Tamed (Torn #5)(2)

I looked over to see her sitting up and stretching her arms above her head, putting her breasts on full display.

I rolled my eyes. “At least one of you is honest.” I turned to leave.

“Amber, wait. Please,” Chad said.

I ignored him. I hurried through the hallway and down the stairs to the front door. He caught up to me just as I was getting ready to open the front door.

“Amber, please.”

I jerked my arm out of his grasp and leveled him with a death glare. “We’re finished, Chad.”

“I know I messed up, but it won’t happen again.”

“How many times?” I asked quietly.

“What?”

“How many times have you slept with her?”

“This was the first time, I swear. She’s been coming on to me for months, and I finally caved. It was the stupidest thing I’ve ever done. You mean the world to me, Amber.”

I laughed. “You’re lying through your f*cking teeth, Chad. I heard what you told her. The sex was great—as usual. This wasn’t the first time you’ve slept with her, and I doubt that it will be the last. Enjoy each other. I can’t think of two people who deserve each other more.”

His mouth hung open, obviously shocked that I’d caught him in another lie. I stared at him, truly seeing him for the lying * that he was.

“I can’t believe I thought I loved you.” I laughed bitterly. “Never again will I give you the power to hurt me. Stay away from me, Chad, or you’ll regret it.”

I turned and threw open the door, and then my eyes landed on the bag I’d put down earlier. “By the way, I brought you some soup and crackers to help your stomach.”

I picked up the bag and tossed it at his head. It missed and crashed into the wall, knocking several pictures onto the floor. I watched as the glass in the frames shattered, but I didn’t even care.

I turned and walked out of his house. I promised myself that I would never look back, but I’d always remember this day. It had changed everything for me. I wasn’t naive and innocent anymore. Chad had stolen that from me, and I’d never forgive him.

Maybe I should’ve thanked him. He’d shown me what the world was really like.

He was the beginning of the end for me.



I walked into my parents’ house, wiping my tears away.

“Oh my God! What happened to you?” Chloe shrieked.

I looked up at my best friend. How many times had I comforted her while she cried over her abusive mother? It was more than I could count. We’d been best friends for years, but I couldn’t think of a time when I’d cried in front of her. I was sure it had been a shock to see me walking through the door, sobbing, with my makeup destroyed.

“Chad,” I whispered, sitting down on a barstool in the kitchen.

I rested my elbows on the counter and willed myself to stop crying. He wasn’t worth all this pain. He wasn’t worth anything.

“What did he do?” Chloe pulled out a stool and sat down next to me.

She reached out and pulled me to her. I cried into her shoulder for a few minutes before pulling away. I winced when I saw the black stain, courtesy of my eye makeup, on her white shirt.

She looked down and frowned when she saw what I was looking at. “I don’t care about my damn shirt, Amber. Now, tell me what happened.”

I stared at her, almost smiling at the fierce look on her face. It seemed foreign on her delicate face. Despite the way she’d been raised, Chloe was fragile. I always told her that she reminded me of a porcelain doll. She thought it was because of her blonde hair, blue eyes, tiny frame, and creamy pale skin. It wasn’t the reason, but I let her believe it. No, it was because she was so damn breakable. I was always the strong one, the one who defended her and offered to crack skulls whenever she needed it.

I wondered how I’d fair with a porcelain doll coming to my rescue. We might both end up broken by the end of this conversation.

“He cheated on me. I caught him screwing Carrie Jenkins about half an hour ago.”

Her eyes widened in shock. “Chad? You can’t be serious. He’s so…nice.”

I nodded. “I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. He called me this morning to tell me that he was sick, so he couldn’t meet up for our plans. I thought I’d surprise him and help him get better, but I was the one who got the surprise.”

Chloe shook her head. “I’m so sorry, Amber. I really thought he was a good guy.”

“It’s not your fault. I didn’t see it, and neither did Logan.”

She gave me a small smile. “We could always call Logan. I bet he could kick Chad’s ass. Logan is bigger, and he’d probably even enjoy doing it for you.”

I shook my head. “There’s no point. Logan would end up in trouble. And for what? A lying, cheating * who doesn’t deserve even a second of our attention.”

“You’re right,” Chloe said finally. “Are you going to be okay? I’ve never…it’s just…you never cry.”

Her voice was so soft and gentle that it nearly brought me to tears again.

“I’m not okay right now, but I will be. I’ll survive.”

She pulled me into another hug. “I’m right here. I’ll make sure everything gets better for you.” She took out her cell phone, one that my parents had paid for, and started texting.