My Peace Beyond His Regret

en crying, pleading, or screaming by now. The one who would have clung to him, desperate for any shred of reassurance.

orcing eye contact. My gaze was steady, unwavering. "If you walked ou

ossed Damien' s face. His eyes darted away for a split second

gh each word was a hammer blow. "You said I was 'controlling' and that you needed 'space' from my 'clinginess

holding onto the counter. The expensive leather bag slid across the polished

en a step back when I' d first spoken, subtly creating dista

lways playing the victim. She knows you were just blowing off steam with your best friend, but she has to make it about her." He turned bac

' s face was a mixture of confusion and anger, but he didn' t corre

. The way Branden always inserted himself, always twisted my words, always validated Dam

' t mean it like that. Branden just gets me riled up sometimes. He doesn' t understand our relationship." His eyes, usually so confident, were now pleading, almost desper

en, meanwhile, was giving me a triumphant, knowing smirk. "He' s even talking about marriage, Cecil.

e air, heavy and brittle, lik

ty. It was after I found him, not with another woman, but with Branden

thick with alcohol and disdain. "Always worried about somethin

sand. "Damien, your best friend makes fun of me.

ive, Cecil. It' s just locker room talk. Bra

' d called me "selfish" for wanting him to prioritize our relationship. He' d called me "crazy" for fee

ached him, hysterical and worried. "Cecil, why are you always so dramat

"Damien, please. I n

Just take a chill pill. I' ll be ba

out that door right now, if you prioritize Branden and that trip

irritation and something else, something I couldn' t