He stepped back and gave me a little space before speaking again.
“Can we please talk about this in private?” Theo’s voice dropped to almost a whisper. “I can explain it all when we get back home. But not here, baby. Please?”
His eyes locked on mine, full of raw emotion.
Giving him my back, I got into the car without another word.
The car was silent as we pulled away from the venue. I stared out the window, the lights of the city blurring past, matching the storm of thoughts inside my head.
Theo sat beside me, his body tense, his hands clenched around his drink, the same drink he’d been nursing all night. I could feel his gaze on me, but I refused to meet it. The anger still burned in my chest.
After what felt like an eternity, he finally spoke.
“Carmen,” his voice was soft, almost pleading. “I wanna explain.”
I didn’t answer immediately, still staring out the window. The city lights reflected off the glass, making everything feel distant, almost unreal.
“Explain what, Theo?” I asked, my voice tight.
His breath hitched, and I could feel the tension in his body even though he was sitting a few inches away. “Nothing happened between me and her. I swear.”
I let out a bitter laugh. “You swear? You expect me to believe that? How could you even think about lying to me like that? After everything we’ve been through, everything we’ve built…” My voice cracked.
Theo’s hand moved to mine, but I pulled away quickly, not wanting his touch right now. He flinched, but didn’t say anything.
“I never meant to hurt you,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “I messed up, Carmen, and I…” He trailed off, his gaze shifting toward the window, his jaw tight. “I never wanted you to find out like this.”
I didn’t answer. I just stared at myself in the side mirror.
I just wanted to fucking cry.
“Did you fuck her?” I asked bluntly.
His head whipped in my direction. “No, baby, of course not!”
“So why did you leave with her?” I yelled.
The car pulled into the hotel parking lot, and the sudden stop jolted me back to reality. I glanced up at the glowing lights of the hotel.
“Let’s talk upstairs,” he offered.
I didn’t argue.
He got out of the car first, then opened the door for me, but I walked past him without saying a word. The energy between us felt so wrong as we entered the hotel.
As soon as we got into the suite, I let it out.
I stared at him, fists clenched at my sides. “You had another woman in your room and never said anything to me?”
“It was late, Carmen. She was drunk out of her mind, and I couldn’t let her drive.”
“So you put her in yourbed?” My voice cracked on the last word.
“It was the holidays. The hotel was fully booked—I couldn’t get her another room. I let her sleep in the bed, and I took the couch.”
“Did you have sex with her?” I repeated.
“Baby, I swear to you I did not touch her.”
