Page 75 of Floodgates

“What?” I mumbled, not turning to look at Cord, still busy with work.

“I know this is hard on you. You probably thought you’d be meeting his folks someday, but not like this.”

“It doesn’t matter,” I said softly, opening QuickBooks, ready to start paying people.

He leaned close enough to breathe down the side of my neck. “How come?”

“We’re done.”

“Yeah, you said that yesterday.”

“Then why the question?” I asked, turning my head to squint at him.

“I just wanna be clear.”

I tipped my head at Breckin’s chair. “It’s just stupid at this point. We’re not even married, we don’t live together—it’s time for this to be over,” I said solemnly. “Like I told you, it’s already been close to five months.”

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why be done?”

“How come we’re going over this again?”

“Humor me.”

I huffed out a breath. “Trust,” I replied flatly. “It’s all gone.”

“Yeah, but you can rebuild that.”

I tried to imagine being back in my cozy little A-frame with Breckin or moving to Pacific Heights with him, but the images just wouldn’t come. I couldn’t picture us together anymore. Somewhere during those four months, everything had changed.

“I think,” I began, turning to him, “that truly a one-off of infidelity can be forgiven. Like, you messed up, and you’re really sorry. And you promised you’d be faithful, but there was a moment of weakness. I get that.”

He was silent, but he put his big, heavy hand back on my thigh.

“But, see, I caught him, right?” My voice dropped low, and I leaned close to Cord’s ear to whisper, “He didn’t tell me. And now… Celia. She was actually the first. Sean Granger was the second.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” He clipped the words as he leaned back.

And it hit me that he didn’t know. Neither of my brothers had told him, which was kind of nice. “Breckin slept with a friend of his four months ago; it’s why we were taking a break in the first place.”

He stared at me a second, taking that in. “So you’re telling me there were two women?”

“No. Sean’s a guy.”

“So one guy, one girl?”

It sounded even worse that way.

“Trace?”

I nodded, rubbing the bridge of my nose. I started chuckling because it was so ridiculous.

“Lemme get this straight,” he began. “After Breckin slept with Celia but before he knew he knocked her up, he fucked a buddy of his?”

“Yes,” I said flatly.