives me a warm smile, squeezing my hand.

As the movie starts, she whispers, “You good?”

I can feel Blaze’s hard stare on me, so no, I’m definitely not fine. But I just nod and sip my beer. Once Soph’s focus is on the movie, I shoot Blaze a glare until he looks away.