“No.”
“Stab him non-fatally? Trip him? Let me trip him.”
“We were bound to run into each other sooner orlater.” She repeated the words she’d said to herself for the past few nights as she tossed and turned in her bed.Bound to happen.Like the inevitability of the situation made it any easier or better.
Bound to have your heart ripped out eventually.
“Probably,” Sadia said gently. “But that doesn’t make it any less difficult, I’m sure. I always get a little kick in my gut when I see Nicholas, and I didn’t have half the investment in him you did.”
Livvy shifted. “You see him?”
“Of course. I don’t speak to him. Paul would have gone through the roof if I had, and I’m not sure what I’d say anyway. But I’ll see Nicholas or Eve at the grocery store occasionally.”
Livvy raised an eyebrow. “You shop at Chandler’s?” She tried to keep the accusation out of her tone, but she wasn’t sure if she entirely succeeded. Nicholas couldn’t ever be seen at a competitor store, which meant if Sadia was seeing him at a grocery store, it wastheirgrocery store.
No, it wasn’t theirs. It was his.
Sadia met her gaze without flinching. “Yes. Paul forbade it, but once—well, I started shopping there. Of course it hurts, every time I step into that place. But at the end of the day, Rockville is my home too. My son’s home. They have the best prices and quality and I’m not feeding my son anything but the best simply because of my pride.”
“Right, of course. I’m not blaming you.”
Sadia regarded her without a shred of anger. “Despite my choice in grocery stores, I’m still morethan willing to maim or murder Nicholas for how he dumped you.”
Livvy tried to laugh, but it came out more like a sob. “The decision to end our relationship was mutual.”
“Honey. I was there.”
“Well.” Livvy wiped her hands on her jeans, like she could wipe away the past. “It’s been forever. I’m over it, and so is he.” So many lies. “He seeing someone now.”
Her friend pressed her lips tight. Livvy waited for Sadia to tell her it was silly to be upset by that, or ask how the subject of who he was dating had even came about. Instead, she took a step closer and pulled Livvy in for a hug. “I’m sorry, baby. That rat bastard.”
Livvy rested her head against Sadia’s chest and breathed in deep. She wrapped her arms around her friend and relaxed, marginally. “He is a rat bastard, isn’t he?”
“The rattiest bastard.” Sadia’s hand smoothed over her back.
Livvy didn’t care if she was acting childish or needy. She simply absorbed the physical affection like a starved flower absorbed the sun. “I hate him so much.”
“I know.”
“His girlfriend is probably the worst.”
Sadia hummed. “I’m sure she’s the most terrible human on the face of the planet. Like, animals can sense how evil she is.”
Livvy choked out a chuckle and disentangled herself from her sister-in-law. “Poor Nicholas.”
Sadia squeezed Livvy’s shoulder. “Let’s not go that far.”
“I’ll be okay.”
“You will.” Sadia’s tone was firm. “You’re here. You’re trying. You’re going to be fine. Promise.”
There is nothing wrong with you. You’re fine.Livvy smiled mechanically, hiding her disquiet.
Not well enough.
“What’s wrong?” Sadia asked.
“Nothing.” Jackson hadn’t been good at comforting words, but he’d been the only one who’d witnessed her struggles when they were young. He’d always fallen back on a few key phrases.
