Chapter 19

196 19 0

by rac06h10ael

by rac06h10ael

-Patrick's POV-

I watched anxiously as Gwen's eyes shifted from me to Zack. There was a knot in my stomach, and I could feel my heart beat picking up ever so slightly. She had to pick me. It was what Zack wanted, what I wanted. I couldn't have her choose him, I just couldn't.

"Gwen, I love you," I blurted out, bringing her attention to me, "I mean, I really love you." I stepped towards her and dared to place my hands on her hips, bringing her body closer to mine. I couldn't help but feel uncomfortable, Zack standing feet away from us. "And I want to be with you, Gwen; I want to be there for you. I want to save you from him."

"But Pat-"

"No, Gwen," I interrupted her, pulling her even closer to me, our bodies colliding and a gasp escaping her lips, "Pick me, because you deserve someone better than...than him." I glanced over at the bassist and saw him standing there, his eyes starting to glisten with tears. I swallowed the lump in my throat - hating myself for the words coming out of my mouth - and looked back at Gwen who had the same expression as her husband did on her face. "And that someone's me."

"B-But what about-"

"Don't worry about him," I cut her off once again, "Chase will be okay. It's you I'm worried about. Come with me, please. I can't watch you spend another day with him. I just can't, Gwen."

"Patrick, come on," Zack murmured, attracting both Gwen's and my gazes, "I get that you want to be with her, but are you really going to do this? We have a family together, you can't just tear us apart."

My eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. What was he doing? Didn't he want me to do this? Didn't he want me to take her away from him? "Yes, I know you have a family together, but you hurt her, Zack. You abuse her. Who's to say you'll stop?"

"Patrick, he never hurt me in the first place," The only girl in the room tried to convince me on something I already knew, "I told you, I was ly-"

"Gwen, don't excuse him for what he's done because he's your husband and you have a son with him. What he does to you is wrong and no woman should ever have to get used to something like that. I can't leave you here for you to be his punching bag the next time he gets angry," I went onto say, acting as though I hadn't heard what she just said or believed what she'd told me that night, "It'd be stupid of me to. You don't deserve the shit he puts you through."

"Patrick, please, can you just leave?" Gwen snapped, getting fed up with me and pushing herself away from me, "I told you, we're done. I should've never started seeing you. It was a mistake getting involved with you and I regret everything."

I knew I shouldn't have let her words get to me, because this was an act. I was supposed to make her believe that I still loved her, pretend to want to take her with me on a trip to nowhere in particular. But it wasn't easy when loving her wasn't something I had to fake, and wanting to run away with her wasn't something I had to lie about. My feelings were getting the best of me, turning this front I was meant to take on into something more than just a simple role.

"Yeah, Patrick, just get out of here," Zack added, bringing me back from the daze I'd fallen into. His arms were crossed over his chest and he had a scowl on his face. "In fact, I don't want you to ever come back. Don't talk to me; don't talk to Gwen. Don't even ask about us, okay? Just...leave." He pointed to his right, where the front door was, just down the stairs.

I scoffed and turned away from his wife, brushing past him and out into the hallway, where I stormed down the steps and rushed outside. I was just about to get into my car when Zack ran out after me.

"What was that all about?" I yelled at him, anger boiling up inside of me, shared by the two of them.

He met me on the driver's side of my car and heaved a sigh. "I'm sorry, Patrick, but...I just...seeing you with her and everything...it just..." He could barely get a sentence out, running a hand through his hair and his eyes darting everywhere but me. "This wasn't my idea, okay? It was Alex's and I only went with it because I thought it would make me feel better, but-"

"I just don't get it, Zack," I muttered, tired of him and tired of dealing with my feelings toward Gwen, "She cheated on you - and not just once, or twice, but multiple times - and you still want to be with her. Why? Why do you still want to be with her?"

The younger bassist shrugged his shoulders, finding himself at a loss for words. He didn't have an answer, but he didn't need one. I already knew what it was going to be, because I was in his shoes; I went through the same thing.

Elisa was cheating on me, feeling as though I wasn't home enough, and she was planning a whole new life for herself, right underneath my nose. Yet I still wanted to be with her. I wanted to work things out, thinking that if we just talked things over - maybe I gave up a few things or changed them - we would push through. He must've felt the same way.

I hung my head and heaved a sigh. I had to be the bigger person here. I had to be the man the one who took Elisa away from me wasn't.

"You know what, Zack? I'm the one who's sorry," I apologized, bringing his eyes to mine, "I know a 'sorry' doesn't mean much now, nor will it ever - especially after what I did - but I'm really sorry. I didn't realize what I was getting in the middle of. You and Gwen should talk, work things out. Like you said, you guys have a family, and I can't tear you guys apart. It wouldn't be right, because it wasn't your wife's mistake to get involved with me, it was my mistake getting involved with her."

With that, I ripped my car door open and slipped into the driver's seat. I shut the door behind me and started my car up, blatantly making an effort not to meet his shocked gaze as I glanced over my shoulder and backed out of his driveway.

I pulled out into the road and took once quick glance in Zack's direction, watching as he crossed his arms and looked back over his shoulder, seeing Gwen standing in the doorway with Chase sitting on her hip, her arms wrapped around him, holding him close. I bit my lip, knowing I did the right thing, even if it hurt. I slowly pressed my foot down on the gas pedal and propeller the car forward, driving away from the house I'd never visit again.