Will’s jaw tightened, and the easy energy of the evening vanished.
“That’s…nice,” he said, his tone neutral but clipped.
Meredith, sensing the tension, quickly turned to Evan. “So, what about you guys? Any exciting plans?”
Evan shrugged. “We go to Will’s parents’ place.”
“Should we crash?” Meredith joked, trying to lighten the mood.
Evan chuckled, but Will stayed silent, his gaze fixed on the drink in his hand.
I felt the knot in my stomach tighten. I knew exactly what was the problem.
Will’s phone buzzed, cutting through the silence. He glanced at the screen and sighed. “Excuse me,” he said, standing and walking into the next room.
Evan stood up, breaking the silence. “Can I freshen anyone’s drinks?”
“Yes, I would love another,” Meredith said.
“Sure, thanks Evan,” I said.
I turned to Meredith, who raised an eyebrow. “That was tense,” she whispered.
“It’s my fault,” I admitted quietly.
When Will returned, his expression was hard. “It’s Madison,” he said tightly. “She got caught drinking at a party. The police were called.”
“Oh no,” I said, standing instinctively. “Is she okay?”
“She’s fine, but I need to deal with this,” he said, already reaching for his keys.
“Thanks for dinner,” Meredith said quickly, sensing his urgency.
I followed Will to the mudroom, my heart sinking. “Will, I’m so sorry,” I said softly. “About Madison, and about… everything. Please let me know if there’s anything I can do.”
He turned to me, his gaze sharp. “You can’t fix this, Natalie. You don’t want this part of my life, and it feels like you don’t even know what part youdowant.”
His words cut deeply, and before I could respond, he was gone.
Back in the living room, Meredith gave me a look. “That didn’t go well.”
Evan stood and walked us to the door. “Sorry about the buzzkill,” he said.
Before we stepped outside, Evan turned to me, his expression serious. “Natalie, Will really cares about you. Please don’t hurt him.”
The words stung, and I couldn’t bring myself to reply.
As we drove away, the weight of the evening settled over me like a heavy cloud. I felt like I had no idea how to fix what felt so close to being right.
Why did it keep going wrong?
CHAPTER 28
A SLICE OF TRUTH
NATALIE
It was Thanksgiving morning, and I woke up in knots, guilt tangling itself around me like the sheets I couldn’t escape. The way Will and I left things made my heart hurt, like an open wound I couldn’t tend to. On top of that, today was the day my children were meeting Brooke—the possible “other woman” in their lives who might someday have the word mom attached to her name.
