Page 63 of Troubles

She wraps her arms around herself, again keeping her gaze from meeting mine.

“It is. Go to sleep, we’ll talk tomorrow.” I drop a kiss on her forehead and wish her a good night. My heart breaks for Lorna as I head down the hall.

I loosen my tie and grab some blankets and a pillow from the hall closet, throwing them to the couch.

Relieved to see nothing new from Lis, I call my mum, peeling off my suit while I fill her in on Lorna.

Lis

I can’t stay at this reception any longer. I have smiled and nodded politely through all the comments about everyone assuming it would be me and Rob getting married. I have answered all the tacky questions about when Rob and Maryse “started” dating. I stuff down my desire to tell every single one of them what a lying cheating bastard he is and how much they deserve the misery of each other.

But I don’t.

I sip my drink, far slower than I want to. It’s the same one I started the night with. Aidan was supposed to be by my side for this. He was supposed to be my buffer from all of these shitty meddling people. When he told me he had to leave, that Francie called with an emergency, I tried to be understanding. I tried to have a brave face.

I tried.

I set the watered-down whiskey on the table with a sigh and reach for my bag to order an Uber and meet Aidan at McBride’s.

Somehow, I’ve been able to avoid Rob’s parents. Do they know he cheated on me? Do they care? I don’t know. I’ve managed to avoid Maryse and Rob, too.

Until now.

Like she’s on a mission, Maryse bustles through her audience cutting off my escape. “You weren’t going to leave without saying goodbye, were you?” Hand on her hip, champagne glass in the other, she literally blocks me from leaving.

I paste a smile on my face. “Of course not, Maryse. Congratulations to you both and thank you for inviting me to celebrate with you. Your wedding was just lovely.” My words are as fake as our relationship and it shows.

I try to step around her, but she’s not done with me.

“Where’d your date go? Couldn’t keep hold of him either?” she sneers.

“What? For the love of God, Maryse, leave it alone. You won, okay? You have Rob, and really, Aidan wanted to thank you both for that in person, but he had to leave unexpectedly. There was an emergency and he had to rush off.”

I have never understood why she hates me so much, but this is the end.

“Mhmmm—his emergency. I heard him on the phone earlier, have fun dealing with that…again.”

Why? What is wrong with these people?

The Uber driver tries to make conversation, but I have nothing more for him than an occasional uh-huh, and a thank you when I hop out at the pub. Thinking my night can’t get any worse, I step through the door and my heart—my heart stops.

I close my eyes, trying desperately to convince myself that I’m not seeing this. When I open them again, my heart cracks, the pain slashing through my chest almost convinces me I’ve died from this.

I drag my gaze to the bar and see Finn seething at Aidan. The sound of a pregnant woman soothing Aidan as he rests his hand on her belly, his shoulders shaking. Telling him they’ll be okay.

That’s what truly breaks me.

Hopeless and destroyed, once again, in less than a year, I turn and walk away from the man I love. But it’s worse this time. So much worse.

Tears stream down my face as the door slams behind me.

What am I going to do? Where am I going to go? I can’t go home. Home. God, I can’t do this.

On autopilot, I head up the street to my old apartment praying that Gracyn is home. My mind is blank but spinning a hundred miles an hour. My car, he has my car. Kate. Gracyn has a new roommate. I shake my head, running up the stairs. I don’t know what I’m going to do if they’re not here. I knock on the door and wait. It’s Saturday night, they’re probably out.

I knock again, pleasepleaseplease falling off my tongue.

“Gracyn—please.” I call into the crack of the door.

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