Her heart skipped a beat as a new thought struck her. What if Ben didn't come back? What if she'd pushed away the one good thing that had happened to her in this miserable town? The thought sent a fresh wave of panic through her, and her hands began to shake.
She glanced at the clock on the wall. It was late, but not unreasonably so. The wedding was tomorrow afternoon. She needed to figure out how she would get there without a car if Ben didn’t come back. Right now, it didn’t look good for him to return. She’d told him to get out.
Who was she kidding? She needed to decide whether she was even going to the wedding without Ben.
The silence of the condo pressed in on her again, suffocating in its intensity. She couldn't stay here alone with her thoughts spiraling increasingly out of control. She needed someone to talk to, someone who wouldn't judge her, who would tell her the truth even if it wasn't what she wanted to hear.
Almost without conscious thought, Kelly reached for her phone. Her fingers trembled as she scrolled to Amy's contact and hit call. Her roommate in New York was probably getting ready for bed, but Kelly knew she wouldn't mind. Amy never minded.
The phone rang once, twice, three times. Kelly's heart pounded in her chest, her breath coming in quick, shallow gasps. What if Amy didn't answer? What if she had to face this night alone?
"Hello?" Amy's voice, bright and alert despite the hour, came through the speaker. "Kelly? Is everything okay?"
The simple question was nearly her undoing. Kelly's throat tightened, and for a moment, she couldn't speak.
"Kelly?" Amy's voice now held a note of concern. "Are you there?"
"I’m here, and I think I just made a huge mistake," Kelly finally managed, her voice cracking slightly.
"What happened? Are you hurt?"
"Not physically," Kelly said, sinking back down onto the couch. "I had a fight with Ben. A bad one. I told him to leave, and he did."
"Wait, start at the beginning," Amy said. "What did you and Ben fight about?"
Kelly gave Amy a quick overview, trying not to make herself sound better. She wanted a truly honest perspective, so it wouldn’t help to candy-coat the details.
"Everything was going great until tonight,” Kelly said. “I think I screwed it all up. I was so mad at my dad for his smug little revelation that I took it out on Ben. I accused him of deliberately keeping secrets from me, when all he did was not mention that his father was famous for catching serial killers."
"That does sound like something you might want to know," Amy pointed out.
"Maybe, but it's not like he was hiding it. His last name is Reilly. His father is Seth Reilly. Anyone can Google that."
"Including you," Amy said pointedly.
Kelly closed her eyes, letting that truth sink in.
"Including me," she agreed quietly. "But that's not even the worst part. The worst part is that I'm even considering not going to the wedding tomorrow. Just booking an earlier flight and going back to New York. Running away from all of it."
There was a long pause on the other end of the line. When Amy spoke again, her voice had lost its gentle inquiry, replaced by something much firmer.
"Kelly Bateman, are you seriously considering skipping your own sister's wedding because you had a fight with your new boyfriend?"
Put that way, it did sound ridiculous.
"It's not just about Ben," Kelly protested. "It's everything. My family. The way they make me feel like I'm always wrong, always less than. I'm tired of it, Amy. So tired."
"Well," Amy said, her voice gaining momentum, "let me tell you what I think about that. I think I’ve kept quiet long enough."
Kelly braced herself, knowing that when Amy got started, there was no stopping her. And right now, maybe that's exactly what she needed.
"You have a couple of different issues going on here," Amy said, her voice taking on that crisp, analytical tone Kelly had heard many times before.
It was the voice Amy used when she was about to cut through someone's nonsense, and despite herself, Kelly felt a small flicker of relief. Amy wouldn't coddle her or let her wallow. She would offer clarity, even if it stung.
"First, there's your nightmare of a family," Amy continued. "If you don't go to that wedding tomorrow, your family wins. They get to tell everyone how awful their daughter is and how she didn't even come to her own sister's wedding. Kelly is so selfish. She only thinks of herself. Blah, blah, blah. We’re so put upon by her." She paused for effect. "It's a trap, girl, don't fall for it."
Kelly opened her mouth to argue, then closed it again. Amy's words hit her like a bucket of cold water, shocking but clarifying. Her spine straightened almost involuntarily, as if her body was responding to the truth before her mind fully processed it.
