"How could you do this to me?" Tears welled in Tempest's eyes.
Not tears of sadness but tears of rage. She had never felt like such a fool in all of her life.
"What do you mean, how could I do this to you? This is your fault." Sam pointed at her, getting so close Tempest was sure that he would jab her in the shoulder.
Tempest sucked in a breath, so sharp it whistled through her teeth. It sounded more like a hiss than a gasp of disbelief. "My fault? How the hell could you, plowing your…your…" Tempest's eyes snapped in Riley's direction. The so-called best friend. The one Sam ensured her she would never have to worry about. The snake right beneath her nose.
"It's not like you weren't warned. I told you I had needs. I told you that I was feeling unwanted and underappreciated. It's your fault I had to find someone who appreciated me." Sam shrugged his shoulders as if he weren't tearing Tempest's life apart one word at a time.
"I do appreciate you. I moved across the country so we could be together. I left everything for you." The tears finally freed from their eyelash prisons streamed down her face.
"That was your choice, and you made me feel bad about it every day. Always on and on about how much you missed your mother. Those people never liked me. They went out of their way to make me feel unwanted. Why you would even think about choosing them over me is part of the problem." Sam screamed in Tempest's face. She flinched away, hating how the venom-laced words cut through her crumbling outer shell.
"I wasn't… I didn't…."
"Tempest, look, I love you, but you've never treated me right. I gave you all of me, and you drove me to this. You promised that you would love me. Promised that we would be together forever."
Her heartbeat galloped in her chest.
Tempest tried her hardest to be the perfect girlfriend. She worked out, trying to lose the stubborn ten pounds she never could seem to shed. She bought the best shampoos and conditioners to ensure her long hair was exactly how Sam liked it. She even suffered through several cooking classes so she could make Sam's breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Tempest absolutely despised cooking, but she knew it was expected of her. She did everything she could think of, and even the things only Sam could think of… and still she wasn't enough.
"I do love you. I've tried. I've been loyal, fun, supportive."
"You've been a fucking prude, Tempest."
There was no more air in her lungs, and suddenly the world around Tempest began to sway.
"A…prude?"
"Sex is natural if you love someone. Sex is essential. You denied me for some silly dream."
"Sam, stop…please." Tempest placed a hand to her head, trying to steady herself, but it was no use. Her knees gave out and she fell to the ground, clutching onto Sam's bare leg.
"Don't touch me! You disgust me. And to think you actually believe anyone would marry you? You're broken, nothing but a burden and a blight."
"Sam…" Tempest whimpered. Her hands shook and her throat was as dry as the Sahara Desert.
"Don't Sam me. I don't want anything to do with you. I want you out of my house immediately."
Tempest jerked her head up and looked into Sam's snarling expression. "You can't be serious. I live here. There's nowhere for me to go."
Sam chuckled and leaned closer to Tempest's face. "That's not my problem. You brought this on yourself. And you better not try to take any of my stuff when you leave." He stood back up, towering over Tempest.
"I can't believe you actually tolerated this beast for three years." Riley pushed her naked body off the bed and stood next to Sam, wrapping her arm around his midsection.
"I can't believe I did either, beautiful." Sam leaned to the side and pressed a kiss to Riley's head.
The same way he used to kiss Tempest. The memory curled into her gut and squeezed.
"Get up." Sam barked at Tempest.
"I can't… I don't know what I'm going to do." Tempest shook her head, feeling more and more defeated as the seconds passed.
How would she live? Where would she live?
She had no money; all of her family lived in California, and she'd stopped talking to them to please Sam. She used to have a job as a waitress at the local bar, but Sam thought she was being too flirtatious with the locals. She quit just to keep the peace. They'd been living off her savings for the past few weeks, and that was all dried up.
"Get your disgusting, low-class ass out of my house, dammit!" Sam reached down and grabbed Tempest by her long, flowing hair. He yanked her to her feet.
"Sam! Stop! You're hurting me!" Tempest cried and clawed at the hand attached to her locks. He'd never laid a hand on her before, though there had been a few near misses.
Sam would get angry and throw a cup or punch through the drywall. Tempest never thought he'd take his anger out on her. Apparently, she should have known better.
Sam dragged her to the front door and shoved her out. "Next time you have a good man like me, maybe try pleasing him. No one is going to wait for marriage just to have sex with you." He sneered his words, looking Tempest up and down one last time before slamming the door in her face.
Tempest sniveled and pulled her knees up to her chest. She wrapped her arms around her legs and dropped her throbbing head onto her knees. She cried until it felt like her soul was ripping from her bones.
She was utterly alone. Tempest had given Sam all of herself, and he threw her away like she was nothing more than three-day-old trash.
In the distance, Tempest could hear Sam and Riley laughing. They were living their best lives, happy and in love, while Tempest was trying to figure out how she was going to survive.
She tilted her head up, looking to the stars. She didn't even have the energy to wish on a star. Why would she? It's not like anyone was listening.