Page 109 of The Obsession
It’s some ungodly hour in the morning. It’s pissing down outside, and I’m still lying in bed wide awake. Normally, the sound of the rain hitting the roof would knock me out, but tonight it does nothing to ease my self-hatred.
I’m mad at myself for what I did to Emily, but even madder at the way I handled it. I’m not good with feelings and all that shit, but I should’ve been more of a man. I shouldn’t have turned and walked away. That was a shitty move. At the very least, I should’ve given her some kind of explanation instead of letting it spiral into this mess. Now all I can do is lie here and stew on the knowledge that I’ve made things worse.
I wouldn’t be surprised if I wake in the morning to find her gone, and I couldn’t fault her for leaving. She’s better off, but I hope that’s not the case.
A scratch at the window, followed by a long, drawn-out “Meow,” drags me out of my thoughts. I already know what I’m going to find, as if my night couldn’t get any shittier.
“Fucking Fat Cat,” I grumble when my eyes land on a drenched ball of obese fluff shivering on my windowsill.
I consider ignoring him, letting him figure it out himself, but the pit in my chest tightens. I swear under my breath, toss the covers aside, and throw on my jeans.
This freeloading fuck is not even ours, even though the girls have claimed him as part of the family.
I’m still grumbling under my breath as I trudge through the house, heading towards the back door. I stomp through the backyard, the wet grass squishing under my bare feet.
“Jesus Christ,” I mutter as I scoop the soggy cat into my arms. He claws at me as I move back towards the house,which only makes my temper flare. “Scratch me again, and I’ll leave you out here to fucking drown,” I grumble, already knowing I don’t mean a word of it.
I hoist him a little higher when he starts to slip from my grip; he weighs a fucking ton.
“Next time you pass by a window, I suggest you look at your reflection in the glass. Either that or you need to stop going to every house in the street and begging for whatever scraps are on offer.”
The cat stares up at me like I’m personally trying to ruin his entire life, and I swear I hear a little hiss. How’s that for gratitude?
I swore this heart attack on legs would never set a paw in my home, but I’ve already fucked things up with Emily, and the last thing I need on my conscience is killing her fucking cat.
I end up dumping him unceremoniously in the laundry. He shakes himself off, glaring at me like it’s all my fault. I groan as I head back into the hallway to grab a few towels from the linen cupboard.
I open the laundry door just enough to toss the towels onto the floor. I probably should dry the fucker off, but I’m not exactly in the mood to be accommodating. He’s lucky he’s got somewhere dry to crash for the rest of the night, but come sunrise, he’s out on his fat arse. No one can know I caved and let him in.
I’m tired and irritated as I drag myself out of bed and head to the bathroom to take a piss and brush my teeth.
I intended to remove the cat before the girls woke but when I hear muffled voices coming from the laundry as I approach, I realise I’m already too late.
“Fucking great,” I mutter under my breath.
I’m not ready to face Emily yet, not after the way I ended things last night, and this is just another headache I don’t need first thing in the damn morning.
“Can Fat Cat sleep in my new bed?” I hear Lil’ Peach ask as I tilt my head towards the ceiling and groan.
I reach for the door handle, and three sets of eyes swing in my direction when I grumble, “No, he can’t.”
My gaze moves from the cat to my niece before settling on Emily’s baby blues that are haunting my fucking dreams. The moment our eyes meet, her cheeks flush a soft pink.
She quickly averts her gaze, like she’s trying to hide the storm of feelings I know are swirling behind it. My chest tightens at the sight. It’s just confirmation I’ve royally fucked things up.
I clear my throat as I rub the back of my neck. “It was raining last night, and the drenched cat was scratching at my window.”
Her eyes briefly dart back to mine before she shifts her attention to the cat. A small grin tugs at her lips as her fingertips brush over his fur, but from here, I can see the smile doesn’t reach her eyes.
The slump in her shoulders tells me I’ve hurt her. I know I have, and it hits harder than I expected. I have no clue how to right the wrong and fix the mess I’ve made.
Chapter 36
Emily
Ienter the lounge room and find Dominic on his recliner, with Lil’ Peach perched on his lap, watching a Disney movie. I can clearly see by the look on his face that it’s painful for him, but I admire him nevertheless. This is the side of him that calls to me the most. The man who will do anything to make that little girl happy.
I’ve managed to avoid him for most of the morning, deciding to hide out in my room. I took my time getting ready, spending way longer in the shower than necessary. I was stalling. I even put a few soft curls in my long hair after blow drying it, and applied a light dusting of makeup before getting dressed.
