From that moment, he kept me in a constant state of weeping and shaking as he ate me hungrily. When he finally decided I had enough, he positioned himself on top of my powder blue coverlet and ordered me to ride him.

After three rounds, we finally caught our breath. As I was drifting to sleep, I felt him kiss my nose. I opened my eyes in time to see him slip from the room. As soon as he closed the door, his phone vibrated with a message. I groaned and rolled over, ready for sleep to take me. Five minutes later, his phone continued to vibrate obnoxiously. Thinking it might have been an emergency I grabbed his jeans and fished his phone from his pocket:

Unknown: Why are you ignoring me?

It appeared to be the first messaged that had come through from an unknown number. There were at least five more, each worse and more incriminating than the last:

Unknown: Is your little girlfriend around?

Unknown: She can’t love you like I do.

Unknown: I want more Keenan.

Unknown: How many other boys can say they fucked their chemistry teacher?

Unknown: We have something special. I haven’t stopped thinking about your cock.

The last one was the most confusing of all.

Unknown: I told you… if you want to keep her, you need to see things my way.

I quickly scrolled to the top and read through the messages. Keenan had only responded twice in the two weeks the messages spanned. He had told her their deal was done and the second message read that what had happened was a mistake.

The phone slipped from my hands to the floor, and I followed after it when my knees gave out.

What deal could involve sex with Ms. Felders?

He fucked Ms. Felders.

This wasn’t the first time he had cheated on me, but I never thought we would go this far. I hadn’t realized I was crying until I felt his arms around me, pulling me up from the floor. His voice was barely heard over the sound of my heart shattering to bloody broken pieces. If I looked close enough, I might have been able to see it lying at my feet.

He lifted my naked body and gently laid me down on the bed and then quickly looked over me. When he didn’t see physical signs for my current state he asked again, “Why are you crying, Shelly?”

“You said it wouldn’t happen again.” The last of my tears had shed and in their place was anger.

“I’m not following.” Confusion flooded his features as his eyes searched mine.

“Then maybe your phone can bring you up to speed.” I jumped from my bed, retrieved his phone from the floor, and threw it at his bare chest.  “You and the chemistry teacher seem awfully familiar with each other. Is it because you fucked her? The chemistry fucking teacher.”

“Fuck.” He stood from the bed and reached for me, but I backed away. The thought of his hands on me now made my skin crawl. “Sheldon, it was—”

“A mistake? I know. You told her as much after her many messages sent to you just begging for more of your dick.”

“It was only once. I turned her down after that.”

“What should that mean to me? It should have never happened.”

“But it’s not what you think.”

“Is it ever? It wasn’t with Jessica Stanton or Casey Whitmore or Brittany Anderson. How strong do you think I am, Keenan? Or do you just think me that much of a fool? No, don’t answer that. I am a fool, but more than that, I’m done.”

“Don’t do this, Shelly.” He begged and pleaded, but I heard none of it. “Don’t walk away again.”

“Keenan, I’m not walking away. I’m shutting the door. Now please get out.”

“I’m not leaving, Shelly, and neither are you.”

“I can’t be with you anymore, Keenan. I can’t compete with your demons. They consume you. I hate you so much that if you died right now, I wouldn’t even care.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

KEENAN

A WEIGHT ON my back had woken me and when I opened my eyes and turned my head, I was met with my own reflection staring back at me.

“Keenan. Up.”

“Princess? Why are you out of bed?”

“I draw.”

“Oh, no,” I heard Sheldon grumble from under my arm. Sometime during the night, I had curled her under with her back resting against my front. We were both completely naked underneath the covers so getting out of bed with Kennedy there was not an option. Especially not with my morning wood that currently rested between Sheldon’s thighs.

“What’s with this?” I asked Sheldon, indicating toward Ken.

“Every morning, she gets out of bed and finds a way to make my morning a long one. Your daughter is a criminal mastermind.”

“I see…” I turned back to Kennedy, who was currently occupied playing with my hair. “Kennedy can you wait for us outside the bedroom, please?”

“Keenan, come now and see my draw.” She pouted.

I don’t know how she did it, but just like that, I caved. I couldn’t let my little girl be unhappy, could I? I would kill anyone who tried so I had to live by it.

I worked the sheet around my waist, careful to hide my hard-on and took her by her hand. I could feel Sheldon’s eyes on me and heard her laughing just before I shut the bedroom door.

“Lead the way.”

I followed after her and into the living room. At first, I didn’t see it, but the faint red coloring on the wall from one of the markers I used to sketch caught my eye. She ran to the spot and pointed, excitement lighting up her face. It was just a bunch of lines and shapes, but to me, it was the greatest creation in the world. Never mind the deposit that I wouldn’t be getting back.

“Pretty?” she asked.

“It’s beautiful.” I thought about it long and hard before asking, “What is it?”

“Mama… me… you.”

A sudden indrawn breath shifted my attention from Kennedy and her wall of art to her horrified mother standing behind me and covered in my dress shirt. She looked ready to collapse. I crossed the short distance between us and pulled her into my chest by the back of her neck.

“Does that scare you?” I whispered against her neck. She nodded against my chest but remained silent. Kennedy tugged on the sheet wrapped around my waist.

“Mama sad?”

I scooped her up and made room for her between us. She rubbed her mother’s head and then frowned when she didn’t lift her head. When her lips started to tremble, I felt my temper rise. “No, baby. She’s not sad. Isn’t that right, mommy?”

The warning in my tone finally convinced her to lift her head from where she was crying softly against my chest. She smiled brightly at Kennedy, and though it was forced, it seemed to appease her.

“Are you hungry?” Sheldon turned her teary gaze on me and only after a second too long did she reluctantly nod. “What about you, mini me?”

“Keenan,” Sheldon scolded. My reference to Kennedy being mine went over her head, so I ignored Sheldon’s warning and set Kennedy on her feet once more.

“I want cereal.”

“Cereal, huh? What kind do you like?” She rattled off an entire list of cereals long enough to include every cereal in the world, but somehow, never listed a single flavor I had. “How about pancakes?”

“Yes, please and cereal, too?”

I looked to Sheldon for help, but she only shrugged and said, “It’s one of her favorites.”

I went back to the bedroom and quickly dressed in sweatpants before leading them into the kitchen. Kennedy babbled a mile a minute about everything under the sun while I cooked. I never knew until now how kids questioned everything they saw. When I was finished, I spooned the food onto the plates and carried them to the table where Sheldon blew raspberries in Kennedy’s neck.

While she was preoccupied, I took the opportunity to do the same to Sheldon’s whose neck was exposed. She jumped in surprise and Kennedy laughed outrageously.