“Ellen, do you even hear yourself?” What the fuck has Will been doing to my bestie? She sounds totally brainwashed. “You are way smarter than to believe every generalization.”
“And you’re too smart to be this naïve. Will said the guy is good-looking, older, and rich, and he clearly wants in your pants.”
I am outraged on Beck’s behalf. “Will is a goddamned liar and a judgmental asshole!”
“Watch how you speak about my fiancé,” she snaps back.
“Fiancé?” Surprise coats my words. “Since when?”
A pregnant pause ensues for a few beats. “He proposed during spring break, and I said yes.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I’m hurt she’d keep something this big from me.
“You know why.”
“No, I don’t.” I’m genuinely confused.
“Because of Garrick,” she quietly says. “You were already going through so much and I knew this would hurt you.”
“It wouldn’t have hurt me, Ellen.” I wonder if she ever really knew me at all. We spent three years together at college, and it’s like she has no clue of the person I am. “It would have cheered me up, ordinarily.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she clips out.
“Are you sure about marriage, Ellen? I’ve seen a different side to Will this past year, and I’m not sure I like this version of him much.”
“I’ve seen a different side to you too, and I’m not sure I like it either,” she hisses.
I’m stunned into silence for a few seconds as her words make impact, like a hundred tiny daggers embedding into my flesh. “Wow, I can’t believe you just said that. I was in a horrible car accident and my boyfriend is in a coma. I’m sorry if I haven’t been full of the joys of spring.”
“I know it hasn’t been easy. It’s why I stuck up for you. Will and I had terrible arguments for months, but I had your back. I can’t go out on a limb for you again, Stevie. Will is going to be my husband, and I need to take his side in this. I happen to agree with him this time. This so-called friendship with Beck is a very bad idea, Stevie.”
“You cannot be serious?!” I shout, and I’m beyond incensed at this point.
“You’re lonely, and he’s lonely. You’re pretty, and he’s hot. He’s older and more experienced. You’re young, and you have no clue when it comes to relationships. That makes you vulnerable to someone like him.”
A red haze coats my eyes as rage consumes me. Who the fuck does she think she is insulting me like this? She has some nerve. “You don’t know him! Beck isn’t like that, and our friendship is the only reason I can face opening the door to Garrick’s room some days. You do not get to cast judgment over something you know nothing about.”
I suck in a large breath and continue, totally riled up now. “What if it was you in a coma? How sure are you that Will would visityoumultiple times a day, day in, day out, for almost a year? And what if Will met a girl whose boyfriend was in a coma? Would he turn her friendship away even though she’s the only person who truly understands, just because she’s the wrong sex?” I bark.
Silence greets me, and that speaks volumes.
“You don’t get to say those things about Beck or me. How dare you throw this shit at me! Does our friendship mean nothing to you anymore, Ellen?”
“Of course, it does. It’s because I care, because I’m your friend, I’m telling you this. Someone has to make you see sense before it’s too late. What do you think is going to happen, Stevie? You need to walk away now before you make a big mistake. One you can’t come back from. No one will forgive you if you cheat on Garrick. You owe it to him to stay by his side until the bitter end, whatever that may look like. You know he’d do that for you. That is the least you can do. Setting yourself up for temptation is not smart.”
“Are you done?” I ask in a cold tone.
“I’m not sorry I spoke my mind. It needed to be said. Frankly, I’m alarmed Hadley has let this continue. She should have intervened the minute you met this guy.”
“Hadley is my best friend for a reason. Something I won’t bother wasting my breath trying to explain to someone whose loyalty is so easily traded. Do me a favor, and lose my number, Ellen. I don’t need friends like you.”
I hang up before she can reply because I can’t listen to another word from her betrayer’s lips. Then I bury my head in my pillow and scream.
ChapterForty-Seven
Beck
The doorbell chimes, and my pulse speeds up as I stir the curry in the pot before racing out of the kitchen, through the wooden archway into the large living room, casting a quick glance around to ensure nothing is out of place, before I skid to a halt in front of the front door. Drawing a large breath, I open the door to Stevie with a smile.
