8

8

Mason's POV

I slammed the car door shut and leaned against the seat, gripping the steering wheel as I tried to calm myself. The audacity of Bethany, storming into my apartment like that. Who gave her the right? She'd humiliated me in front of Danielle, which was completely uncalled for.

I wasn't sorry for what had happened. Why should I be? It wasn't like Bethany and I didn't have a good thing going. Sure, I got bored sometimes. Who wouldn't? But Danielle was just… a distraction. A meaningless diversion.

Bethany, though? She was the one I planned to marry. The woman who knew how to present herself, how to fit into my world.

She just didn't understand that.

Grabbing the spare key I had to her apartment, I decided it was time to set things straight.

***

Bethany's apartment was dark when I let myself in, save for the faint glow of a lamp in the corner. The place smelled faintly of lavender as always.

"Bethany," I called, shutting the door behind me.

No response.

I walked into the living room and found her sitting on the couch, her arms wrapped tightly around herself. Her eyes were red and swollen, a box of tissues crumpled beside her.

"Why are you here?" she asked coldly, not bothering to look up.

I sighed, tossing my keys onto the coffee table and sitting down across from her. "We need to talk."

"There's nothing to talk about," she said, her voice trembling with anger.

"Of course, there is," I said smoothly. "You overreacted earlier, and I think we need to clear the air."

Her head snapped up, and her eyes shining with anger and hurt. "Overreacted? I walked in on you in bed with another woman, Mason!"

I held up a hand, trying to calm her down. "It wasn't what it looked like."

"Oh, really?" she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Then please, enlighten me. What exactly was it?"

"It was meaningless," I said, leaning forward. "It didn't mean anything, Bethany. It was a mistake, a lapse in judgment. It's not worth throwing everything away over."

Her laugh was bitter, sharp. "A lapse in judgment? Mason, you were in bed with her. That's not a mistake; that's a choice."

I rubbed my temples, growing frustrated. "Why do you always have to blow things out of proportion?"

Her jaw dropped, and for a moment, she looked too stunned to speak.

"Are you… are you seriously blaming me right now?" she asked, her voice shaking.

"I'm not blaming you," I said quickly. "I'm just saying you're making this bigger than it needs to be. Look, I love you, Bethany. You're the one I want to marry. Danielle—she doesn't matter."

"Doesn't matter?" she echoed, standing up. "She mattered enough for you to take her to your bed!"

"Bethany, listen to me," I said, standing as well. "I've been under a lot of stress. Work, the wedding—it's been a lot. I wasn't thinking clearly."

"Don't you dare use work as an excuse," she spat. "You betrayed me, Mason. You broke my trust."

I crossed my arms, my patience wearing thin. "Okay, fine. I screwed up. But do you really want to throw everything away over one stupid mistake?"

She stared at me, her eyes glistening with tears. "Yes, Mason. I do. Because clearly, we don't want the same things."

"You're being ridiculous," I snapped. "We've been planning a life together, Bethany. A future. You're going to throw all of that away over some meaningless fling?"

"Meaningless?" she repeated, her voice rising. "Do you even hear yourself? Do you even care about how much this hurt me?"

"I care," I said, though the words felt like a lie even to me. "But you need to understand—this doesn't change anything."

"It changes everything!" she shouted, her voice cracking.

Before I could respond, she grabbed a glass from the coffee table and hurled it at me.

I ducked just in time, the glass shattering against the wall behind me.

"Bethany!" I shouted, straightening up. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with me?" she screamed, tears streaming down her face. "What's wrong with YOU, Mason? You cheated on me, lied to me, and now you're standing here trying to gaslight me into thinking I'm the problem!"

I stared at her, stunned into silence.

"You need to leave," she said, her voice low and flat.

"Bethany—"

"Get out!" she screamed, pointing toward the door.

I hesitated for a moment, debating whether to argue, but the look in her eyes told me it was pointless.

"Fine," I said, grabbing my keys. "But you're making a huge mistake."

