Page 63 of How to Break My Heart 1

I hand the bottle to her, and she places it in the middle console. “Good boy. Now, don’t throw up on me, because I’m a secondary vomiter.”

The Bluetooth sounds with an incoming call. My sister’s name flashes on the screen as I reach over to decline the call, but Everleigh pushes my hand away to hit answer.

“Maddy, it’s me,” she says, twisting her mouth. “I’m driving Aston’s car.”

Madelina sighs over the speaker. “Is everything okay? I came back into the room, and you guys were gone. What did Dad say, Aston?”

“It’s not your problem,” I tell her.

“Well, Dad is drinking again, and Mom is packing a bag to stay in a hotel.” Madelina sounds worried. “I’ll stay here to make sure he’s okay.”

“I’m coming back home, Madelina.” I twist to look at Everleighbut press end to terminate the call. “Turn around, we’re going back.”

“You want to go back?”

A heavy weight sits in the pit of my stomach. “My mother and sister need me.”

Reality has pulled me out of my selfish existence once again.

The silence in the car allows me to overthink, so by the time we get back to the house, the darkness reminds me of what my life has become.

Theknight in shining armorfor all the wrong fucking reasons.

Everleigh turns the engine off and then places her hand on mine. “Do you want me to go in with you?”

“No, I will take it from here.”

“Okay,” she whispers. “I’ll call someone to pick me up—”

“Take my car,” I interrupt, quick to unfasten my seat belt. “I don’t want you getting into some car with a stranger.”

“There’s no Ubers or cabs out here. I would have called a friend who I trust.”

I tilt my head, annoyed. “A doctor friend?”

Everleigh’s penetrating gaze does something I can’t explain. As I stare into the pools of her honey-brown eyes, even in the dark, they ignite something inside me.

“No more games, Aston. Just go inside and deal with what you need to.” She sighs, then reaches out to caress my cheek. “You know where to find me if you need me.”

Her touch terrifies me.

I pull her hand away, then say, “I’ll call you.”

After exiting the car and taking a few steps, I hear her drive off.

There are more significant crosses to bear right now.

And when my father has taken to the bottle, his only target is my mother. I’ve heard it repeatedly, the callous words he throws in her face like she owes him her life.

I enter the house and hear him yelling.

A weight sits inside my chest when I see Madelina seated on the sofa, holding back her tears.

As for my mother—she’s left once again.

So, for the sake of my sister’s emotional state, I go on the hunt for my father and remind myself the only person I will allow him to hurt isme.

CHAPTER 18