Songs for this chapter are:

Monster- Eminem ft. Rihanna

 Skinny Love - Birdy

Blood Bank - Bon Iver

Hardin's POV.

What? What is happening? For one of the few times in my life, I find myself speechless. My mum's hands move from Vance's hair down to his jaw, her mouth pushing harder against his.

I must have made a noise, probably a gasp, I don't fucking know, because my mum's eyes spring open and she immediately pushes at Vance's shoulders. His head quickly turns to me, his eyes go wide and he steps away from the counter. How did they not hear me coming down the stairs? Why is he here, in this kitchen?

What the actual fuck is happening?

"Hardin!" My mum says, her voice high with panic as she jumps down from the kitchen counter.

"Hardin, I can-" Vance starts. I hold up my hand to silence them while my mouth and brain work together, trying to make sense of the fucked up sight in front of me.

"How-" I begin, the jumbled words flying through my mind aren't connecting, "how?" I repeat, my feet begin to move backward. I want to get away from them as fast as I possibly can but I need an explanation at the same time.

I look back and forth between the two of them, trying to recognize the people I thought I thought that I knew but fail to see any resemblance. It doesn't make sense.

My heels hit the back of the stairs and my mum steps toward me. "It's not-" she begins.

I'm relieved to feel the familiar burn of anger beginning to chip away at my shock, sweeping over me, pushing away any vulnerability that may have been present seconds ago. Anger I can deal with, I revel in it, shock and stunned silence, not so much.

I'm walking toward them again before I realize and my mum steps back, distancing herself from me and Christian steps in front of her. What?

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" I interrupt her, ignoring the selfish tears shining in her eyes, "you are getting married tomorrow!" my voice raises drastically.

"And you," I seethe at Christian, "you're fucking engaged and here you are about to fuck my mum on the god damned kitchen counter!" I lower my hand in a harsh blow to the fragile countertop. The cracking sound of the wood splintering beneath excites me, makes me want more.

"Hardin!" My mum yells.

"Don't you fucking yell at me!" I nearly scream. I hear the rush of footsteps above me, a signal that our voices have woken Tessa up and I know she is on her way to find me.

"Don't talk to your mother like that," Christian's voice isn't loud but the threat in his tone is clear.

"You don't get to tell me what the fuck to do! You're no one, who the fuck are you?" My nails dig into my palms and my anger grows, gathering into a large mass, ready to explode.

"I'm-" he begins, my mum's hand wraps around his shoulder and pulls him back.

"Christian don't," she begs him.

"Hardin?" Tessa's voice calls from the stairs and she enters the kitchen only seconds later. She looks around the room, to the unexpected guest first, then her eyes settle on me as she stands next to me. "Is everything okay?" She nearly whispers, wrapping her small hand around my arm.

"Everything is just fine! Perfect really!" I pull my arm out of her grip and wave it in front of me, "Although, you may want to warn your friend Kimberly that her beloved fiancé has been caught with my mum,"

Tessa's eyes nearly fall out onto the floor from my confession but she stays silent. I wish she would have stayed upstairs but I know if I were her, I wouldn't have either.

"Where is your lovely Kimberly? Staying at a nearby hotel with your son?" I ask him, sarcasm screaming through my words. I don't like Kimberly, she's fucking nosey and obnoxious but she loves Vance and I was under the strong impression that he was just as much in love with her. Clearly, I was wrong. He doesn't give a fuck about her or their upcoming wedding, if he did, this wouldn't be happening.

"Hardin, everyone just needs to calm down," my mum tries to diffuse the situation. Her hand has dropped from his shoulder.

"Calm down?' I scoff. She's unbelievable. "You're getting married tomorrow and I find you here, in the middle of the night, laid out on the kitchen counter like a whore," the moment the words hit the air, Christian is on me. His body collides with mine and my head smacks against the tile floor of the kitchen as he tackles me to the ground.

"Christian!" I hear my mum scream. He uses the weight of his body to hold me there, but I manage to get my hands out from under his grip. The moment that his fist connects with my nose, my adrenaline courses through me, taking over me, and all I see is red.

Tessa's POV.

 Am I dreaming? Please let this be a nightmare, this surely can't be real.

Christian is on top of Hardin, his fist connects with Hardin's nose, making the most awful sound. The sound burns my ears and my heart plummets. Hardin's hand reaches up between them, delivering a blow of equal force to his jaw, causing Christian's hold  on him to slip.

Within seconds, Hardin rolls from under him and shoves his shoulders, pushing Christian back to the floor. I can't keep track of how many punches are given between them and I can't tell who has the upper hand.

"Stop them!' I scream to Anne. Every part of me wants to step between them, knowing that if Hardin sees me he will immediately stop, but the slight fear is there, that he may be too angry, too out of control, and accidently do something that would drive him mad with guilt.