"No, Mason," she said, her voice trembling. "The only mistake I made was trusting you."

I left without another word, the sound of the door slamming behind me echoing in my ears.

***

The drive to the bar was quiet, the radio playing softly in the background as I replayed the scene in Bethany's apartment over and over again. Her words—sharp and final—cut through me more deeply than I wanted to admit. But I couldn't afford to dwell on it. Not now. What was done was done, and if she couldn't see reason, well, that was her problem.

Pulling into the parking lot of The Black Barrel, the dim neon lights from the sign overhead greeted me like an old friend. This was my sanctuary, the place I always came to clear my head. Inside, the familiar smell of beer, fried food, and stale cigarettes hit me as I walked in, immediately spotting my usual crew at the back booth.

Ryan, Jared, and Will were already two rounds deep, judging by the half-empty glasses on the table. They looked up as I approached, their faces lighting up in recognition.

"Hey, look who finally showed up!" Ryan called out, grinning as he raised his glass in a mock toast. "Thought you were gonna spend the night playing house with Bethany."

I forced a smirk, sliding into the booth and signaling the waitress for a drink. "Yeah, well, plans changed."

"Uh-oh," Jared said, leaning forward with a smirk. "What happened? Trouble in paradise?"

I scoffed, grabbing the beer the waitress had just set down in front of me. "You could say that. Bethany completely lost it tonight."

"Shocker," Will muttered, earning a laugh from Ryan.

"Seriously," I said, taking a long sip before setting the glass down. "She came storming into my apartment, screaming like a lunatic, because she walked in on me and Danielle."

There was a beat of silence before Ryan let out a low whistle. "Wait, Danielle? As in the other woman?"

"Yeah," I said, shrugging. "It's not a big deal. Danielle doesn't mean anything—it was just one of those things, you know?"

Jared raised an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "And Bethany caught you in the act?"

"Basically," I admitted, leaning back in the booth. "But she completely overreacted. I tried explaining to her that it didn't mean anything, but she wouldn't listen."

Will chuckled, shaking his head. "Man, women are all the same. They act like the world's ending over one tiny mistake."

"Exactly!" I said, glad someone finally understood. "I told her it wasn't worth throwing everything away over, but she just kept yelling about betrayal and trust or whatever."

Ryan took a sip of his drink, a sly smile on his face. "Sounds like she's the one throwing away a good thing. You've got your whole life together—good job, nice apartment, you're ready to settle down. Bethany's the one who's gonna regret this."

Jared nodded, lifting his glass. "Her loss, man. You'll be better off without her."

I couldn't help but feel a sense of validation as my friends rallied around me. They got it. They understood what Bethany couldn't—that what happened with Danielle was nothing compared to the future I was building with Bethany. If she couldn't see that, then maybe she didn't deserve to be a part of it.

"I mean, think about it," Ryan said, leaning forward. "You've been with her for what, three years? And she's still this insecure? Do you really want to spend the rest of your life dealing with that?"

I shrugged, taking another sip of my beer. "She's usually not like this. But yeah, maybe it's a good thing this happened now. Better to find out she can't handle pressure before we're married."

Jared snorted, shaking his head. "Pressure? Bro, this wasn't pressure—this was a test. And she failed. Big time."

Will laughed, clapping me on the shoulder. "You'll bounce back. Women like Bethany are a dime a dozen. You can do better."

Their words were comforting, even if a small part of me still felt the sting of Bethany's rejection. I didn't want to admit it, but a part of me had always assumed she'd forgive me. That she'd see the bigger picture and move past this. The fact that she hadn't? That she'd chosen to walk away? It was a blow to my pride more than anything.

"I guess you're right," I said, forcing a smile. "If she can't handle a little bump in the road, then maybe she's not the one for me after all."

"Damn right she's not," Ryan said, raising his glass. "To new beginnings—and to Mason finally being free of Bethany's drama."

I laughed, shaking my head and being so sure of the fact that I wasn't the one who lost. Bethany was the one who did.