Page 48 of Pulled Away

“I miss you,” I say again. Third time’s the charm, right?

My concern spikes when she sniffles but stays silent.

Before I can ask if everything’s okay, the bathroom door opens, and my eyes shoot to Hadley, who walks out wrapped in a towel. I’m so shocked that for a moment I forget I’m on the phone.

“Fuck, Hadley. Put on some clothes.”

“Just turn your back,” she says, throwing me a wink over her shoulder.

My heart sinks when a choked sob echoes through the phone.

“Baby, it’s not what it—”

“You still sleep on the left side of the bed, right? I’ll take the right,” Hadley says, her words poisoned arrows shooting straight for their target. The silence on the phone is deafening.

“Aspen,” I whisper, my heart lodged somewhere in my throat.

“I have to go. See you around, Ryan.”

What. The. Fuck? I look at my phone in disbelief. She hung up on me. And what did she mean by “see you around”? That’s something you tell an acquaintance, not your boyfriend. Why did it sound so final?

I immediately call her back, but the phone goes straight to voice mail. I try again, and then again, both times with the same result.

Suddenly furious and panicked, I jump up and round on Hadley.

“What the fuck did you do that for?”

I clutch a hand to my chest. The pain in my chest is so intense, it feels as if I’m getting a fucking heart attack.

“What?” Hadley sputters, taking a step back.

“You did that on purpose! You knew she’d hear you. She didn’t need to find out that way!”

“What’s the big deal? You said you didn’t want to hide anything from her.”

Her words might be innocent enough, but there’s a look on her face. A look that contradicts what her words are saying. The Mr. Hyde to her Dr. Jekyll words. It’s a lurk in her eyes, a twist on her lips, an angle to her chin.

I stare at her as every interaction we had since she’s been back plays out in my mind. How easily I fell back into the role of comforting her. How my misplaced guilt allowed me to put her before everyone. Even before the most important person in my life—Aspen. And how I fucking allowed it to happen.

“You took advantage of me,” I mutter, feeling like the biggest fool to have ever lived. “This has been your plan all along. To break up Aspen and I.” I wait for her to deny my claim, but the look on her face has firmed. She’s completely unapologetic.

“I did what I had to do. I needed you to open your eyes and see that she’s not right for you.”

“And what? You’re right for me?” I sneer.

“Yes! It’s always been you and me. We grew up together. We went to prom together. College, graduation, being married—it’s always been you and me. She,”—she spits the word as if it’s distasteful—“doesn’t know you like I do. She can’t give you what you need. I can.”

“No. I’ve always been there for you. Always, Hadley!” I shout the last two words. “This is the first time I’ve ever needed you to be there for me, and instead you stab me in the back.”

She flinches as if I’ve struck her and I can’t find it in me to care.

“That’s not true. This is me being here for you. Marrying Aspen will be the single biggest mistake of your life. Why can’t you see that?”

“No, my single biggest mistake was marrying you. ”

Her head shakes. “No. It wasn’t being married that was wrong. It was the timing.”

“What the fuck are you talking about? We both agreed to the divorce.”

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