"Hardin!" Anne grabs Hardin's bare shoulder in an attempt to pull him from the violence but she goes unnoticed by the both of them.

Adding to the chaos, the back door is yanked open, revealing a panicked Robin. Oh god.

"Anne? What is-" He blinks his eyes under his thick glasses as he registers what is happening. Less than a second later, he joins the rumble, stepping behind Hardin and grabbing him by both of his arms. The large man lifts him effortlessly and pushes him toward the wall. Christian scrambles to his feet and Anne pulls him against the opposite wall. Hardin is shaking, fuming, breathing so heavily that I'm afraid his lungs will collapse from exhaustion. I rush to him, unsure what to do but needing to be close to him.

"What the hell is going on?" Robin's voice commands attention, demands it.

Everything is happening so quickly, the terror in Anne's brown eyes, the angry welts covering Christian's face, the thick, deep red trail of blood running down Hardin's face from his nose into his mouth, it's all too much.

"Ask them!" Hardin shouts, tiny drops of red splatter onto his chest. He gestures to a frightened Anne and an angry Christian.

"Hardin," I gently say. "Let's go upstairs," I reach for his hand, trying to keep my own emotions at bay. I'm trembling and I feel the hot tears on my cheeks, but this isn't about me.

"No!" He jerks away from me. "Tell him! Tell him what you were fucking doing!" Hardin tries to lunge toward Christian again but Robin quickly steps between them. I close my eyes for a moment, praying that Hardin won't assault the man.

I'm in my old dorm room again, Hardin and Noah on either side of me, as Hardin forces me to confess my infidelity to the boy who I spent half of my life with. The look on Noah's face wasn't nearly as heartbreaking as the one in front of me now.

"Hardin, please don't do this," I beg him. When I look up at Robin, I can see it. I can see the realization, the confusion, the pain.

"Hardin," I repeat, pleading with him not to embarrass this man. Anne needs to tell him in her own way, not in front of an audience. This isn't right.

"Fuck that! Fuck all of you!" Hardin screams, his fist drives down against the countertop, snapping the surface in two.

"I'm sure Robin won't mind if you two use the facilities tomorrow," Hardin's voice lowers, each word is deliberately measured and cruel. "I'm sure he would let you, seeing as he probably wasted a shit load of his money on this joke of a wedding," he half laughs. A chill sets deep in my spine and I stare at the ground. There is no stopping  him when he's like this, no one tries. Everyone is silent as Hardin continues,

"What a nice couple the two of you make. The  engaged ex-wife of a drunk and his loyal best friend," he scoffs. "I'm sorry Robin but you're about five minutes late to the show. You missed the part where your bride had her tongue down his throat," Christian tries for Hardin again but Anne leaps in front of him. Hardin's eyes are on Christian and Christian's on him.

I'm seeing an entirely new side to Christian. He's not playful or witty, anger is radiating from him in thick waves of fury. The Christian that holds Kimberly by the waist and whispers how beautiful she is, is no where to be found.

"You disrespectful little-" Christian says through his teeth.

"I'm disrespectful? You're the one going on and on to me about marriage, yet you've been having an affair with my mum!"

My mind can't wrap itself around this. Christian and Anne? Anne and Christian? It doesn't make sense. I know they have been friends for many years and Hardin told me that Christian had taken them in, taken care of them, after Ken left, but an affair?

I never thought of Anne as the type and Christian seems so in love with Kimberly. Kimberly. My heart aches for her, she loves him so much. She's in the middle of planning her dream wedding to her dream man, and now it seems she doesn't know him at all. She will be devastated. She has built a life with him and his son. No matter what I have to do, I will not let Hardin tell her. I will not let him humiliate and mock her the way he just did Robin.

"It's not like that!" Christian's temper is just as strong as Hardin's. His green eyes are glowing, burning with rage, and I know he wants nothing more than to wrap his hands around Hardin's neck.

Robin is silent, his eyes focused on his fiancé and her tear stained cheeks.

"I'm so sorry, this wasn't supposed to happen. I don't know-" Anne's voice breaks into a heartbreaking sob, I look away.

Robin's head shakes, denying her apology, and he stays silent as he strides across the small kitchen and slams the back door behind him. Anne falls to the floor, on her knees, her hands covering her face to muffle her cries.

Christian's shoulders slump, his anger reduced to concern as he kneels next to her, drawing her into his arms. Next to me, Hardin's breathing picks up again, his fists tighten at his sides and I step in front of him, bringing my hands to his cheeks. My stomach turns at the sight of the blood, the trail has now covered his chin. His lips are stained crimson, so much blood.

"Don't," he warns me, pushing my hands away from his body. He's staring behind me at his mother wrapped in Christian Vance's arms. The two of them seem to have forgotten we are here, either that or they just don't care. I'm so confused.

"Hardin please," I cry and raise my trembling hands to his face once more.

