Page 27 of Ruthless Lullaby

I laugh bitterly. "Yeah. And let's just say it wasn't exactly PG-13."

"Meaning…?"

"Well… I scream on it."

Betty covers her mouth with her hands. "Oh, my God, Mindy… Please tell me you're joking."

I let out a dramatic sigh and run my fingers through my hair. "I wish I was, Bets. But unfortunately, this is not a shitty movie plot. It's real life."

An uncontrollable bubbling sensation fills my chest, and suddenly, I struggle to contain my laughter. As I glance at Betty, I can see her fighting the same urge. In an instant, we both erupt into a fit of laughter.

Our bodies shake with mirth as we give in to the hilarity of the whole thing. Finally, our sides hurt and we're gasping for air, but even after it all dies down, our eyes still twinkle.

"I’m… I’m so sorry. I'm not laughing at you, babe," Betty says through her giggling. "I just can't believe this actually happened. Did anyone actually see the photos?"

"Just Maron Korolev and his entire management team, I guess," I reply.

Betty shakes her head. “What the hell, girl? This just keeps getting worse and worse. When did this all happen?”

"Friday night. All I remember is being buried under two hundred and fifty-six spreadsheets the whole day, sending forty-six emails every hour, and trying to maintain my sanity while following Maron Korolev's orders. Then I came home, took some photos for Maurice, and sent them to the wrong address."

“The wrong address? What? How?” Betty shakes her head in disbelief.

"Long and incredibly boring story, Bets.” I sigh. “You don't wanna hear it. The point is, I drove to work this morning, just to find out that my company card was blocked. Then I got Mike’s email," I explain, blowing my nose. I can't even tell if I'm laughing or crying anymore.

Betty squeezes my hand sympathetically. "Oh honey, I'm so sorry. At least you have me and Maurice."

"Only you."

“What?” Betty frowns. "You mean-"

“Yup,” I nod. "I'm single again."

She covers her mouth with her hand. "Shit," she blurts. "This is way too much for one weekend, Mindy. I'll bring something to make this day tolerable." She comes back with a box of chocolate and opens it. "Now tell me everything."

I take a deep breath and tell her all about Maurice, how he gambled away the IVF money, how he dumped me, and all the batshit crazy series of events.

"When did I become such a pathetic loser, Bets?" I allow myself to cry into Betty's shoulder, tears streaming down my face for the umpteenth time. I’ve been alone with my emotions all weekend, and it’s good to finally have my friend back.

She rubs my back soothingly. "Shh... I know how much you wanted a family, babe. But Maurice doesn't deserve your heartbreak after what he’s done. You'll get through this. And I’ll be right here with you." She keeps patting my back. "Ssh. I'm so sorry, honey.”

I wipe my nose. "It's not even about the IVF money," I say. "He couldn't keep up with my libido. That's what he said."

Betty's eyes widen. "I mean… what a weirdo. I've never met a guy who said that was a problem."

I shrug. "Well, there's Maurice for you."

After a moment of silence, Betty squeezes my hand. "You know, Min, as bad as this thing with Maurice might seem, at least he didn't snore like a freight train or mansplain your own job to you."

I can't help but chuckle. "Oh, you’re referring to the parade of dating disasters I went through before him?"

Betty grins. "How could I forget that?"

I heave a sigh. I know my friend is trying to lighten the mood by bringing this up. I most certainly had the worst dating history before I found Maurice. "You remember that lawyer who seemed to just hate women in general? Anytime I brought up an issue, he'd mansplain and act condescending."

Betty wrinkles her nose in disgust. "Yeah, Mark, huh? Boy, I was glad you got out of that one. Ugh!"

"Oh yeah, I ran for the hills," I laugh through my tears. "Then there was the plumber guy, remember?

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