Chapter One
Avery Langhorn
“Devin, can I speak to you... in private?” My voice quivered as I tried so hard to hold steady, hoping not to make a fool of myself. Rage coursed through me.
I couldn’t believe I’d walked into our neighborhood bar with Kyle and Brooke, my best friends and roommates, to see my boyfriend—who I had an exclusive relationship with—rubbing on a woman with long brown hair.
He followed me outside, and we stood under a streetlight in the freezing ass cold and snow flurries, me feeling as though someone had ripped out my transplanted heart. Devin’s guilty sneer told me I wasn’t going to like what I heard.
“Dude, she’s just a friend-with-bennies. We work at the gym together. Rhonda, remember? You’ve even seen her there. We go out with a group of friends we have in common, and then I go home with her and we spend the night together. You knew I was bi when we met.” Devin said it so nonchalantly, I felt guilty for questioning him—even for an instant.
“Dude, you can do so much better than this asshole.”
It was that voice in my head that didn’t sound like mine. It almost sounded like Brooke’s, but the tone and speaking pattern was off. It had been in my head since I woke up from having a heart transplant seven years ago.
Devin was a personal trainer at the gym where I exercised, and I’d hired him to train me three years ago at the suggestion of my cardiologist, Dr. Timothy Latham, who was Devin’s uncle. I’d gained some weight due to the anti-rejection meds I was taking, and the doc said it wasn’t good for my new heart.
Besides taking off the extra weight, I wanted to gain more muscle tone and switch up my routine so I’d stick with it to maintain a healthy lifestyle. It was my second chance in life, and I didn’t want to waste it.
I’d been diagnosed at fourteen with cardiomyopathy when I started playing soccer on my school’s team. At the firstpractice, the chest pains and shortness of breath led me down a healthcare spiral that would scare my mom and dad for the rest of their lives.
Devin stared at me before he spoke. “We have been exclusively dating for five months atyourinsistence. How long have you been sleeping with her, and is there any reason I shouldn’t run to the doctor to get a full panel of STI tests?”
My heart was pounding, spiked with adrenaline at the consequences of catching an STI from the fucker.
“Avery, dear, I told you this guy was a lying cheater when you first laid eyes on him, and I was right, just like I’ve been right the last three times you met a loser. Devin’s trying to guilt you into believing it’s not cheating because you knew he was bi. Honey, that’s ridiculous. Cheating is cheating.”There it was again, that stupid voice.
“Shut up,” I snapped as I balled my fists in frustration.
“Avery, I didn’t say anything, babe. Are you okay? Let me get my jacket, and I’ll take you home. You probably shouldn’t be out in this cold and damp weather anyway. I’ll tell Rhonda goodbye and be right back.” He hurried off.
I was about to crack my teeth from clenching my jaw to keep from screaming and having the police called to haul me away.
Kyle and Brooke came out a few minutes later. I was freezing my balls off, not sure what to do. “
Let’s go somewhere else. Fuck him, Aves.” Brooke brought out my coat, pushing it at me to put on. I’d been so upset I hadn’t stopped for it.
“Who was the chick? She was smokin’ hot.” Kyle wasn’t the brightest bulb in the lamp, but he had a big heart. He was usually a good friend.
“Her name is Rhonda and they work together. They’re friends with bennies, according to him.”
“And I told you he was a cheating bitch, but you didn’t listen.”The voice...again.
“You already said that. Shut up, dammit.” I couldn’t help myself. I must be going mad.
“Kyle, that was a heartless thing to say. You don’t hit on the girl who is cheating with your best friend’s boyfriend, doofus.” Thankfully, Brooke had a better grasp on the situation than I did.
I grabbed my coat and slid my arms into the sleeves. “I’m going home. You guys can go back inside. I’ll see you later.” I buttoned my coat and slid on gloves, angrily stomping my way back to our apartment.
“What the fuck is wrong with me? I knew there was something shady about him—”
“Told you so.”And again with the voice.
“God, shut up. How the fuck do I turn off my own internal dialogue? Am I having a breakdown? A stroke?"
A harsh cackling invaded my mind. Brooke never laughed like that.
“What’s going on?” I said it out loud, and the two guys walking toward me grinned and nodded as though I’d greeted them.
