He’s lying. Hehasto be lying.
But…
I stare down at my phone and open my messages. Alec sent me a text, didn’t he? That night?
This time, I read it.
The Boss: Sydney, I should have told you about Annika. I should never have lied to you. You’re right to hate me. But I didn’t tell you for one simple reason. We’re married in name only. Annika and I have never been anything romantic. Please, darling, you have to believe me. I’ll explain everything. Whenever you’re ready, I’m here. I’ll always be here. You’re it for me.
The words blur in my vision.
I close the message and feel like my entire world has shifted.
I’m notsure how long I stay there, locked in the stockroom, Alec’s message echoing in my head.
I don’t know what to believe. I don’t know who to believe.
So I do the only thing I can think of. The only thing that's ever worked when I’m falling apart.
I run to Jade.
By the time I’ve dragged myself out of the stockroom and word-vomited every miserable detail of the call, I’m shaking, my head buzzing. Jade and Justin listen patiently while I regurgitate it all for them.
“So,” Jade says carefully, when I finish. She takes a bite of the cookie I’d left behind on the counter, chewing it thoughtfully. “Do we believe him?”
“I don’t know,” I admit, wrapping my arms around myself. My voice is raw. “I want to. But wanting to doesn’t make it true.”
I reach out for the cookie, but Justin grabs it before I do and takes a huge bite, chewing like it’s helping him think. “Okay, let me make sure I understand all of this.” The words are muffled around his mouthful of chocolate chip sugary goodness. “You were dating this guy, right? But you found out he’s married.”
“Correct.”
“So you end it. Totally fair. But then this other guy that you were dating calls you and tells you that the first guy…isn’t actually married? That it’s, what? Like a marriage of convenience?”
“Or something like it,” I say.
“And the text you showed us.” He nudges my phone where it sits on the counter, smearing chocolate on the screen. “Seems to confirm that thesecond guyis telling the truth about that.”
“There’s a third guy too,” Jade adds. “But we’re not supposed to talk about him. Or the fourth one, who kissed her in a club last night.”
Justin chokes on the cookie, raising his eyebrows at me. I shrug.
“That’s pretty much it,” I say.
“When you found out he was married, he didn’t try to explain any of this in person?” Justin asks.
“I wasn’t exactly listening to him,” I admit. “And I sort of ran out of the apartment…and… away.”
Justin’s lips twitch. “Uh-huh.”
The tiniest smile tugs at my mouth, despite everything. “Okay, yes, guilty as charged. I’m the girl in the movie who runs away before a single sentence could likely clear up the entire situation. Shut up.”
“At least you’re self-aware about it,” Justin consoles me.
The service bell for the back register rings, signaling we have a customer waiting.
“If you’re not going to be helpful, go cover the register,” Jade tells him, shoving his shoulder. He laughs and takes another bite of my cookie before leaving.
After he’s gone, Jade leans in close. Her voice softens. “So.”
