“Is she talking to Laney?”
“I don’t know. She’s talking to Theo. So she’s at leastseeingLaney. And Laney told her what Chandler did. I didn’t. I should’ve told her.”
“Sabrina—”
“I should have told her. And I didn’t. And now she hates me.”
That’s not just my gut twisting.
It’s my heart.
I shouldn’t listen to this. It’s not my business. Not my place.
But she’shurting.
I know that hurt. The sting of rejection. Of regret. Of helplessness.
And I want to hug her.
I want to hug her and soothe her and find a way to take away the pain, even knowing how dangerous she could be if she decides to use everything she learns against me to get me to leave this place without the satisfaction of seeing Chandler’s reaction to me destroying what was once his.
“She’s basically the most non-famous famous person in the world right now, and not for a flattering reason,” her mom says. “Give her time. She has a lot on her plate.”
“I’ve never not known what to say to her before. I’ve never not known what to say toanyonebefore.”
“You’vebothhad a lot of hard change lately. Don’t expect yourself to be the same person you were two weeks ago either.”
“I’m fine.”
“Sabrina.”
“I am. I deserve this, so I’ll take my punishment.”
Shame and regret twist my heart region.
I’m punishing her.
She’s the accidental bystander in my quest for justice.
I’mhurting her.
“You do not deserve punishment,” her mom says. “Your heart was in the right place, and you did what you thought was right.”
“I just wish—I just wish I could go back and make Emma not hate me.”
“She doesn’t hate you.”
“I hate myself. If I’d said somethingten years ago, she’d be happily married, living the life of her dreams with someone who didn’t go from a decent guy with potential to a complete asshole.”
I take exception to the idea that Chandler Sullivan was ever adecent guy. And more than once this week, I’ve wondered what a woman that everyone seems to adore ever saw in him.
“Or Emma would be married to someone who’s terrible with kids and in an even worse situation now,” her mom says. “You can’t second-guess the past, and you have to believe good things are coming.”
The dog whines again. Actually, I’m not sure he’s stopped whining.
Jitter’s hurting because Sabrina’s hurting, and I’m hurting because they’re both hurting.
The worst part?
