Page 51

Atlas

Kairi paced the length of the living room, her bare feet silent on the hardwood floor, but the energy radiating off her wasn’t. She was so angry I could see her body vibrating with it. I leaned against the doorframe, unsure of how to help without setting her off further. She hadn’t slept well after she’d seen her name trending on social media.

“She twisted everything,” Kairi said suddenly. “She’s painting herself as the victim, Atlas. Like she wasn’t fucking unbearable from the moment she entered my life.”

I knew exactly what she was talking about—the podcast Ashlen had done. The one where she’d recast our history into a tragic soap opera where she was the hero and Kairi was the scheming villain who wanted her life. I’d listened to parts of it before shutting it off. The lies were too much to bear. And I felt like the entire thing was my fault. If I’d just done what I wanted from the beginning and been with Kairi, none of this would be happening. I was scared this might be what broke us.

“I’m sorry,” I said quietly, trying to meet her eyes. “You know none of it matters, right? Anyone who matters—”

“That’s not the fucking point!” she snapped, cutting me off. “It’s not about the people who know us, Atlas. It’s about everyone else. She’s trying to ruin me. My fucking career. And why? Because she couldn’t have you, and she barely wanted you.”

I flinched. Ouch. It was the truth, but did she have to say it like that?

She kept pacing, shaking her head. “We weren’t cheating all through college. Why would she even say that? She knows it isn’t true. I should go live and tell the truth. Tell all her business. Snooty bitch wouldn’t like that.”

I stepped forward cautiously, like approaching a live wire. “Kairi, you know she’s doing this to get a rise out of you. She wants a reaction. Don’t give it to her.”

But Kairi wasn’t hearing it. Her pacing stopped abruptly, and she grabbed her keys off the counter. “Fuck her. I need to hold my son. I’m going to my daddy’s house.”

“I’ll come with you.”

She shook her head, not looking at me. “No. I need a minute alone.”

Something in her tone made me hesitate. I didn’t want to push her further, so I nodded. “Okay. Call me if you need me.”

She didn’t answer. The door slammed behind her.

She was gone about five minutes, and something wasn’t sitting right with me. Kairi wouldn’t take this kind of anger to her father’s house—not with Dion there.

She wasn’t going to her father’s house. I knew it as surely as I knew my own name.

I grabbed my keys and ran to the car. Stupid me, I shouldn’t have let her go. There was only one place she’d go in this state—the house I’d shared with Ashlen. The house I’d let Ashlen and my mother take over for the sake of peace.

I pulled up to the house, and the first thing I noticed was the front door standing wide open. I jumped out of the car, sprinting toward the sound of screaming. Inside, chaos reigned.

Kairi was on top of Ashlen, drilling her fist into Ashlen’s face as Ashlen screamed, her arms flailing defensively. My mother stood to the side, yelling, “Get her off! Atlas, do something!”

“Kairi!” I shouted, rushing forward. She didn’t even look at me. Her hand tangled in Ashlen’s hair, dragging her across the living room floor as Ashlen shrieked.

“Kairi, let her go!” I grabbed her around the waist and tried to pull her off, but she was stronger than I expected, fueled by pure rage.

“She’s trying to ruin me!” Kairi screamed, struggling against me. “I’ll give her a reason to now!”

“Bitch!” she yelled, yanking Ashlen’s hair.

“Kairi, enough!” I finally managed to pry her away. She kept a grip on Ashlen’s hair until the last possible second, dragging her a few more feet before finally letting go.

I held her firmly, my heart racing. “How did that help?” I barked. This was just going to make things worse.

“It didn’t,” she admitted breathlessly, her chest rising and falling rapidly. “But it made me feel better. Now get off me.”

She yanked herself out of my grip and stormed out of the house.

I turned back to find my mother and Ashlen staring at me. Ashlen was on the floor, her face red, tears streaming down her cheeks. My mother stood over her.

“I can’t believe this,” my mother said, her voice shaking with anger. “That woman is unhinged, Atlas! You need to call the police.”

“Mom, stop,” I said, pinching the bridge of my nose.

“Stop?!” Ashlen shouted, still on the floor. “That bitch attacked me in my own home! You’re lucky I don’t press charges.”

I walked over and helped Ashlen up reluctantly, my patience wearing thin. “Ashlen, you’ve been provoking her for weeks. You went on a public platform and lied about her. Did you think she wouldn’t react? Or are you used to her taking your shit quietly? We’re older now, Ashlen. That’s not going to work anymore.”

Ashlen’s jaw dropped. “Are you seriously defending her right now?”

“Yes. You lied,” I said. I wasn’t trying to be diplomatic. “And if you call the police, you’re going to make this worse for everyone—including yourself.”

Ashlen scoffed, crossing her arms. “She’s insane, Atlas. You don’t see it because you’re blinded by whatever it is she’s doing to you.”

“She’s doing nothing except trying to live her life,” I shot back. “And you keep dragging her name through the mud. Do you really think that’s going to make anything better for you? She knows your secrets too. You want to be exposed?”

My mother stepped in, her voice hard. “Ashlen shouldn’t be getting a talking-to. Talk to that girl—”

“Mom,” I said, turning to her. My voice was steady, my patience at its breaking point. “Back off. Kairi is what’s best for me. She’s the mother of my son. And if you can’t accept that, fuck you. I’ll cut you off too. You’re living on my dime.”

My mother’s face hardened. “Don’t threaten me, Atlas.”

“It’s not a threat. It’s reality,” I said simply. “You need to stop interfering, or else.”

Ashlen let out a bitter laugh. “You really think this is over because you threaten us, don’t you? She assaulted me, Atlas. I won’t let this slide.”

“Do whatever you need to do,” I said, stepping toward the door. “And suffer the consequences.”

I left them standing there, ignoring their words as I walked out.

By the time I got back to Kairi’s house, the tightness in my chest had only gotten worse. I didn’t know what I was walking into, but I braced myself for anything.

Kairi was sitting on the couch, her hands still trembling. When she looked up at me, her eyes were red, but there was a defiant spark in them.

“I’m not sorry for beating her ass. Fuck her,” she said, her voice firm.

I sighed, sitting down beside her. “I know.” That was all I said. I didn’t want her realizing how much me involving myself in her life had changed her life for the worse.