The Swan and The Sergeant - Alana Albertson Page 0,50
Dima touching Selena had tortured me. For years at night, I would picture them fucking, and it drove me insane, like a never-ending porno in my mind.
But to read it in the press made it more painful. Now I was just another reality loser that the tabloids could use to sell magazines. I looked over at Selena, still sound asleep. It was probably better that she wasn’t awake yet. I would try to calm down.
I attempted to take my mind off the rumors by reading the morning paper that had been slipped under the door.
An hour later, Selena rolled over, her tank top scrunched on her stomach. “Morning. Did I oversleep?”
“Forget that, Selena. I have to show you something.” I clicked on the website.
She sat up, brushed her hair out of her eyes, and focused on the screen.
I studied her eyes. She skimmed the page, until she gasped for breath—then bit her lip.
It was true.
“Look me in the eye, and don’t lie to me. What happened?” I could tell her mind was racing, trying to think of what to say to me.
Selena blinked furiously. “Bret, I …I wanted to tell you so many times—”
I slammed my fist into the bed. “Are you kidding me, Sel? You wanted to tell me that you cheated on me? And now I find out the details from the tabloids?”
“Bret, please! I was so young!”
“Do you have any idea how tough it was for me to get over you? I joined the Corps to make a good life for you—for us! We agreed that we wanted to be on our own, not dependent on our parents. I had no money or education. The military was the only way—there was no money in ballroom back then for amateurs, and it would’ve taken us years and a ton of money to turn pro. Plus, you know I never really enjoyed it. I only danced because my parents forced me, and then when I got paired with you, I just wanted to make you happy. In boot camp, every time I got trashed on the quarterdeck, doing pushups ’til my fingers bled, I got through it because I knew I was doing it for our future. And then you left me—and you didn’t even have the decency to show up at my graduation to tell me to my face.”
Selena’s chin quivered. “I had no idea how hard it was for you, Bret. I have nothing to say for myself. I was just so devastated and confused.”
“What happened? That competition was only a few weeks after I left. The truth. You didn’t even wait that long. You owe me the truth.”
She grit her teeth. “Well, Dima convinced me to do a Pro/Am competition. Since it was in Miami, we shared a hotel room. I had no money, so Dima paid for everything. My flight. The entry fees. Even bought me a new dress.”
“Oh, isn’t he generous.”
“After the competition, we went back to our room. And to celebrate, he ordered champagne and strawberries.”
It took me a second to register what she was saying. “Wait, he got you drunk?”
“Well, that’s not really his fault. I mean, he ordered the champagne. But I willingly drank it.”
“But you were eighteen, Selena. He was twenty-eight.”
“So you never drank underage Bret? Don’t be a hypocrite.”
“That’s not the point. How drunk did you get?”
She pursed her lips. “Drunk. I don’t remember what happened. But I woke up in Dima’s bed. Naked. Dima told me that we had slept together. I was so ashamed Bret. I knew that you would never forgive me, so I ended it between us.”
What in the fuck? The room seemed to be spinning as I tried to process this information.
This was even worse than being cheated on. Did she even realize she had been raped? I had imagined this scenario a thousand different ways, but I never ever thought that I’d lost her because Dima had raped her.
I needed to tread lightly. I was no longer angry at her. But she needed to understand what had happened.
“Selena. Listen to me. He raped you.”
She shook her head. “No, not at all. It was nothing like that. I was in the room with him alone. I traveled with him. I drank.”
“None of that matters. Even if you hadn’t had a fiancé, he raped you. This is not your fault.”
Her hand shook. “No. It is my fault. Dima would never—”
“Why are you defending him? He got you drunk and then took advantage of you. He