Chapter 47
Keith’s POV
I slumped down on the couch, pressing the ice pack against the side of my face where Frank had landed a solid punch. My jaw throbbed, and a mix of anger and shame burned through me.
I couldn’t believe I had lost control like that, but something about Frank just didn’t sit right with me. I couldn’t ignore it, and now, here I was, nursing a bruised ego along with my bruised face.
Seth walked in, eyebrows shooting up as soon as he saw the ice pack pressed against my face. “What the hell happened to you?” he asked, dropping into the chair across from me, disbelief laced in his voice.
I took a slow, deep breath, trying to keep my tone steady. “I got into a fight with Frank.”
His eyes widened, shock spreading across his face. “Frank? As in Emily’s Frank? Why would you do that?”
I didn’t respond, my gaze shifting away from his, not ready to explain the mess in my head.
When I stayed silent, Seth sighed and shook his head. “Oh, I get it now. Keith, she’s your ex–wife. She’s free to date whoever she wants, man. Just
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like you and Lily. You’ve moved on, remember?”
The last part sent a flare of anger through me. “This isn’t about that,” I snapped, the irritation clear in my voice. “I don’t trust him. There’s something off about the guy–I just know it.”
Seth leaned back in his chair, giving me a long, scrutinizing look. “You don’t trust him, huh? Or are you just… jealous?”
I scoffed, waving him off. “Jealous? Of him? That’s impossible. I just don‘ t think he’s who he says he is.”
But Seth wasn’t convinced. He crossed his arms, his gaze skeptical. “Are you sure this isn’t just you trying to find a reason to stay connected to Emily? You were with her for nine years, Keith. Don’t tell me you didn’t develop feelings for her.”
I froze at his words, completely taken aback. “What? No. I loved Lily for those nine years. Emily… she was just…” I trailed off, realizing how hollow that sounded.
Seth shook his head, his voice softening. “You’re lying to yourself, Keith. Whether you want to admit it or not, you cared about her. Hell, you might even still care about her, and that’s what’s making this harder for you.”
I stared at him, my mind racing. How could I possibly have feelings for Emily? Lily was the one I had always loved, or so I had convinced myself. But Seth’s words gnawed at me, making me question everything.
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Seth leaned forward, his voice more serious now. “There’s something else I’ve been thinking about. You remember that night nine years ago, when everything went to hell? When Emily told us she was drunk?”
“Of course, I remember,” I muttered bitterly. “She claimed she was drunk, but no one believed her.”
Seth nodded slowly. “Yeah, and I’ve been thinking–what if she was telling the truth? Back then, everyone was so quick to point fingers, and she became the scapegoat. Maybe it was easier for us to accept that Emily messed up than to admit we might have made mistakes too.”
I frowned, the weight of his words sinking in. “What are you saying, Seth?”
“I’m saying we need to know the truth. Once and for all.” He pulled out his phone and made a call. “I’m going to have someone investigate that night. We can get the recordings from the bar and the hotel. We’ve let this go on long enough.”
I was stunned. “You think Emily’s been telling the truth this whole time?”
Seth looked at me, his eyes steady. “I think it’s possible. And if she has… then we’ve been punishing her for something she didn’t deserve. For nine years, Keith.”
The weight of those words hit me like a punch to the gut. Nine years. If Emily had been innocent all along, then I had wronged her in the worst possible way.
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We sat in silence after that, waiting. My mind was spinning, memories of that night flashing through my mind–my anger, my confusion, how quick I had been to assume the worst about Emily. Could I really have been so blind?
The minutes dragged on, the tension in the room growing thicker with every passing second. Finally, Seth’s phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen, reading the message that had come through. His face went pale ast he silently handed the phone over to me.
I stared down at the screen, my hands shaking. The report from the private investigator was clear–Emily had been telling the truth. We were all drunk that night. None of us were in the right state of mind, but I had let my anger and my hurt cloud my judgment. I had believed the worst about her, and for nine long years, she had suffered for it.
My chest tightened, the air suddenly feeling too thick to breathe. Emily… she had endured all this, carried the weight of a mistake that wasn’t even hers. And I… I had been too stubborn to see it. Too proud to question the narrative I had built around her.
“I can’t believe this,” I whispered, my voice cracking under the weight of the truth. “She didn’t deserve any of it.”
Seth’s voice was soft, almost sad. “No, she didn’t. And now you have to figure out what you’re going to do about it.”
What was I supposed to do? How could I possibly make up for what I had done, for the years of pain and mistrust I had put her through? My mind. raced, searching for answers, but all I felt was the crushing guilt that
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weighed down on me like a heavy stone.
I closed my eyes, the realization settling in. I had fallen for Emily, but it had taken me too long to see it. Now, all I could do was face the truth and hope that, somehow, I could find a way to fix what had been broken.
