Unforgivable Chapter Two: Making Good

While a lot of things have been going badly for Lily since she found her husband cheating, she finds solace in one sure thing.

“Thanks,” I smiled, trying to hide the embarrassment on my face.

“No need to thank me,” Jason grinned. “I am here to help when you need it.”

I swallowed. I had heard that before; it was how I met Bradley. He was a young man at the bar where I worked, and a few locals were too drunk and too horny for me to deal with; I was a young, naïve woman working the night shift, and things got carried away.

I had tried to tell the two men who had their hands all over me as I tried to get to my car. They weren’t taking no for an answer, and I was scared that things would go too far and I would get hurt.

Bradly punched one and knocked him on his ass. I managed to kick the other one in the groin. The two men swore at me and then ran off. Bradly had said those same words that he was there to help.

I fell for that line that night and many other nights after it.

“I can’t,” I said, handing the money back to Jason. “I just…”

“You can, and there are no strings attached,” he pushed it back.

I had asked my parents for too much as it was, and I was still falling behind. Many women at my job had said I had gone too far when I kicked Bradley out and then told him I didn’t want anything from him; I didn’t want him near my kids or me.

I expected him to fight me on it, expected him to try at least to show me that he cared about the kids. I couldn’t care less about myself, or how I felt about him, or how he felt about me. There was no going back to what we were, not after that, but he didn’t even text or call me about the kids, not once.

It had been seven months, and not one word from him. I had seen Debra a couple of times, and she had tried to get back in my favor, tried to excuse herself for what she did, but I didn’t listen.