Temporary relapse, that’s all.
Passing the needle through. In. Out. In. Out.
Piercing the delicate fabric, like each stitch will hold the wedding together. Luna’s wedding. Not my debacle of a marriage. Hers is still ahead of her.
After all she went through with her old boyfriend, my sister deserves something beautiful. And it doesn’t have to be perfect, but it damn well better be forever. So I focus on that—on her.
My fingers move faster now. Mechanical. Clean. I won’t think about Beckett’s mouth or the way his hands felt on my body. I won’t think about what it means that I didn’t just let it happen, I begged for it. I won’t think about the part of me that still wants him. Or what that says about me.
But this cruise? This wedding? All for Luna.
But it’s getting harder to lie to myself.
A soft knock on the door. Then his voice.
“Ashley?”
I hate how fast my heart reacts.
“Babe, I… I’m sorry.”
His voice is low, coaxing. Like that could make this better.
“Who was it?” I hate. Hate.Hatethat I ask. Because he won’t answer. He never does.
There’s a pause. “It’s almost over.”
“What does that even mean?”
“It’s complicated. But I swear—Ash, I swear I’m doing everything I can to fix it. Open the door?” he adds. “Please?”
“Fuck you, Beckett.”
The words sound foreign coming out of my mouth, but also… appropriate for the situation.
Silence.
Then, “It’s not what you think. I?—”
“I don’t even know what to think. Because you won’t tell me anything! So just… Stop.” My voice cracks. “Just go away.”
EMPTY EXCUSES
BECKETT
If it had been anyone else, even Sugar… I would have let it go.
But I saw Candy’s name on the screen.
I don’t have a choice.
So I shift gears, choke down my feelings, and I push off of the bed, and I…
I leave her.
I close the door and accept the call.
“You need to get into the portal,” Candy says immediately. No hello. No preamble. “One of the names you forwarded triggered something. Might be nothing. Might be a pattern. But you’re the only one who’ll be able to know for sure. I need your eyes on it tonight. ASAP. In case they start scrubbing the files.”
