The tea warms my hands, and I wonder about so much. Why we stopped getting along. Why we ever hated each other in our teen years. I know why—I hated my father for what he did to our mother, and she couldn’t muster the same outrage. She kept a relationship with him until he stopped responding to her.
I look back inside at the pristine living room. The untouched surfaces. The silence. This is the life I used to want. Now, it rings as hollow as Jason’s promises about having this life.
Faith waits until the tea has cooled slightly before she drops it. Not the cup. The bomb. Her lips go tight before she smooths them. She’s nervous—it’s her tell. “Temperance, I want you to be my maid of honor.”
I blink at her. “You’re joking.”
“I’m not.” There’s no smile. No teasing tilt of the head. She means it.
“You can’t be serious.”
“Why not?”
“Faith.” I laugh once, sharp and disbelieving. “Jason is my ex-boyfriend.”
“Yes.”
“He broke my heart.”
“Yes.”
“And now, he’s marrying you.”
“Yes.” She holds my gaze like none of this matters.
“How,” I ask slowly, “am I supposed to stand next to you while you marry the man who used to be mine?”
She folds her hands in her lap, composed. “Because you owe me.”
The air changes.
“What?”
“You owe me,” she repeats.
My chest tightens. “For what?”
She doesn’t look away. “For New Year’s Eve.”
The words feel like a hand slipping under my ribs.Oh hell.
“What are you talking about?” I ask carefully.
“I know what you did last winter.”
I freeze. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Faith doesn’t raise her voice. She doesn’t accuse. She just watches me. “His sheets smelled like your cheap perfume.”
The one I stopped wearing because it reminded me of that night. It’s not cheap, but I’m not surprised by the insult, considering what she’s asking of me. I swallow. “You thought he cheated. With me.”
“I did.” She nods once. “And I almost left him.”
Heat crawls up my neck. That was the whole point of that night. Make her doubt Jason, while not actually sleeping with him.Picking his dad instead to irritate him. Double revenge for them cheating on me with each other.
“But he didn’t sleep with you,” she continues evenly. “He had an alibi.”
My stomach drops, and I swallow a sip of tea. It doesn’t help my dry throat. “Oh?”
