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“Oh, I think there is,” he says. “You know, your mom gave me several addresses here in town. One was your cousin’s. The other one was yours. But the third one was apparently where your little brother Bobby gets his dick sucked by some Black dude.”

Joe and I look at each other in horror.

Jake chuckles. “Speechless now, aren’t you? Yeah, who knew little Bobby was so fruity? It’s gonna break your poor parents’ heart.”

“What’s your play here, Jake?” I’m trying hard to keep calm. “I get back with you or you out my brother?”

“Oh, no, I know there’s no chance of that now.”

“What do you want then? I don’t understand. And why would you want to hurt Bobby? You’ve known him for years. He’s never done anything to you.”

“I don’t give a shit about Bobby,” Jake says with a pained chuckle. “But I want to hurt you, and I know how much you love him. I don’t want you thinking that you can pull one over me and get away with it.”

Then he hangs up.

A chill runs through my body, gripping my bones, squeezing my chest.

I watch the phone in my hand as if had answers, as if it could make me understand how the man I’d been with for years, the man I was going to marry, had this cruelty, this ugliness inside him, and somehow I never knew.

An engine roars outside, and when I rush to the window and push aside the curtain, I see Jake’s truck leaving the parking lot.

Joe comes close and puts his hands on my shoulders. “Are you okay?”

I shake my head as I turn around and look him in the eye. “I can’t believe he would do that. What kind of person does that?”

“A grade-A asshole. You certainly dodged the bullet there.”

“Oh, God.” I slap my forehead as something dawns on me. “I have to tell Bobby right away.”

****

I call a couple of times, but it goes straight to voicemail. So I text.

Lizzie: Jake was here this morning

Apparently Mom got Madison addresses off your GPS

Gave them all to Jake

So he found me, but he also found Trey

He went to Trey’s last night

He saw you two together

I’m so sorry, Bobby

I think he might out you with Mom and Dad

Tell me what you want me to do

This can’t be happening. I ruined this for Bobby. My fucking asshole ex ruined it for Bobby.

“Come here,” I hear from the sofa. I almost forgot Joe was here. “Come, sit with me.”

“He will out Bobby,” I say as I lower myself next to Joe, my voice trembling as I try not to cry. “I can’t believe he would out Bobby. I never thought he’d be such a prick. I spent so much time with him and I didn’t know him at all...”

“Yeah, that hurts the worst, I think. Realizing there are whole swaths of personality that the person hid from you. Or they didn’t exactly hide them—they were barely concealed, almost in plain sight, but you didn’t realize that’s what they were because you were in love.” Joe strokes my upper arm and looks out the window. “That shit makes you question everything you know about the world. Makes you question your own sanity.”