𝗱𝘆𝘀𝗽𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗲𝘂𝗽𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗮 || [1] Nate Jacobs

17

Nate doesn't get to finish his sentence because Maddy knocks the chili pot over at his and his family's feet with a challenging look in his direction. The crowd ooh's immediately and everyone points their phones and cameras at the altercation. "What in God's name is your problem?" Mrs. Jacobs says in horror, and Maddy looks her up and down before she says something that makes my heart drop.

"You, cunt"

Before anyone else can say anything, Maddy's arm is grabbed by Nate and she's roughly pulled through the crowd and away from the booth. The look on his face is almost murderous and panic strikes me, so I fight my way through the crowd and try to follow them. I lose sight of them for a moment, but then I hear part of their conversation and try to follow their voices.

"I'm not gonna let you fucking embarrass me like that again I swear to fucking God. Shut the fuck up! I'm fucking done with you! I'm so fucking done with you," he yells at her but Maddy just giggles like she lost her mind. "So what else is new?" "I'm not fucking joking," he snaps at her and she rolls her eyes. "Yeah, fucking right" "Calling my mom a cunt. What the fuck is actually wrong with your fucking brain?" he keeps getting angrier and now it sounds like she's slowly starting to realize what she did. "I think you're overreacting," she tries to calm him down and that's when I see Nate dragging Maddy across the carnival until they arrive at the abandoned buses and trucks of the event.

"Nate!" I call after him but he doesn't hear me and disappears with Maddy.

So I run after them and what I see as I round the corner makes me gasp in horror. Nate slams Maddy against one of the trucks with a hand around her neck and starts choking her. "You're fucking dead to me," he hisses in her face and I quickly start running toward them. "Nate, are you crazy?! Let her go!" I yell at him and he turns to glare at me before he tightly wraps his other hand around my neck and pushes me away, making me hit my head.

The pain of the impact immediately shoots through my skull and I'm sure I can feel something warm trickling down my temple, but all my concern is focused on Maddy. The sound of her choking and gasping for air makes me feel useless and I hastily stumble over to them and claw at Nate's arm. "Nate, please," I beg, ignoring the black dots appearing in my vision. "Fuck you," he says to Maddy, finally letting go of her and walking away from us, throwing me off balance and causing me to drop to my knees.

"Destiny," Maddy croaks worriedly and suddenly her face appears in my blurry vision. The shape of Nate's hand is already starting to form around her neck and the way her face scrunches up in pain makes me feel guilty for not being quicker. "Maddy, I'm so sorry," I whisper tearfully and reach for her hands. "I'm sorry," she whispers back before looking after Nate. "I do have one question, though," she calls out, trying to sound unbothered, and he turns around with a groan.

"Yo, what?"

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During the struggle, Desi accidentally scratched Nate's arms, which she felt really guilty about the next day. But quickly, that guilt turned into anger...and that anger, into defeat. The truth was Desi kind of hated herself at this point. She hated how her brain worked...the way it would tell her to try to give everybody a second chance and to never judge a book by its cover. That's why she gave Nate a chance and didn't listen to Maddy's warning.

Desi's biggest fear was turning out as her mother did. An ice-cold bitch with no empathy. But she didn't just hate her brain. She hated her heart, not everything about it, just the part that was broken and so easy to manipulate. That part allowed Nate to mold her into what he wanted her to be. That part couldn't fucking let him go even after he almost split her skull.

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The silence between us is numbing and if it weren't for the constant throbbing in my head and ringing in my ear, I would have thought I had actually lost my sense of hearing. "So is this what you wanted to talk to me about that one day?" I ask quietly and Nate, sitting on a crate next to one of the trucks, looks up from the ground and looks back and forth between me and Maddy. "Yeah. But it's fine, you were busy with your dad after all," Maddy replies and I scoff. "I wish I would have stayed with my dad. Maybe then I wouldn't be involved in this shit," I retort pissed and realization settles on her face.

"Okay, let's just ignore the fact that you both lied to me for a second. Nate, say something," she prompts him, but he just stares at the ground again. Is he serious? All of a sudden he has nothing to say? "Now is not the time keep your mouth shut," I hiss in irritation and he sighs. "I'm just saying, as your girlfriend, those pictures are a little suspicious," Maddy agrees and calling herself his girlfriend triggers a pain in my heart that I despise. "It's not what it looks like," he offers us a weak ass explanation and Maddy raises an eyebrow. "Yeah? Well, then, explain to us why you have someone else's dick in your phone," she says and he slowly looks up. "It's really fucking complicated"

Done with his empty words, I get up from the floor and stare at him angrily. "Fuck you, Nate. How many reasons could there be? Look at what you've done to me...to us," I yell at him and Maddy gets up and wraps an arm around me. The bruise around her neck is already staring to darken and I don't even want to know what I look like. "I can't explain it to you right now. Look, I'm going through a lot of shit right now. I need...I just...I need you to promise me that you're not gonna tell a soul," he pleads and I wipe the angry tears off my face. "Why should I? I should hate you"

"Listen, Desi, I'm sorry. Okay? I don't know what came over me and it won't happen again. Just please don't...nobody can know about the pictures or about what happened. Think about what other people will say about Maddy, me, you...or even Rosie," he apologizes and my heart skips a beat. Not because of my love for who he was before today but because of what could happen to my child. They could take her from me and deem me as incapable of giving her a safe environment.

"I am not gonna tell anyone, I promise," Maddy says and I look at her in surprise. "Why would you do that?" I whisper in her ear and her arm tightens around my shoulders. "It's my fault you're in this fucking mess. I need to protect you and Rosie," she answers quietly, not breaking eye contact with Nate who watches us closely. "Desi?" he then asks me and I nod reluctantly. "You need to promise. Like, on your life," he adds and Maddy agrees. "Yeah, on my life"

I'm no therapist or shit like that but I'm pretty sure a part of Destiny died that night. And I'd like to say that it's Nate's fucking fault because he is the devil. But the devil is no evil without people willing to fall for his temptation and his charms. They give him the power.

Both of them then turn to me and I lower my gaze. "This never happens again," I demand with a clenched jaw and Nate nods before he holds out both his hands. "Never again" Think of your baby. She's worth all the pain in the world. "Okay," I agree and follow Maddy who shakily takes his hand. Nate then pulls us close to him and leans his head against my stomach while he hugs us close. And to just feel him where my purest love has been created makes me nauseous but also makes my traitorous heart flutter.

"I'm sorry I got so angry at you before. I'm really sorry. I love you," he apologizes once more and Maddy just silently runs her fingers through his hair, the numbness no doubt also overtaking her. "I got a lot of shit going on right now and I'm really confused. I don't know what to do. I just know that I need you both," he whispers and I stiffen when I feel his tears soaking my shirt.

"It's okay"

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AN: this chapter is kinda...meh 🫠 what do you think?