Intense chapter ahead ⚠️

I wore a turtleneck the next morning and paired it up with a knee-length skirt. As I suspected, James' teeth left deep marks on my neck and his fingertips painted shades around my waist from the time he held me against his body. I couldn't let Enos see any of that.

It would destroy everything.

"Are you feeling cold?" Enos asked me from the bathroom door. He was done taking a shower and I was dressing up by our bed.

I smiled. "Its chilly today. Do I look okay?" I swirled a little.

"Perfect."

He was still soaked with water and his tattooed chest glistened. I zipped my suitcase and returned it at the woredrobe. Enos walked up to me and wrapped his arms around my waist, leaning his head on my shoulder.

"Where did you go to last night? I woke up and saw you walking out? Was something troubling you?"

I almost stammered on my own words as my face paled. If Enos chose to come after me, he would've seen James out there.

"Is everything alright?" He kissed my cheek, "You can tell me anything, you know that right?"

I swallowed, "I_ I needed to clear my head."

His hold on my waist tightened as he planted another kiss on my cheek. "Talk to me love."

I sighed, guilt coaxing me to repent. But then I don't. Instead, I choose to hide the truth by masking it with another pending subject. "It just gets tougher and tougher dealing with my family's issues. I'm trying not to let the circumstances affect me but I can't help the pressure building up inside."

Enos turned me around to face him, empathy in his eyes. I knew he understood how it felt to be stuck in the middle of a family crisis. "We can leave Georgia whenever you want. You don't have to keep staying here if it gets too much."

"I know."

He wrapped me in his arms and I circled mine round his neck, burying my face into his shoulder. "We can take the first flight home whenever you're ready."

"Thank you." My heart warmed.

Enos proceeded to dress up. We wanted to get breakfast at a nice restaurant across the street. It was already Ten O'Clock and the weather was beyond perfect.

It didn't take Enos long to get dressed, soon we were ready to leave. Before we could exit the hotel room, there was a knock on the door.

"Did you call for room service?" He asked me.

I shrugged, shaking my head, "Perhaps it's cleaning time."

Enos went to open the door.

It took the both of us a few seconds to register that the peach haired girl standing by the door was infact______ April. I was completely confused and Enos looked extremely shocked and puzzled to silence. What in the World is going on?

Before either of us could make sense of her presence in GEORGIA and infront of us, Before we could even address her, April came budging into the room as soon as her green eyes connected with my face.

I wasn't able to dodge the sharp slap her hand landed on my cheek in time, "You disgusting tramp."

I paused.

Blood rushing to my face almost immediately from the hot stinging and when April was about to strick again Enos dragged her away from me, "What the fuck April?" He was furious, "Have you lost your fucking mind?"

She wasn't listening to him. Infact, her hostile eyes never left my face. "How could you? Àre you really that pathetic?" She was struggling against Enos' strength who seemed perplexed, brows furrowing and face grim. "You are so selfish."

I stayed silent. I had no idea what was even going on. Why was she so upset with me? What did I even do to her?

"Could you calm down?" Enos uttered in annoyance with an upset tone, "Is this about us leaving Florida without telling you anything? That's not Betty's fault."

April looked at Enos with bloodshot eyes and then turned to glare at me, she was shaking her head, "You haven't told him? Of course you haven't." She ranted at me with such hatred that I couldn't comprehend. Tell Enos? What was I suppose to inform him?

"What are you talking about?" Enos questioned with a clenched jaw.

When April's retorted gaze pierced into mine, I still couldn't comprehend her words. It was until she began fuming in anger that I felt like drowning. "How unbelievable of you Betty! Go ahead and tell him then, Tell him what you were busy doing last night."

My soul sank to the ground.

"Tell me what?" Enos stared at me with speculative orbs, doubt coaxing his features in memory of our conversation earlier. "What's going on here?"

April pointed at me,"Don't keep silent now Betty, tell your boyfriend the despikable things you were doing?"

