Notoriously Yours

Chapter Twenty - What Hurts More?

Although I went back really late that night, I guess he had been waiting for me to get back. I wonder if he knew I would come back later on. Sometimes, I am easier to read than other days.
As I unlocked the door, walked in, shut the door and locked it, I could smell alcohol, has he been drinking?
I walked into the kitchen to grab a water and he mumbled something. I asked him what did he say. He mumbled "fuck you, you stupid bitch" to me, this time louder and clearer.
I ignored him because I didn't feel like fighting right now. All that walking had hurt my feet, I just want to relax.
He throws an empty bottle of corona at me, luckily I dodged but it busted on the wall. I grabbed the broom, and started picking up the big chunks broken pieces of glass. He grabs me by my hair and asks "where you been, bitch? Fucking Mark? Jim? Ken? Some random fucking stranger, you fucking whore?" He starts slapping me and spitting on me. I'm in tears, I hate that he's this upset.

I guess Mark and Cassandra suspected something was wrong because they came barging in our house. Mark manages to get Bryce to let me go and asks him what does he think he's doing. Bryce mumbles "oh look, it's captain save a bitch, here to save his best fucking friends girlfriend". Mark says "you don't mean that, buddy, calm down, we can talk this —" Bryce punches Mark. They start fighting. Cassandra pulls me away from where they are fighting. She's crying and says "Bryce has been texting him for about an hour, accusing him of having sex with you, saying that's why Mark's always quick to save you. Mark knew something was gonna happen so we got here as soon as we saw you walking back home. We tried to get your attention but I guess you were exhausted. We're so sorry we got here a little later than expected!" I tell her that it's okay, I'd rather them come before it gets worse than not come at all.

It's a new day, I'm over at Cassy and Mark's house. We decided to talk about last night.
Cassy said "what made Bryce so mad?"
I told her that Claudia has been texting him and I got her number and pretended to be him and found out he slept with her last year. I said "I left before things got ugly, probably wasn't a good idea to leave him home alone to think about it".
Mark said "when he started texting me, I knew he was drunk but I knew we had better watch out for you. He kept saying you weren't home, that you were over here fucking his best friend. I kept ignoring his texts but he just kept on sending them. He started in on how does it feel fucking your fiancé's best friend? Said I wasn't responding because I was busy having sex with his girlfriend."
Cassy said "what hurts more?"
I started choking but managed to calm myself down and said "everything. Everything hurts. Knowing he had sex with Claudia hurts. Him throwing a corona bottle and missing at me hurts. Him pulling my hair and slapping me hurts. Him accusing me of being a whore hurts. Watching as him and Mark fought hurts. Everything hurts, but what hurts more is that I know it's time to end this relationship." I began to cry. Cassandra hugged me tight and said that things will one day get better.
The pain of everything hurts. I know Bryce holds my heart. I can go pack all of my stuff up that are at his house but my heart belongs to him. I can never get that back.
He was doing so good for so long just to fall off track. This time he was worse than he had ever been before. This time he ruined his friendship with Mark. That hurts me too.

Cassandra is running me a bath while Mark and I are talking, he says "don't worry about me. I'm fine. Don't let what happened last night determine my pain. Yes, I'm hurt but I'm also mad that he hurt my fiance's best friend because he not only hurt you, he hurt Cass, and if he hurt her, then he has hurt me."

I take a bath and reflect on everything that happened last night. It was dumb of me to text Claudia but what was even dumber is leaving him all alone to drink and get angrier. Because of my dumb decisions, I have ruined our relationship and his friendship.