Carina shoved her breast pumps into a canvas tote. “Then drunken pedicures it is.” She nodded once, decisive. “And pizza. And movies. And we’re confiscating your phone.”
“My phone?” I blinked. “Why?”
Scarlett stepped forward like she was approaching a skittish woodland creature. “Because we love you,” she said gently. “And also because you haven’t stopped checking itevery thirty seconds like you’re waiting for a bomb to go off.”
“Iamwaiting for a bomb to go off,” I said under my breath.
More looks.
More unspoken conversation passing between them as if they’d already been discussing me before they even got here.
Audrey plucked my phone from my hand with the speed of a seasoned thief. “You get it back when we leave.”
“Hey!”
“Trust us,” she said, already tossing it into her bag.
Scarlett linked arms with me, pulling me toward the bedroom. “Come on. We’re doing face masks. Carina brought the expensive ones she buys with Ace’s credit card.”
Carina gasped. “I never use Ace’s credit card?—”
Scarlett raised an eyebrow.
My chest loosened for the first time since Ivan disappeared. Just a little. Just enough.
The four of us migrated to Jane’s bedroom—it was bigger, and she’d left earlier with friends from school, blissfully unaware of my pending life choices. Carina dumped bags of snacks onto the mattress. Audrey popped open one of the bottles like she was christening a ship. Scarlett sorted nail polish like she was drafting battle plans.
“You know,” Audrey said, handing me a glass, “for someone marrying an asshole, you look incredible in that dress you wore last night.”
My stomach dipped. “You saw it?”
She grinned. “The whole internet saw it.”
Scarlett nodded. “You looked like you were about to stab everyone and win.”
Carina sighed dreamily. “Ivan almost passed out when he saw you.”
My breath hitched.
I tried—really tried—not to let my heart react. But I couldn’t help it. Ivan seeing me like that… Ivan wanting me like that… it was a dangerous kind of comfort.
Audrey sat beside me on the bed. “He loves you, you know.”
I swallowed. “It doesn’t matter.”
“It matters,” she said firmly, “because you think you’re doing all this alone.”
I blinked fast.
Carina scooted in. “We’re not asking what you’re planning,” she said softly. “But we know you’re planning something.”
Scarlett squeezed my hand. “And we want you to know—whatever it is? You’re not alone. We’ve all been through some shit, and we came out stronger, just like you will.”
My vision blurred. “Like what?”
Audrey was the first to spill her story, and by the end of it, we were in a fit of giggles. Scarlett’s story had us all sobbing, and eventually, the first bottle of alcohol was almost gone, and we were a mess. I didn’t know if the room was blurry because of tears or because of the booze, but I didn’t care. I’d never had so much fun in my life. Finally, I brokedown and told them everything. By the end of it, I was panting and waiting for the rejection. They all came forward and wrapped their arms around me. As torn as my heart had felt lately, for the first time in a long time… it felt healed in a way I’d never experienced before.
Chapter Fifty-Nine