"What is she talking about?" Enos' hold on April loosened though he didn't set her free.

I wasn't sure which part of me was aching, but I felt pain just by thinking about how Enos would react and feel once April blunted the truth. I was confused and possibly trembling. How did she even find out about James and I? Why was she here? And how much did she actually know? I had no idea of how to deal with the situation. All I could think about was sparing Enos the heartbreak that he didn't deserve.

"You can't open that filthy mouth now? Is that it? But you can open your legs." She muttered maliciously.

Enos gave April a sharp glare, "Don't talk to her like that again, and never lay hands on her either or help me God." His voice changed almost immediately.

April scoffed bitterly, "You should be thinking twice before defending that slut."

Enos grabbed April's hand, "I have no idea what the hell you are doing here but get the fuck out." He was dragging her outside by force. "I don't give fucks about why you are acting this way but keep your hands away from Elisabeth."

She lunched back at him, "That woman you keep protecting is nothing but a snake. While you were sleeping peacefully alone at night she was busy fuc......"

"Shut the fuck up," My voice echoed in the room. I wasn't in control of my instincts anymore because my insides curled from anger. I wasn't about to let April spill everything before I had a chance to speak to Enos. He wasn't meant to find out this way.

"He deserves to know that his beloved girlfriend was sleeping with James last night like the pathetic whore she truly is."

Enos halted on his track the second James's name reached his ears. "What did you just say?"

"That's right, James is here in Georgia and that bitch you love so dearly was banging her lover in the same compound you slept at. They were fucking right under your nose."

Enos doubled back, hands letting go of April as he almost lost his balance. My heart was pounding so loudly against my ribcage that I feared it Might explode. His breathing turned heavy and eyes red as he stare at my face with nothing but pure anger and betrayal.

He believed his bestfriend's every words without a single doubt.

My heart broke from the dark pained expression on his face. I almost couldn't recognize him. He was holding his shirt just above his heart as his eyes tore me open. For a second, Enos failed to move.

"I didn't sleep with James." I confessed the truth but he wasn't listening to me anymore.

Enos took heavy steps towards me in fury without uttering a sentence and I stumbled on my feet, landing flat on our bed as I held my soul in my sleeves.

"Enos don't," April shouted for him. "Wait....stop."

I flinched as his hand reached to grab the collar of my turtleneck and yanking it under to reveal the bruises on my neck as he held me with such strength my shoulder hurt.

I froze.

"Fuck." He growled in recognizable hurt and anguish between bared teeth. I couldn't believe it when hot tears flowed to his cheeks the very instant he saw James's marks on me. "You let that man who treated you like scum touch you this way."

I felt my own tears fall.

Before I could explain anything, he used his hand to hold my body against the bed. I couldn't even control my breathing anymore, my chest ached terribly. I'd never seen anyone in that level of anger before and I wasn't sure on whether to apologize for hurting him or to be terrified.

April was panicking, "Enos listen to me, don't do any-thing stupid you'll regret. She isn't w_worth it, please just stop. You are s_scaring me." April's voice was trembling as she struggles to hold Enos back while he trapped me on the bed. I wasn't able to speak, my eyes wouldn't stop tearing as I felt his hand lift my Turtleneck up to my stomach, revealing James's handprints on my waist.

"Ignore that." April pleaded with her hands on his arm but she wasn't strong enough to pull him off me. "Please ignore that."

I wasn't sure why I couldn't stop crying. it was either the guilt upon witnessing the crushing of his heart or the fear of losing the only person who has loved me unconditionally.

Enos stared at the prints while struggling to see over his wet pouring eyes. I was also struggling to breath from his hold on my chest, It burned. But I couldn't speak because I was too overwhelmed so I just laid there and exhaled with my mouth, trying not to suffocate.

Enos knew there was something under my thick clothing when he reached for my turtleneck. It wasn't just marks of James' pleasure that he saw, but also the many marks Enos himself left on my body from the many long nights I let him take every inch of me as he pleased.

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