Page 73 of Secret Marriage To My Bosshole

Sophie shakes her head adamantly. “Nope. This is not your fault. You are an amazing woman, and you did what you needed to do to make sure you could give your best to the relationship. It’s not your fault he took that for granted.”

I roll my eyes and push myself up from the table, already eyeing one of the racing games. “It takes two people to be in a relationship, which means some of the blame for this entire mess is on me.”

Kaleigh gets up and jerks her chin at the racing game. “I bet you a tequila shot that I can beat you in the game.”

Sophie chuckles and pulls the pizza closer to her. “You two go ahead. I’m going to gorge myself on pizza and beer for a bit.”

I snatch my bottle of beer, smirking at her mock pout. “You’re going to keep your grubby hands off my beer,” I tease.

Kaleigh strides over to the racing game, and I follow close behind her, needing to distract myself from thoughts of Griffin. But that seems impossible, even as Kaleigh slides tokens into the slot.

This arcade holds memories of Griffin and Jake from our younger days. It was one of the few places where Griffin didn’t say something to make me leave.

The three of us would stay out late playing games, only going home when my mom finally showed up to collect us.

I swallow the lump that builds in my throat as I sit down in the seat.

No time for sadness tonight. Sophie and Kaleigh are doing their best to cheer me up, and I'm not going to ruin their efforts.

Kaleigh wins the first race, throwing her hands in the air and laughing.

She grins at me. “You look like this is the last place you want to be right now. I know Sophie wanted to do this for you, but if you want to go home, we can.”

I shake my head and grab the wheel again. “No, I’m fine. I just need a little bit of time to feel better.”

Kaleigh turns to me. “Tell me the truth. What happened the night he broke up with you? You were so happy to go home and see him, and then Sophie called me a couple of hours later and said that it was all over.”

“I was happy to go home to him. I thought everything was going to be fine. We just needed time and space, and then we could figure things out together.”

Kaleigh sighs and toys with a loose strand of her hair. “I have a hard time believing he wasn’t in love with you. Even before I found out that the two of you were together, I saw the way he looked at you.”

I shrug and reach for my beer, trying to pretend that my heart isn’t still ripping its way through my chest. “I don’t know. Something didn’t seem right about him. We were so in love the day the news broke, and then…it fell apart.”

Sophie comes over with fresh bottles of beer in her hands. “Cora, there’s no way we’ll spend the rest of the night talking about Griffin. You’re too smart and gorgeous to let that crusty man get you down like this.”

Kaleigh’s eyebrows raise. “Sophie!”

I shake my head and take the new beer. “No, Sophie is right. I’m here to have a good time with my besties.”

Kaleigh sighs. “It’s okay to be upset, Cora. We’re here for you.”

I get up from the racing game, scanning the arcade for some of the older games I used to play. “Not tonight. I can go back to being sad tomorrow, but tonight, I will have some fun.”

Sophie cheers and raises her drink in the air. “That’s the spirit. Now, come on, let’s kick some ass.”

Kaleigh still looks skeptical but doesn’t mention the breakup or leaving early for the rest of the night.

Sophie yawns as we step onto her floor. “If I had known you would beat me in all those games, I never would have suggested that we race.”

I chuckle as I follow her down the hall. “I used to spend a lot of time at the arcade. I got good at the games.”

Sophie rolls her eyes as she rummages in her pocket for the keys. I smile, but it quickly fades when I see one of the office associates standing in front of Sophie’s door.

"Dex, what are you doing here?" I ask, puzzled by his unexpected appearance.

He shifts uncomfortably, avoiding eye contact as he answers, "I have something I was asked to deliver to you."

Curiosity piqued, I watch as he retrieves a manila envelope from his backpack and extends it toward me.

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