Page 84 of Broken Heart

She didn’t get it.

No matter what I said, I’d never get her to see it from my perspective.

“Maria, this isn’t about the fact that I’m so much better off now,” I started. “Yes, I’ve moved on. Yes, I’m deliriously happy with a man who treats me like I deserve to be treated. And yes, he’s shown me a life that I never even knew could possibly exist. Unfortunately, none of that negates the fact you did what you did to me, and that’s not what a friend does. I’m going to put all my energy, time, and affection into fostering the new relationship I have, one that’s made me the happiest I’ve ever been in my life. You need to let this go. You need to focus on your new relationship and your new life. You have a baby on the way. Put your energy into that, because you’re wasting your time here with me. I’m not sure I’ll ever forgive you for what you did, but even if I could manage that, I know I’ll never forget it. It’s in both of our best interests for you to walk away and accept that this is how things are now.”

She stared at me in silence for a long time, a single tear rolling down her cheek. If I hadn’t shed hundreds of tears months ago when I got that email from Simon, if I hadn’t had my heart broken by them, seeing what appeared to be genuine remorse might have led me to waver.

But I’d been put through the wringer. I had to accept what they’d done to me. And though I didn’t necessarily wish any ill will toward Maria, Simon, and especially not their baby, I didn’t want them in my life moving forward. Her tears weren’t going to make me change my mind.

“It seems like I’m fighting a losing battle, so I guess I’ll go,” she rasped. “For what it’s worth, Skye, I love you, and I’m truly sorry for what I did. But I never thought you’d cut me out of your life completely.”

It was a good thing she had already decided to walk away, because I wasn’t sure I would have been able to restrain myself. She should have stopped speaking after she apologized. She chose to make this about me, like it was my fault, like I’d randomly cut her out of my life for no reason.

My eyes followed her as she walked away, and when I could no longer see her, my gaze shifted to the side. Ivy, Jules, and Rhea were all standing there with concerned looks on their faces.

“Are you okay?” Jules asked.

I pressed my lips together and nodded. “Yeah.”

“Are you sure?” Ivy pressed.

Was I?

“I think so,” I murmured.

“You know what you need?” Rhea questioned me.

“What?”

“You need ice cream,” she declared. “I’ve found it works wonders in a situation like this.”

“Oh, I could so go for some ice cream,” Jules said.

“Me, too. What do you say, Skye? Want to join us?” Ivy asked.

It didn’t take me more than a second to decide. I grinned at them and replied, “Yeah.”

For the next few minutes, Ivy, Jules, and Rhea helped me finish getting my store back in order. After I took care of a few last-minute things at the store, we were out the door. Before I knew it, we’d arrived at The Sweet Landing, Rhea’s ice cream shop on her family’s farm.

And it seemed that no sooner had Rhea scooped out ice cream for all of us, thoughts of Maria had vanished. Because my phone rang, and Cooper’s name was on the display.

“Hello?”

“Hey, sweetheart. I’m not interrupting the book club meeting, am I?” Cooper returned.

“Not exactly.”

“What does that mean?”

A smile formed on my face. “The book club meeting is over, and I’ve already left the store. But I didn’t go home. I’m with your sisters and Rhea at The Sweet Landing, and we’re having ice cream.”

“I didn’t know you were planning on going there,” he said.

“I wasn’t. But there was a bit of a situation at my store, and Rhea thought some ice cream might help,” I explained.

Cooper didn’t hesitate. “What kind of situation? What happened? Are you okay?”

Laughter spilled out of me. “It would be difficult not to be okay, Cooper. I’m eating ice cream. But to answer your other question, Maria stopped in tonight. She was hoping to get me to go back to being her friend. She wanted me to be there to celebrate this pregnancy milestone in her life.”

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