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“Kee,” Monae sniffled, grabbing his face. “I know how much what happened that night affects you, but if you would just let me help you…”
“THERE IS NO HELPING ME!” He yelled, snatching away from her. “Unless you have a goddamn time machine to go back and give me the five minutes I needed to change everything, it ain’t shit in this world that you can do for me!” The way she shrank back from him let him know that he was close to going too far and losing his temper.
Despite them being broken up, Tucker prided himself on the fact that he and Monae were still on somewhat amicable terms. He didn’t want to ruin that, but he needed her to stop pushing to box him in a corner that he didn’t fit in anymore.
“Monae,” he sighed, dragging a hand down his face. “If I could go back to the man whose only concern was making sure that you had the wedding of your dreams, I would. But, that isn’t my life anymore. I have some shit with me. Demons that I wouldn’t even think about exposing you to. You’re a good woman, and you deserve more than I can give you.”
Taking a step back from him, Monae’s lip trembled as their eyes locked. Tucker could see the exact moment when it clicked in her brain that their relationship would never go back to the way it used to be.
Nodding slowly, Monae pushed her hands through her hair and inhaled sharply. “Understood. I’ll be out of your hair soon.”
“Do you need some help?” Tucker’s eyes softened after picking up on her distress.
“No, thank you, I think I can handle it.”
Moving away from him, she began moving her bags out of the house. Sucking in a deep breath, Tucker headed to his bedroom to lock himself inside until she was done. Pulling a change of clothes out of his drawer, he went straight to the master bedroom and hopped in the shower.
He wasted as much time as he could, forcing himself to stay inside until the water was ice cold. To his relief, by the time he headed back out into the living area, both Monae and all of her belongings were gone.
Dead-bolting the door, Tucker slowly shuffled to the kitchen to grab a beer. Popping the top, he flung it in the trash and headed into the living room, flopping onto the couch. A glimmer of light caught his eye, and Tucker’s stomach turned when he spied Monae’s engagement ring sitting on the table next to the spare key he’d given her when she moved in.
An empty feeling coursed through him as he sat back on the couch, downing his beer. To most people, he appeared well put together. When there was a fire, or a need for search and rescue, he was the man almost everybody wanted at the scene. Women swooned over him, his entire team respected him, and financially, he was set.
From the outside looking in, Tucker was living the American dream. But on the inside, he was a broken man, all due to the one face and name that would forever haunt his dreams. Charlotte Campbell, the four year old girl that he couldn’t save from perishing in a fire.
