Chapter 20

I grab my shoes, scooping to bend without caring if my dress flashes my ass to the bushes. Anger bubbling in full fury, heart, and soul ripping apart while alcohol lets all this stupid heartache loose to play like giddy kids in a cornfield.

He catches my wrist and hauls me back to him, but I fight back impulsively, shoving him away again and moving out of reach this time. Panting with effort as my heart erupts in my chest, and my lungs struggle to function. The pain in my gut has me clinging to my arms to relieve it, and I know I am losing control of the aching wave of tears rising in my throat.

“Don’t touch me. Don’t ever fucking touch me again.” I yell at him vacuously, the tears breaking loose and pouring down my face in the final release. Reminiscent of a monsoon and hating that he has pushed me to this, showing him how deeply he wounded me. That inner part of me is trying so hard to fight back, to lift that wall of ice-cold indifference, but damn alcohol has made it