I knew I’d been isolating myself too long, but I still didn’t have any clue how I was supposed to make it clear to Kyle that we were over and that I wanted him gone beyond what I’d already done.
After the cookout, he’d texted me repeatedly. When I didn’t answer, my mom called me and said Kyle had begun to harass her, trying to get her to convince me to talk to him “without an audience”. Then Mason texted, saying he was ready for me to file a restraining order because Kyle’s texts and calls were pissing Dana off. And then I’d snapped at Javi, said those horrible things in a moment of weakness, words I wished I could take back even as I was saying them.
Instead of getting better, it felt like things were spiraling.
So when Christian called and asked if he could come over, I said yes so quickly it startled him. He didn’t ask if he could bring Dane—which was shocking, because I’d rarely seen one without the other the last couple months—but maybe that was because he knew I was in a fragile place and not up to hosting a couple.
Christian played with Giuliana while I made us dinner. As we ate, I could tell something was up.
“This isn’t just a social visit, is it?”
Christian shifted uncomfortably on his chair. “No. But I wanted to tell you in person. I know you blocked Kyle on social media, so I wanted to be here in case...well, if you don’t already know what he’s doing.”
My blood went cold. “He’s been calling my mom and Mason, but I haven’t been on social media for anything but work.” I swallowed hard, afraid to ask but needing to know. “What’s he doing?”
Christian pulled out his phone and pulled up his various accounts. “I stayed connected with him because I was afraid something like this would happen. Take a look for yourself.”
With that, he handed over his phone so I could scroll through and survey the damage.
It was bad.
Kyle was posting publicly that I was refusing to let him see his daughter. He put out sob story after sob story about how broken he was without her, and how fucked up it was that I was keeping her from him. At times he likened it to kidnapping. On top of all that, he also mentioned Javi. The things he called Javi… they went beyond nasty. They were bigoted and implied that I was allowing a criminal to be alone with Giuliana—that I was putting her in danger. That Javi was putting her in danger.
Post after post.
Lie after lie.
Those who knew me were quick to tell Kyle off. But Kyle’s extended network, the ones who didn’t know me or our situation well, were liking. Commenting. Helping his posts gain traction and visibility.
If this got to Javi, I worried it would devastate him. He’d told me about how delicate his self-esteem was, and if he saw this? It could crush him. Worse, with Javi’s past, it terrified me to think the lies could get him into trouble. His tattoo work was only growing, but what if this put a damper on how many clients he got? What if it affected his ability to volunteer at the center? What if my past stole all of the things that were precious in Javi’s present?
Dark anger stormed in me. It blackened any remaining feelings I might have had for Kyle, erasing all of the good memories. I’d loved this man, and he was spending an exorbitant amount of energy trying to ruin my life. Not only that, but he was trying to hurt someone I wanted to love and cherish.
“Why haven’t you done anything about this?” Christian asked as he took his phone back.
I exploded. “You think I haven’t? I’ve told him over and over we’re through. I didn’t know about the social media shit. I can’t fucking believe him!”
“Kyle needs to be shut down, but you’ll have to be careful, Gordo. If things get out of control, you don’t know what he might be willing to do to bring you down—what other ways he might try to get at Giuliana.”
I stood up so fast my chair fell down, hitting the floor with a sharp crack. Giuliana jerked, startled, and then began to cry. Inky, oily thoughts about Kyle were still there, but her wails helped me to tamp down the most fiery parts of my anger.