"No. What matters is that he hurt my feelings."
The twins exchanged a look. Elena’s eyebrows lifted slightly, but she remained quiet.
“And retail therapy,” I continued evenly, “is a great way to make him pay for it. Pun intended.”
Elena couldn’t hide her laugh this time, which earned a snicker from me. Serena’s expression shifted from confusion to understanding in seconds. Sabrina’s lips curved into a slow,impressed smile. Without another word, the twins rose to their feet. Elena stood slowly, shaking her head in quiet amusement.
“Let’s go,” Serena said.
They didn’t let me elaborate. Soon, we were out of the café, walking briskly down the sidewalk.
“The first stop?” Sabrina asked.
“Barnes & Noble,” I answered immediately.
Sabrina eyed me. “I thought you’d hit Chanel first.”
“Me too.” I grinned. “But I promised Callahan I’d start here.”
Elena let out another quiet laugh. “Of course you did.”
The scent of books and coffee greeted us the second we walked inside. The store was calm, quiet — a sharp contrast to the energy buzzing between us.
I turned to my sisters. “You all have free rein to choose whatever you want.”
Sabrina’s eyes widened. “Really?”
“Choose whatever books you want.”
Serena studied my face for a second, then nodded once. “Alright.”
Elena adjusted her purse on her shoulder. “Are you sure about this?”
“Yes,” I said. “I’m sure.”
That was all the encouragement Sabrina needed. She disappeared into the fiction section almost immediately. Serena followed, more composed but no less purposeful. Elena lingered near the front displays before drifting toward the romantasy section.
I walked more slowly. I ran my fingers along the spines, picking up books that had been on my ever-growing reading list.I even picked up a few special editions with gilded edges that I didn’t need but were too pretty to ignore.
Serena reappeared first. “Explain,” she said quietly.
I kept walking. “He put my things in the guest room.”
Serena stopped beside me. “He what?”
“When I got to his house, my belongings were already arranged there.”
Sabrina joined us a moment later, holding three novels against her chest. “That’s not funny.”
“I didn’t think it was either,” I said evenly.
“What did he say?” Serena asked.
“He thinks I only married him for his money.”
Sabrina gasped, her hands flying to her chest in a swift motion. “He said what?”
“I can’t exactly blame him,” I continued before either of them could stop me. “I’m more upset he chose to remain silent instead of talking to me. A simple conversation would have cleared up a lot.”
