Page 133 of The Accidental Wife

Shayla

“Shayla Hart,what is your sexy bum doing out here in the cold?” Jo asks, walking out on our terrace as I lay there on a pile of cushions looking up at the dark sky.

“Waiting for the sky to open up and swallow me whole?” I sardonically utter as Jo lays down beside me and looks up at the sky.

“Looks like you might be waiting a while on that one, Bish.” She sighs, and I smile sadly, staring up at that one bright star in the sky.

“I can’t believe I’m leaving in a few hours,” I sigh and lace my fingers with Jo’s as we stare up at the sky together.

“Oh, Shayla, I really wish you wouldn’t. Can’t you just pretend you left and let him think you’ve gone?” She suggests, and I close my eyes and shake my head.

“I can’t, Jo,” I tell her. “I can’t be here anymore. Too much has happened. I have too many memories, I know it’s stupid, but just breathing the same air as him, I honestly feel like I’m suffocating. His face his everywhere I go. He’s in everything I do. I can’t survive here anymore.” I whisper, wiping the tears away. “Every time the door rings, I’ll have that little bubble of hope wondering if it’s him, or every time I go out, I’ll search for his face in everyone that passes by me. It’s just too hard.”

“What’s too hard? What are you two tartlets talking about without me, hm?” Aimee grumbles, coming over to lay on the cushions with Jo and me.

“Cole.” We say in unison, and Aimee rolls her eyes and groans.

“Of course, what a silly question.” She sighs heavily and looks up at the sky. “Catch me up.”

“I was just telling her how sad we are that she has to leave and asked if she had to go,” Jo says, brushing her thumb over mine.

“As wrecked as I am that you’re leaving, a part of me is relieved for you because watching you fall apart, again and again, these past couple of months has been so hard, Shayla,” Aimee confesses sadly, and I nod, lacing my other hand with hers.

“I honestly don’t know how I would have survived without the two of you through all of this.” I sniffle, closing my eyes. “I think I honestly would have done something stupid, it’s a scary thought, but that’s how close I’ve gotten to the edge.”

Aimee squeezes my hand. “Don’t talk like that, or I won’t let you go anywhere.”

Jo nods in agreement. “We’ll lock you away in your room and wrap you up in bubble wrap till you get over him.”

I smile sullenly. “Who would have thought last year that I’d be up and moving to the other end of the world to get away from a boy.” I laugh bitterly, wiping away my tears. “Leaving my family and friends, my whole life behind.” I cry.

“Shayla, we said no crying,” Aimee cries with me, rolling onto her stomach to look at me.

“I’ve been crying since yesterday,” Jo confesses, dabbing her eyes with a tissue and rolling over too, both of them looking down into my face while I sob.

“My mother was in bits when I told her everything. She’s so heartbroken that I lied to her, I doubt she’ll ever forgive me.” I whimper, shaking my head. “And Sam, well, I had to beg him, to stop him from finding Cole and killing him when he saw the state I was in. What a fucking mess.”

Aimee sighs, brushing her fingers through my hair. “What are we going to do without you, Shay? I honestly want to kill that Cole repeatedly. I fucking hate him for doing this to you.” She murmurs irritated.

I shake my head. “No, girls, please don’t hate him. Yes, he’s burned me more than I have ever been in my life, but he’s also taught me what it’s like to love fiercely and to be loved just as intensely.” I say sincerely. “He made his mistakes, and so did I, but despite everything, he’s a good man and has such a good heart,” I admit solemnly, closing my eyes. “I can say without a doubt he’s the love of my life. It’s just unfortunate that we weren’t given the opportunity to be together.”

“I didn’t see it ending like this Shayla, you two were supposed to fall in love, stay married, and have cute babies and live happily forever.” Jo sniffles wiping her eyes. “It’s like I’m watching a really sad movie without a happy ending, and it’s not fair.” She wails into her tissue, setting me off, and Aimee hits Jo on the head with a cushion.

“Now look what you’ve done.” She cries, pointing at me while sobbing herself. There we were, all three of us sobbing like three teenagers, just like when we watched The Notebook.

I stare down at my finger where I once wore a diamond ring and sigh. “He’s getting married tomorrow.” I sob wretchedly, and the girls wrap their arms around me and cry with me. “God girls, I love him so damn much,” I whisper, and they nod.

“We know baby girl, and Cole loves you too. That’s what makes this so fucking shit because you both love each other so much, and you can’t be together. It’s so heartbreaking.” Jo cries, brushing her fingers through my hair comfortingly. How am I going to get over him? I had no idea how I was going to go on without him. I sigh and lay back, staring at the sky, remembering all our moments together. The first day we met, dancing in the club, our first kiss in the back of his car, the night we almost had sex at his apartment but got interrupted by the fire alarm, our moments in Nice and Dubai, we had so many. I felt like my heart was ablaze.

I miss him so much.

“Here,” Aimee says, coming back with a bottle of tequila and three shot glasses. While I’m lost in my thoughts, I didn’t realise she got up. “Let’s get drunk because my emotions are running wild right now, and I want to scream.” She claims, pouring us all shots. “I don’t even want to imagine what you feel, so drink.”

I sit up. “I’m not getting drunk. I have a flight tomorrow morning, and I don’t fancy being hungover for an eight-hour journey,” I tell them both and take the shot. I wince as the liquid burns my insides as it goes down.

“No more crying. This is our last night together. The three Amigas! So, we are going to drink, and we’re going to dance and laugh, remembering our fun times we’ve had here over the years.” Aimee says, pouring us another shot each. I nod and take the shot, shaking my head. I do my best to try and enjoy my last night with my girls, but the more I drank, the more I wanted to see Cole. “Drink Shayla!” Aimee shouts, handing me another shot. I wince and take it after clinking the glasses with them. Aimee gasps when Bitter by Fletcher starts playing and turns the music up, and we sing at the top of our lungs. “I know you think about me when you kiss her. I left a taste in your mouth. Can she taste me now… ” I sing along to the song, tears of despair flowing from my eyes.

I want to scream.

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