My life with Patrick awaits. My future husband, the man I care so much for. I can see it now – our flat in London, us bothbringing our work home in the form of bottle-feeding lambs, and surprise litters of kittens, and ancient dogs we say we’re just fostering but will adopt. And the children we’ll have, one day, with bright auburn hair and his laugh and my freckles.
And in embracing that, I have to say goodbye to the shadow version that exists, a future with Dolly. It’s too painful to even picture beyond her waiting at the altar. But I take one last look at that image in my mind, and I say goodbye to that too.
Before the door opens, I kiss her again. Just once.
‘Goodbye, Dolly.’
‘Goodbye, Carys.’
We step out into the corridor like nothing ever happened, and walk to our front doors.
As my key enters the lock, I remember one final thing I want to tell her. ‘Your fake accent is pretty good, by the way,’ I say, giving her a smile.
Her voice drops, lower and thicker, Scouse through and through. ‘You clocked that, huh? People prefer poshos, what can I say?’
I push open the door. ‘Liars forever,’ I promise.
‘Liars forever.’
And with that, I close the door on Dolly Doherty.
Chapter Thirty-FourCarys
Or at least, that’s what I thought. There’s a knock on the door, just as I closed it, and my heart thrills with possibility.
Has Dolly run back across, refusing to say goodbye? Is she going to choose me?
I fling the door open, my heart leaping out of my chest, and I see Dolly across the hall with her door open too.
There’s no way she could have knocked on my door.
Instead, between us in the corridor, is Bridget. ‘Evening, ladies,’ she says. ‘I’ll make this quick.’
Dolly’s eyes are wide with warning. Something is up here, she can tell.
‘Hi, Bridge,’ I say, slurring my words on purpose a bit. ‘Dolly and I walked home together.’
‘Cut the act, Carys,’ she says firmly. ‘There’s been enough lying. I know you two are together.’
Dolly has gone completely white.
No, she can’t know. She can’t have seen. We’ve been so careful, haven’t we?
‘Together?’ I say cutely, playing the fool on purpose. ‘Yeah, we walked home.’
‘No. You’ve been fucking this whole time,’ Bridget snaps. ‘Behind everyone’s backs.’
I’m making her angry, but I can’t give up. She has to understand. ‘You— you’ve misunderstood,’ I stammer.
Bridget looks at me, more sad than angry. ‘No, I’ve not. I’ve seen how you two have looked at each other the whole time. How overnight you fell out, moved rooms and stopped being besties. The way you looked when you left the bathroom on the honeymoon. All of it. I’ve seen it, and I can’t pretend like I haven’t anymore. It’s not right. And I don’t buy that this is a fight over Patrick.’
‘Please, don’t tell him,’ I beg. ‘Please, Bridget. It’s over now. Dolly and I have squashed it. Tell her, Dolly.’
‘It’s over now,’ Dolly agrees, and it feels like a sucker punch to my chest.
‘That may be the truth,’ Bridget continues. ‘But that doesn’t change what I’ve come here to talk to you about. We’re going to make a deal.’
My blood fizzes like melting sherbet. ‘A deal?’
