“Where did you go?” he asks, scowling at me.

“How long have you been cheating on me?” I counter, using a light tone.

He pauses. “It just happened Faye. I’m sorry. You know it’s not her that I want, but you’ve been so busy lately with uni and everything…”

“I understand,” I say, cutting him off. I’ve heard about this before. Men trying to lay the blame on the woman so she thinks it was her lacking that caused the man to cheat. Then she takes on some of the blame and gives him another chance, hoping they can work things out together.

“You do?” he asks, looking hopeful.

“Sure I do. You’re a pathetic, weak, cheating bastard who can’t even own up to his actions. So, instead, you try to blame them on me,” I reply, narrowing my eyes on him. I’m not a perfect woman. In fact, I probably don’t even know what I’m talking about considering I’ve only ever had one relationship. But what I do know is that I won’t allow a man to cheat on me or disrespect me. Sure, everyone makes mistakes, and people deserve second chances, but Eric isn’t even sorry.

He is only sorry he got caught.

There is a huge difference to me.

“Faye…”

“You control your own actions Eric. You. Not me. And your actions tell me that you don’t deserve me. Now please just leave me alone,” I say, feeling tired, upset, and sick of life fucking around with me.

“So, what, one mistake, and you’re going to throw away six years?” he says, his jaw clenching. His face takes on a pinched look that I’ve never noticed before.

How unattractive.

“Yes!” I yell. “Now get out! Go annoy Trisha!”

He’s her problem now, not mine.

“What the fuck ever,” he snaps, closing the door behind him as he leaves.

Finally peace and quiet.

I shove my face onto my pillow and cry.

Chapter Three

Over the next month, Eric tries to get me back. He calls me, shows up at my house, and corners me at uni.

But it doesn’t work.

After that, he gets the picture and starts to date another girl. To be completely honest—it hurts, but there was no way I was going to take him back. I feel confused now. Unsettled. We had our life planned out, and now I need to make a fresh plan, one without him. The thought of Eric with another woman used to kill me, but now I just feel sorry for whoever she is—that’s how I know I made the right choice in breaking up. I just hope he doesn’t cheat on her too, and that he’s learnt his lesson. Trisha and I haven’t spoken. We pretend we don’t know each other, which is perfectly fine with me. If I said I wish her well that would be a complete lie. I hope she gets what’s coming to her, I’m just waiting for karma to take care of it for me. Girl code. Whatever happened to that?

“Hey Faye,” Eric calls out, walking towards me. And to think I’d almost made it to my car.

“Hey,” I say, opening my car door and staring at it longingly.

“How are you?” he asks, leaning against my backseat door.

“Fine,” I say shortly. “What’s up?”

“I heard something about you…”

“And?”

“I heard that you were seen out with Dex,” he says, a muscle ticking in his jaw.

“And?” I repeat.

“And? What the fuck are you thinking?” he snaps, shaking his head at me.

I still. “Well this is awkward. I had no idea you had a say over who I do and don’t see. Oh, that’s right. You don’t, so mind your own business Eric.”

“He’s not a good guy,” he warns, his dark eyes pleading with me to listen.

“And you are?” I ask, eyes flaring.

He flinches slightly but doesn’t back down. He still doesn’t know that Dex and I slept together, but he’s still acting crazy over this. The question is, why?

“What’s the big deal?” I ask curiously, trying to act casual. “It’s just Dex.”

Eric rolls his eyes, not a good look for a man. “He’s a fucking criminal Faye. He’s dangerous.”

Now it’s my turn to roll my eyes. “He’s your brother. He’s never done anything to hurt us.”

Eric grits his teeth. I grin. “You’re just jealous of him aren’t you?” I surmise.

His eyes narrow. “Have you heard of the Wind Dragons?”

I scoff. “Of course I have, who hasn’t?”

The Wind Dragons MC were a notorious motorcycle club. I’d heard nothing good about their members, who apparently take drugs and have sex for a living. They live their life a certain way and make no apologies about it. I’d never actually interacted with a member, so I don’t know the truth of it all, just what I’d heard from others in passing.

Eric has a smug look on his face. I don’t like it. “Dex is the vice president.”

I freeze. “Bullshit.”

Then I remember the tattoo on his back.

The deadly dragon.

I could see Dex in an MC. He has this predator vibe about him.

He’s hot-blooded.

In fact, if I didn’t know him, I would probably steer clear of him altogether. He’s the ultimate bad boy. But he’s also my Dex, the boy I grew up around.

“How come you never mentioned this before?” I ask him, staring at him in suspicion.

Something crosses his face. Something I don’t like. He’s not telling me something.

“I never thought you’d be stupid enough to get mixed up with him and his stupid group of friends,” he says. “Just wait until your mother hears about it, she’s going to kill you.”

That’s the complete truth. My mother is narrow-minded and judgmental about anyone who doesn’t have a university degree. My father just agrees with whatever she says and never has his own opinion. I will never marry a weak man like my father.

“I know he was dating that girl. What’s her name?” he continues, oblivious to my inner dialogue.

“Who knows,” I reply, only caring that he was dating someone, and not is.

“Don’t you want to know who your competition is?” he asks, raising an eyebrow.

“No, what I want is this conversation to be over.”

“You know what, after one night with you he will be done. Don’t come crying to me when you end up heartbroken,” he sneers, turning away from me.

“Well I survived it once, I’m sure I will survive it again,” I reply, unable to keep the bite out of my tone.

“I made a mistake,” he replies, sighing with regret.

“I hope she was worth it,” I find myself saying. Why keep talking about it? No snide comments or words of regret and pain are going to change anything. What’s done is done. It can’t be reversed. All I can do is move on and let time heal the pain.

“She wasn’t,” he admits, looking down at his hands.

I look down. “I have to go, okay?”

“Just remember what I said about him.”

“Fine, warning noted,” I say, sliding into my car. Eric walks off, and I drive my ass home.

*****

Five weeks later

Dr. Reeves walks in, sitting down in his chair. He’s a kind man in his fifties and has been my doctor for a few years now. I’m pretty sure he keeps his lollipop jar stocked just for when I have an appointment.

“I need drugs, doc,” I tell him. “And lots of them.”

He doesn’t smile at my antics like he usually does. “You’re pregnant, Faye.”

I blink slowly. “I don’t think so.”

Now he fights a smile. “This test says you’re definitely pregnant.”

I look around the room, hoping for someone to jump out and tell me that this is a prank. “I don’t understand.”

His lip twitches. “When’s the last time you had sex? And when was your last period?”

“I have never had sex without a condom,” I blurt out, wringing my hands.

“Faye…”

“I guess, about six weeks ago.”

With a criminal.

“Condoms aren’t a hundred percent you know,” he reminds me calmly. My mind flashes to a certain episode of Friends, and I suddenly feel like yelling out that they should put that on the outside of the box.