Page 22 of Enemies, Lovers & A Valentine's Baby

I lean back, staring into her tear-stained face. “I am your best friend, Sue, and I am on your side. It’s just that I am having a hard time believing that Greg—the man I’ve known for as long as you have, the man who thinks you could probably walk on water, would wreck his family like this.”

“Then you’re even more blind than I am,” she chuckles dryly, shaking her head.

“I see the way he looks at you,” I continue as if she hadn’t spoken. “He’s looked at you that same way from the moment youmet. He adores you, and I just don’t believe that he would do this.”

I cross my arms tightly as if it were my heart breaking. I can’t bring myself to believe it, because if he could betray someone as perfect as Sue, it would mean that there was truly no hope for a happily ever after for someone like me, an almost forty-year-old woman with no relationship prospects or children.

I feel slightly queasy at the thought.

“You don’t believe he’s cheating on me.”

“No, I don’t,” I respond, crossing my fingers and toes.

She stays silent again, watching me. Her eyes seem to have gotten brighter now. Just a fraction, but it’s enough for me. They’re filled with hope. Hope that maybe, just maybe, I’m right and she’s wrong.

“Help me prove it then,” she says.

“How?”

“I can’t imagine my life without him, Lila. I don’t want it to be true, but I also can’t ignore what’s right in front of me. So please, please help me find out what’s really been happening.”

Her eyes are soft and pleading.

“I can’t ask Greg. I wouldn’t believe a word out of his mouth anyway, so it’ll be pointless.” She pauses for a bit. “There’s only one other person who can tell us the truth.”

My brows furrow deeply as I try to make sense of her words.

“Who?”

“You’re my best friend, and you know everything about me. There’s only one person who would know everything about him too.”

It takes me a moment to follow, but when I finally do, my eyes widen at the implication of her words.

She can’t really mean what I think she does.

“If anyone would know if Greg is really cheating on me, it would be his best friend, Cole,” she finishes.

Shit, she does mean what I think.

“You’re going to talk to Cole about this?” I ask, and just the mention of his name instantly makes my stomach tighten.

“No.” There’s a pause of a few seconds. “You are.”

I start to chuckle but stop when I notice the serious glint in her eyes. She isn’t joking.

“Sue, this has to be some kind of joke. You already know how I feel about that man. Plus, I’ve literally not had a conversation with him, like ever, since I don’t consider what happened at your wedding a conversation, and you want the first one we have to be, oh, hey, can you tell me if your best friend is cheating on my best friend?” I say incredulously.

“Please, Lila, I know that I’m asking a lot from you, but I can’t think of another way.”

I stare into her wide, sorrowful eyes. I want to say yes.

My mind takes me back to that day eight years ago. I remember the feeling of nausea washing over me as his words seemed to intertwine eerily similar to Seth’s.“You're not good enough,”came through loud and clear. I fought to keep the tears at bay, but it was beyond my control. I was ripping at the seams while everyone watched.

I stared at him numbly, trying to figure out how a man so beautiful could utter such ugly words.

Sue and Greg have respected my wishes to never talk about him; however, our best friends are married to each other, so we very well may be doomed to an eternity of running into each other on occasion.

That’s okay though; at least he doesn’t live in Boston.

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