“Everything okay?”
She rolls her eyes. “Just stupid drama with my ex.”
“You mentioned an ex-husband. Why is he still bothering you? You guys don’t have kids or anything, right?”
“Nope. We had a couple cats, but he was so mean to them. Like would throw them down if they jumped on the counter.”
“What a psycho.”
“I know. So glad I got out before we had kids and I got tethered to him even longer.”
I take a sip of the rosé and make a face. It is not my thing. I’ll order just an iced tea when the waitress comes back to take our order. “What is he bothering you about?”
“He threatened to take me back to court, saying he deserves half the profit from my practice. I was just getting it up and running when we got married, and things took off the year I filed. He said without him, it would be nothing.”
“Is he a doctor too?”
“No. He teaches gym at a high school a town over.”
“Ugh, the guy sounds like a leech. Is he a wolf too?”
“Half-wolf. Being able to shift was a fifty-fifty gamble. I think that’s what angered him and he took it out on me. I allowed him to for years. As long as I was in my place, things were…not good, but not as bad as they got after I filed for divorce.”
“I’m really sorry. I’ve dated my share of asshole men, but at least when we’re done, we’re done. Please tell me a judge isn’t going to take him seriously.”
“I don’t think so. It did take nearly two years to get our divorce finalized because he kept bringing in witnesses to say how much the practice was worth and he wanted to either keep his hand in the pot or have me buy him out.”
“What happened?”
She takes another drink and lets out a snort of laughter. “Idiot got nothing. He’s not a doctor.”
“Why is he trying to take more money from you again then?”
“Because he knows he’ll never make more on his own. And instead of actually doing anything to get the life I provided, he just wants to take it.” She waves her hand in the air. “I didn’t mean to trauma dump.”
“Hey, it’s fine,” I say, realizing that I have no one in the “real world” to talk to about anything that’s going on in my life. “My ex basically tried to get back together the last time I saw him. Which was like a few days ago.”
“But you’re married,” she says, almost spitting out her drink. “To Xavier fucking Malus.”
“I know. So does he.”
“What did he say?”
“He, uh, apologized for all the shit he did. It was everything I ever wanted to hear…just way too late.”
“They always wait until you’re with someone else before they decide to change. Though I’m still single, my ex had a girlfriendbeforeI even filed for divorce and she’s just as obsessed with me as he is.”
“Wait, what?”
“She’s a nail tech—and is really good at it too—but is now posting about going to med school. She changed her profile picture to herself in a white coat wearing a stethoscope standing in front of a hospital.” Delphi pulls up her own Instagram. Her profile photo is a picture of her in her white coat with a stethoscope around her neck—standing in front of her office.
“No! That is borderline creepy.”
“Oh, it doesn’t stop there. She’s constantly posting stuff very obviously geared toward me. I’ll never understand why she thinks I’m jealous to see them together. I do not get jealous if I see someone wearing a sweater I donated to Goodwill. I’m happy it’s getting a second life and staying out of a landfill.”
“She sounds insecure. Why would anyone want to be with a man who makes them feel like they have to prove themselves against his ex? Your soulmate would literally soothe your soul to the point you forget they even dated others in the past.”
“Thank you!” She holds up her hands. The energy coming off her is genuine, and I think she’s just as happy to have a friend as I am. Not because she doesn’t have other friends, but because they are human and cannot know her real identity. “That’s what I’ve been saying!”
