“Are you coming?” He asked, opening the driver’s door and looking back at where I stood.
“Yeah.” I shook my head free of my thoughts and joined him.
We were silent on the drive over to Braden’s apartment. The radio provided background noise, but it wasn’t loud enough to drown out my racing thoughts as I imagined all of the different ways this meeting with Braden could go.
None of them were good.
On the way, Ezra stopped by the office supplies store and picked up some boxes. I hadn’t even thought of that.
When we arrived at the apartment Braden’s truck was nowhere to be seen in the parking lot. I said a silent thanks to whatever god or deity had been on my side today.
Ezra glanced over at me. “This is it.”
It was, in more ways than one.
I nodded, reaching for the handle and stepping out of the vehicle.
I trudged slowly up the steps and stopped in front of the door, letting out a string of colorful curses.
“What is it?” Ezra asked, fighting a smile as I kicked the door.
“I don’t have my key.” I groaned, slamming the heel of my hand against the door like I could force it open.
Ezra lightly pushed my shoulder, forcing me to step away from the door.
“I’ve got this.” He flashed me a crooked smile.
I stood back with my arms crossed over my chest, trying to peer over his shoulder to see what he was doing, but he was careful to shield me.
The door swung open and I stared at him open mouthed. “Did you just break into my apartment?”
He suppressed a laugh. “For starters, it’s not your apartment. Secondly, it was already unlocked.” He winked.
“No, it wasn’t,” I defended.
His lips twitched. “Are you sure about that?”
I sighed. “Fine, if the cops show up again I’ll stick with the story that it was already unlocked.”
“That’s all I ask.” Pausing, he tilted his head to the side and muttered, “They better not show up.”
I shrugged and moved past him to step inside the apartment.
Twenty-four hours ago this place had been home, and now I wanted nothing more than to destroy it. I had to put a lid on my temper. It was going to get me in trouble again.
“Do you have tape?” Ezra asked, laying the flat boxes down on the small kitchen table. “I can start putting these together while you gather your stuff.”
“Yeah.” I padded into the kitchen and rifled through the junk drawer, producing a roll of packing tape. “Here you go.” I held it out to him and he took it with a small smile. He knew this was hard for me, but he also didn’t know what to say to make it better.
I left Ezra to assemble the boxes and headed back to the bedroom.
I glared at the bed, remembering what I’d walked in on yesterday. I’d left my store early hoping to surprise Braden and maybe have a nice dinner since it was Friday night. Braden had obviously had other plans.
With a violent yank I began to pull the sheets off the bed.
I would never use them. Not now anyway. But I bought them and I refused to let him have them on principle.
Tears clogged my eyes as I tossed the sheets out into the hallway. Ezra would pack them up for me.
First I grabbed my stuff from the dresser, careful to keep everything folded so I wouldn’t have to do it again later.
I strode over to the closet, yanking the doors open so that they clattered harshly against the walls.
“Is everything okay in there?” Ezra called, the concern evident in his voice.
“Just dandy,” I said sarcastically.
I heard his chuckle echo through the small apartment.
I took everything off on the hangers and laid them on the bed.
Soon nothing was left in the closet except for Braden’s clothes and one lone garment bag.
I grasped the bag, rubbing my fingers against the material that hid my wedding dress.
Stupidly, I reached for the zipper, exposing the white princess dress.
My lower lip began to tremble as I pulled it out of the bag and clutched it to my chest.
I sunk to the floor with the white fabric billowing around me.
Tears fell from my chin onto the dress.
I was crying for so many things.
For my life that imploded in my face.
For the love I’d thought I had that was nothing more than a farce.
For hurting Ezra and pushing him away.
For pushing everyone away.
“Sad—oh shit,” Ezra cursed, stopping in the doorway of the bedroom. He set the boxes down hastily and hurried to my side. He crouched down beside me, pulling me against his chest. I tried to push away, ashamed of my tears, but he wouldn’t let me. “Shh,” he cooed.
I finally stopped fighting and relinquished myself to his embrace.
He smoothed his long fingers through my hair and then kissed the top of my head.
I clung to his shoulders, trying to even my breaths and stop sniveling.
He rested his chin on top of my head and he leaned his back against the open closet door.
I fisted the tulle fabric of my dress in my hand.
“I want to burn it.” I confessed to him.
He rocked me back and forth, not saying anything for a moment. “Then we’ll burn it,” he declared.
“Thank you.”
I pressed a palm flat against his chest and pushed away.
I dried my eyes with the back of my hands.
Before he could say anything else, I said, “Let’s get this stuff packed and get out of here. I don’t want to see this place ever again.”
Ezra nodded and stood, holding out a hand to haul me up.
I flashed him a grateful smile.
He had all the boxes assembled and we hurried to get all my stuff in them.
I left Ezra in the bedroom to finish, while I tucked an empty box under my arm and headed into the bathroom. I flicked the light on, ignoring my reflection in the mirror. All my makeup and hair things were thrown haphazardly in the drawer, but a hot pink straightener lay on the counter—a straightener that wasn’t mine.
Anger overrode me and I picked it up, throwing it at the mirror. The mirror cracked and began to shatter, the pieces raining down.
“Sadie!”
Ezra came running into the bathroom and his mouth fell open at the mess.
I acted like nothing had happened. I started grabbing my things and dropping them into the box. “I hate him,” I muttered under my breath, “I hate him so damn much.”
Ezra lingered in the doorway. “I know.”
“You don’t have to watch over me,” I assured him.
He still stayed. After a pause he pulled away from the wall. “I’ll start loading the other boxes in the car.”
He walked away, the sound of his heavy boots muffled by the carpet, and then I heard the front door close.
Once the drawer was empty I grabbed my shampoo, conditioner, and body wash from the shower.
In the kitchen I grabbed the tape and secured the flaps of the box. It felt symbolic somehow. Like I was taping up the wound Braden had left on my life.
I’d begun stacking the boxes by the door when Ezra ran inside. He rested his back against the closed door and his chest rose and fell as he gasped for breath.
What the hell did he do? Run up all three flights of stairs?
“Braden,” he panted, waving a hand to point out the door, “is here. He saw me.”
My eyes widened.
“Shit,” I cursed.
Not only did I never want to see him again, but I also didn’t want to deal with his bullish behavior. He’d be intolerable since he saw Ezra.
I squared my shoulders. “We haven’t done anything wrong.”
“We haven’t,” Ezra agreed. “But I wanted to beat him here to tell you so you were prepared.”
At that moment the door began to move behind Ezra’s back and he stepped away so it could swing open.
Braden’s large frame took up the whole doorway as he stared angrily at me.
I kept my chin held high, refusing to cower in his presence.
Ezra stood beside me, his hand grazing my waist like he was trying to remind me that I wasn’t alone.