Callum
He heard the sudden crack of skin hitting skin, the shock as his vision suddenly slammed to the floor. There was a moment, just before the pain started to bloom across his cheek, where the only though he could spare was a semi-amused I think she just slapped meâŠ. But then the sting came a moment later, and the ache in his jaw, and he looked up just in time to see the fury in Aliceâs face as she pushed him away.Â
The shock forced him back a step, but he refused to yield her any more than that. It was almost terrifying, the way he could call that rage to him so quickly, the same potency that had made him sleep with Sarah now allowing him to tell her. But with that rage came shame, and once the words were out of his mouth he remembered why he hadnât told her sooner. It wasnât something to be proud of⊠What heâd done - it might have made him feel better, but it didnât make him the good guy.Â
And there was Alice - a woman he had once loved more than life - stood in front of him, more broken now than he had ever seen her. He had done that. Not Henry. Not Alice herself. Him. Suddenly, he didnât feel like the protagonist in the story anymore; he certainly didnât feel like the victim. He felt like an ugly, brutal thing - vicious and callous and maybe not even worthy of redemption. It was a sickening feeling, the kind that made his feet feel heavy, but his head light as air. He didnât like it. He didnât like himself, eitherâŠÂ
âNo,â he shook his head, fighting against the grain of truth in Aliceâs words. latching on to everything that was wrong. âYou were never a prize to me. Henry made you into one. Not me.âÂ
She had been in pain since the day she had lost him but nothing in those years could ever compare to this. She had hated herself, punished herself in every way she thought possible since losing Callum but it seemed that this one thing hurt her more than anything she could ever hear or say to herself. Sheâd made a mistake out of loneliness and alcohol but this was to hurt her. She knew he wouldâve been with other girls, but Sarah was to hurt her, get back at her and that pain was almost too much.
âI never wanted to hurt you, Callum.. I hate myself everyday for the pain Iâve caused you. Knowing that who youâve become is all my fault but I never did anything to intentionally cause you pain. Nothing I have ever done, have I ever done setting out to hurt you, but you..â Dashing her hand across her cheeks as more tears fell, Alice could only shake her head. âBut this is what you wanted, right? To see me like this? So you can be the winner, the powerful one because I finally cracked? Congratulations.â
She turned to go back into the house. She wasnât going to stay, not any more but with her phone inside, she needed it to call one of her siblings. She turned once more as he spoke, her head shaking softly. âYouâre right, he made me into a prize, but you made this your prize. Fucking that girl had nothing to do with anything but wanting to hurt me. You could have any girl and you picked the one you knew would destroy me when I found out, then you had the pleasure of telling me yourself. You wanted to hurt me, destroy me, like I did to you but hereâs the difference, Cal. I never wanted to cause you pain, but causing me pain was your goal, or at least it was today.âÂ
If there was one thing that hurt the most, it was that she no longer saw how they could ever overcome this. She had always held out a shred of hope that maybe one day, they would find their way back to each other, but surely now there was just too much hurt. âI donât know what else there is to say, Cal.. You got what you wanted. I officially have nothing left, so enjoy it. You might not have beaten him but youâve beaten me, so thereâs at least one victory you can take.â