He finally looks at me and I see the guilt rising behind his eyes. "Please, let's go upstairs," I plead with him. His focus stays on my face, and I force myself not to look away from his eyes as he comes down from his anger.

"Get me away from them," he stammers, "get me out of here,"

I drop my hands and wrap one around his arm, gently leading him from the kitchen. When we reach the bottom of the staircase Hardin halts, "no, I want to leave this house," he says.

"Okay," I quickly agree. I want to leave this house too. "I'll grab our bags, you go out to the car," I suggest.

"No, if I go out there-" he doesn't have to finish his sentence, I know exactly what will happen if he's left alone with his mother and Vance.

"Come upstairs, it won't take long," I promise him. I'm trying my best to keep calm, to be strong for him, it's working so far.

He lets me take the lead and he follows behind me up the staircase and down the hall to the small bedroom. I hastily shove our things into the bags, not taking the time to properly pack them. I jump and stifle a scream when the dresser is knocked over, the heavy furniture lands with a loud thud against the floor. Hardin kneels down, and pulls the first empty drawer out. He tosses it to the side before grabbing the next. He's going to destroy everything in this room if I don't get him out of here.

Just as he tosses the last drawer against the wall, I wrap my arms around his body. "Come to the bathroom with me," I lead him down the hallway and close the door behind us. Grabbing a towel from the rack, I turn the faucet on and instruct Hardin to sit on the toilet seat. His silence is chilling but I don't want to push him.

He doesn't speak or even flinch when I bring the hot towel to his cheek, dragging it across the blood pooled and stained under his nose, across his lips and down his chin.

"It's not broken," I quietly note after briefly examining his nose. His bottom lip is already swollen and busted but no longer bleeding. My mind is still racing, flashing angry images of the two men assaulting one another.

He doesn't respond.

When most of the blood is removed, I rinse the stained towel and leave it in the sink. "I'm going to grab our bags, stay here," I say, hoping he will listen.

I hurry to the room to gather both bags and unzip the suitcase. Hardin is shirtless and barefoot, wearing only athletic shorts and I am dressed in only his t-shirt. I didn't have time to think about getting dressed, or even to be embarrassed when I heard the shouting coming from the first floor of the house. I didn't know what I was expecting to find but Christian and Anne wasn't one of the scenarios that played through my mind as I took two stairs at a time to get to Hardin's shouting voice.

He remains despondent as I pull a clean t-shirt over his head and roll socks onto his bare feet. I dress myself in a sweatshirt and jeans, not giving a care to my appearance. I rinse my hands again, trying to scrub the blood from under my fingernails.

Silence stretches between us as we reach the stairs and Hardin takes both bags from me. He hisses when he lifts the strap of my bag onto his shoulder and I cringe while picturing the welt hidden by his shirt.

I hear Anne's sobs and Christian's low voice comforting her as we exit the house. When we reach the rental car, Hardin turns around to face the house again, and I watch as a shudder shakes his shoulders.

"I can drive," I take the keys but he quickly pulls them back.

"No, I'm driving," he finally speaks. I don't argue with him.

I want to ask where we are going but I choose not to question him right now, he's barely hinged and I need to tread lightly. I place my hand on his and I'm relieved that he doesn't jerk away from my touch.

Minutes feel like hours as we drive through the village in silence, each mile adding another layer of tension. I stare out the window and recognize the familiar street from this afternoon as we pass Susan's bridal shop. The image of Anne wiping away tears, staring at herself in the mirror while dressed in her gown, brings my own tears to my eyes. How could she do this? She is supposed to be getting married tomorrow, why would she do this?

"This is so fucked up," Hardin's voice snaps me back to the present.

"I don't understand it," I say, gently squeezing his hand under mine.

"Everything and everyone is my life is so fucked up," he says, his face emotionless.

"I know," I agree with him, even though I couldn't disagree more, now is not the time to correct him.

Hardin slows the car as he pulls into the parking lot of a small motel, "we will stay here tonight and leave in the morning," his stares out the windshield.  "I don't know what to say about your job and where you will live," he says and climbs out of the car.

I was too busy worrying about Hardin and the violent scene in the kitchen that I had momentarily forgotten that the man rolling around on the floor with Hardin is not only my boss, but I live in his home.

"Are you coming?" Hardin asks, interrupting my thoughts.

Instead of answering, I step out of the car and follow him into the lobby in silence.

(Today is my one year anniversary of making my Wattpad account! I can't believe it has been a year, I didn't start After until April but I joined Wattpad a year ago today and I am so glad that I did! Quite a few of you said you missed my long author's notes so I'm going to do them again! I love talking to you all this way, but I didn't know if anyone was reading them. If you don't want to, just skip over them hah. Anyway, I hope everyone is having a great weekend! I love you all so much and thank  you for reading, voting, and commenting, it means so much to me! xo