Page 53 of What He Always Knew

“You slimy fucking bastard!” I shoved Reese hard and he stumbled back, but his chest met mine in the next instant, his gritting teeth just inches from mine. “How dare you touch my wife, in my driveway, in myhome.” I shoved him again, faintly registering Charlie’s screams for me to stop in the background. “Have some fucking respect.”

“For who?” Reese challenged, bumping my chest with his. The force pushed me back, but I bowed up in the next instant, ready to fight. “Foryou? The only person I see here who deserves any respect is Charlie, and trust me, she always gets it from me.”

He smirked with that last line, insinuating he gives Charlie much more than his respect, and that same primal growl ripped through me before I launched at him.

Reese fought me off, but not before I socked his jaw, catching his lip with my knuckle and busting it wide open.

“Cameron, stop! Please,please, stop!”

Charlie’s little hands were on my arms, and I shrugged her off, gearing up to punch Reese again when she wiggled her way between us.

“I said STOP!”

She shoved my chest hard, and though her strength was no match for mine, I backed off, my eyes finding hers as I took four steps back toward the house.

She was crying, her eyes wet and tears staining her cheeks. I watched her struggle to catch her breath, her words still coming, though they were deaf to my ringing ears.

My gaze found the man behind her — the enemy — and every muscle in my body tensed again.

“Reese, leave.” Charlie turned to him, shoving him toward his car.

“I’m not leaving you here with him like that.”

“I saidleave, damn it, Reese.”

Reese’s jaw flexed, like leaving her killed him, likeIwould ever do anything to hurt her. He was mental. He was fucking deranged.

I wanted to kill him.

“Fine,” he growled. “But you call me if he lays even one finger on you.”

“If you don’t get the fuck away from my wife—” I started, charging toward him again, but Charlie screamed for me to stop, shoving Reese toward the car with more fervor.

It took every ounce of willpower I had left inside me to stand rooted to that spot in our yard as he finally climbed inside and backed out of our drive, and it wasn’t until he peeled away that Charlie turned on me.

“What the hell is wrong with you?”

“What’s wrong withme?”

“Yes, you! You tried to fight him!”

I gaped at her, throwing my hands up toward where Reese had stood.

“He had his fucking hands on you, Charlie. He waskissingyou! I’m trying here, okay? I’m trying to…” I shook my head, running my hands back through my hair. I didn’t even have words. “How could I see him kissing you and not lose my fucking shit?How, Charlie?”

“Not so fun on the other side of it, is it?”

Her words slammed into me like an anvil, pinning me to the spot where I stood, crushing my lungs with the weight of them.

Two more tears slipped from Charlie’s eyes and she swiped them away, shaking her head. Her gaze fell to the ground between us, her arms folding over her middle, and in that moment, I’d never felt further from my wife.

We were just feet from each other, and yet we existed on different planets.

I didn’t even know who she was, anymore.

And she was right. I had been on the other side. She’d had to see another woman in my lap, half naked, with her hands on me.

Her words were proof that though she’d forgiven me, she’d never forget.