"Your mother. She said she never liked him. Why?"
"Does it matter?"
"Yes."
She's quiet for a long moment. "She said he looked at me like I was an asset instead of a person. Like he was trying to understand what I could do for him instead of caring about who I was."
"She was right."
"I know." Bianca's voice is small. "I knew it too. Even when I was with him. But I told myself it didn't matter because he was helping with Mom's bills. Because he was stable and reliable and?—"
"Safe."
"Yes. Safe." She laughs bitterly. "Turns out he was the least safe person I could've chosen."
"He betrayed you."
"Even worse, hesoldme." She turns to face me. "There's a difference."
There is. And the reminder makes anger rise hot in my chest.
"Does it still hurt?" I ask, hating that I care about the answer. "What he did?"
"Yes. Not because I loved him—now when I think about it I don't think I ever did. But because I trusted him. Because I thought we had an understanding, at least. That he'd respect me even if he didn't love me." She looks out the window. "I was wrong."
"He's an idiot."
"He's a coward. There's a difference."
We're quiet for the rest of the drive. But something is churning in my gut that I don't want to name.
Jealousy.
Not because Bianca loved Adrian—she just said she didn't.
But because he had her first. Had her trust. Had her time and attention and the chance to be something real to her. Had her in his bed night after night. Had her kisses. Her smiles.
And he threw it away.
Like the worthless piece of shit he's always been.
"Dante?" Bianca's voice pulls me back.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you. For coming. For being..." She trails off. "For not being an ass to my mother."
"I can be decent when properly motivated."
"What's your motivation?"
You, I almost say. Making sure you don't hate me completely is becoming more important than it should be.
"Success," I say instead. "If your mother thinks we're real, she'll tell you to fight for us if things get difficult. Natural ally."
It's cynical, hence exactly the kind of thing she'd expect from me.
It's also not the whole truth. But some truths are too dangerous to speak out loud and I’m not ready to face this one just yet.
