Page 41 of What He Doesn't Know

And not to lodge my fist straight into Sheldon’s giant nose.

“Anyway, I think she got laid. Revenge cheating. She ran away with some hot, young, single dad or something for a long weekend and came back freshly fucked.” Sheldon smiled, tilting his coffee toward me. “And to that I say, good for her.”

Sierra finished chewing a large bite, washing it down with soda before changing the subject to her dog. I took the opportunity to politely excuse myself, and then my feet were moving me fast down the hall toward Charlie’s classroom.

I had no idea why I was going there, or what I would say once I saw her. My thoughts were jumbled in a tangled mess of anger and confusion, and I was desperate to put the pieces together.

But when I rounded the corner into her room and saw her there, thumbnail pinned between her teeth, book balanced in the other hand as her eyes devoured the page, all I could do was stop and watch her.

How?

How could he do that to her, to the woman he vowed to love forever, to the woman who vowed the same to him? More than that, more than just the promise of marriage, it wasCharlie.She was broken and hurting, she’d lost their children — and he’d run out on her.

I’m going to murder him.

Then again, was it even true? Could I trust Sierra and douchebag Sheldon as reliable sources for anything? How did they even know about it, anyway — who wastheirsource?

There was a very distant part of me that realized how irrational I was being, that Charlie and I had perhaps tiptoed on that line of what was appropriate and what was not the night we went up the Incline. But I couldn’t see past the fact that whether I had proof or not, there was a possibility Cameron had stepped out on her. There was a possibility he’d hurt her and still got to keep her, anyway.

And that made me see red.

“Oh,” Charlie’s soft voice snapped me back to the present moment. “Hi, Reese. What are you doing down this way?”

I blinked.

“Reese?”

“I was just wondering if you would be helping your mom with the fundraiser this weekend,” I lied. Well, technically it wasn’t acompletelie. I had been wondering if she would be around after I’d agreed earlier in the week to help Gloria, but it wasn’t the reason I’d stormed down the hall to her room.

“The Valentine’s Day silent auction? I’m helping with the bidding items and I’ll be in attendance.” Her brows bent together then. “Will you be there, too?”

I sniffed, running a hand back through my hair. I needed to get away from her. I needed to calm the fuck down. Every second I stood there looking at her soft, innocent face and thinking about what her husband possibly did to break the smile that once existed there drove me closer to certifiable insanity.

“I’m helping out. I’ll be at your parents’ later tonight.”

“Oh,” she said. “Me, too. I guess I’ll see you there.”

“Yeah. See you.”

I turned without looking at her again, gritting my teeth against the urge to slam a hand into one of the lockers as I passed. I didn’t even know if I had my facts straight.

Calm down,I begged myself as I made my way back to my own classroom, but it was no use. I couldn’t stop seeing red. I couldn’t stop wishing Cameron’s neck was trapped between my fists.

Once I was back in my room, I pulled the door shut behind me, falling into my chair and slamming my Thermos on the desk. I ran both hands through my hair, forcing a long exhale as my eyes lost focus.

For a long while I just sat there, breathing, finding the resolve to not leave school right then and find Cameron to ask him myself.

But this wasn’t about him. Not really.

It was about Charlie.

And I’d see her tonight.

At that, I leaned back in my chair, resting my hands on top of my head as my wheels turned. Before now, I’d realized I needed to stay away from her, to give her the space she desired to focus on her and Cameron. But I couldn’t do that anymore. Not when I knew she deserved better.

Whether it was completely true or not, Cameron’s infidelity, I didn’t know. But those rumors had stemmed from somewhere, and that was enough fuel to drive my fire. I couldn’t ask him, couldn’t make him pay for what he’d done, or take away the scar it’d undoubtedly left on Charlie’s heart, but there wassomethingI could do.

I could be there for her. I could bring that smile back to her face, bring the joy back to her heart. There was a time when I knew every corner of her mind, every fear she housed, every dream she wished. I knew the girl under the glasses and the braids, and I knew she couldn’t be far from the woman who existed now.