Page 137 of Marrying Off My Husband

My shaky thumbs typed out a message to Louise.Louise, I’ve messed up. I’m sorry. I’ve been so afraid of getting hurt that I’ve hurt everyone around me instead. I’m sitting here in this digital world I built, and it’s just empty without you, without Eve. I don’t know how to fix this, Lou. I don’t even know if I can. But I know I can’t do it without you. Please help me.

As I pressed the send button, my stomach clenched. Would this message matter or was it already too little, too late?

CHAPTER 34

LOUISE

Ipropped my head on my knuckles, my elbow on Eve’s threadbare little couch as I sniffled for the umpteenth time.

As Theo had driven me back, tears ran down my cheeks, my heart breaking with every one that fell. Spencer’s cowardice, the way he’d tossed Eve aside–and me– had been too much for me to bear.

It broke my heart that he broke her heart.

“It’s okay, sweetheart,” Theo tried, rubbing my shoulder as he eased to a stop in front of Eve’s apartment.

“It’s not,” I sobbed. “I pushed her to date Spencer, and he broke her heart. I broke her heart.”

“You didn’t. You tried your best to be a good friend, to give her a shot at happiness.”

“She deserves it. She deserves so much more than what she got.” Tears streamed down my cheeks, my mascara running right along with it.

“Yes, she did. Eve’s a sweet girl. But, sweetheart, she’s not going to be upset with you. If that’s what you’re worried about–”

“It’s not,” I moaned, a long cry escaping me as my lips tugged into a grimace.

I wasn’t worried about my friendship with her. I didn’t want that ruined, of course, but for once, this wasn’t about me. It was about poor Eve. It was about how she’d gotten a raw deal. A raw deal I’d handed to her.

I wouldn’t blame her if she screamed and shouted at me and threw my friendship bracelet in my face.

But I desperately still wanted to be her friend, and I wanted even more to fix her broken heart.

She deserved the sun and moon and all of the stars.

Theo’s presence beside me was a steady warmth in the dimly lit car, his hand drawing slow circles on my back. Outside, the wind whipped, bending the trees toward the ground, mirroring the turmoil inside of me.

Theo sat quietly by, his hand rhythmically rubbing my back. “How about if I stay with you and Eve?”

I pulled myself together, wiping at my tears as I sniffled. “No. No, it’s all right. I think we need a little time alone. I appreciate that, though, darlin’. And I’m so, so sorry.”

“No, I understand. You need this time. And if you need me, I’m only a text away, okay?”

I threw my arms around his neck, giving him a kiss.

Thunder rumbled overhead, and I tossed the door open and raced into Eve’s apartment before the deluge could begin.

I found her still asleep, her mouth hanging open to combat her stuffy nose. I eased myself onto the sofa next to her, stroking her hair as I settled in for the night.

I’d never sleep. My mind still swirled, and the weight of disappointment pressed heavily on me.

How had Spencer, someone I cared about deeply, failed to see the pain he’d caused?

Was I so blinded by my own happiness that I’d missed the signs?

The more I thought about it, the more my heart ached–not just for Eve, but for the friendship I feared was irreparably damaged.

With a heavy sigh, I tugged a pillow from next to me and stuck it behind my head, attempting to relax. The rush of emotions I’d been through earlier finally caught up to me, and my eyes became heavy.

I slid my hand onto Eve’s shoulder, the rhythm of her breathing comforting as my head lolled to the side. As I began to drift off, the chime of my phone startled me awake, cutting through the silence like a knife.

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