“I know you know, honey. But affairs can get messy. Far be it for me to raise this since the past is the past, but your father can tell you just how hard it is to be on the receiving end of this.”

My glance shifts toward Dad, his expression tight as if this brings back memories he prefers not to relive.

“Adriana, I don’t think bringing up my own experiences will help Andy.”

“Why? I’m sure if Charlie ended things with you before jumping into bed with Lex, you would’ve preferred that over suffering the way you did.”

“Yeah, maybe. But what’s done is done.”

“Exactly, so my point is, Andy and Jessa should come clean now before this goes further. You hold onto things because it’s s safety net. Benedict shouldn’t be her safety net because Andy won’t let her fall.”

“Right,” Dad says, but his face begins to fill with anger. “Nothing worse than being second best, the so-called safety net.”

Mom crosses her arms, then tilts her head. “What the hell is your problem? Everything worked out in the end.”

“Exactly,” Dad raises his voice. “It did work out in the end. It doesn’t mean you forget the aftermath of a woman’s poor decision. Yes, I had moved on from Charlie a very long time ago. It doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten about becoming an addict and how I lost everything and almost my own life.”

“Julian, I…”

“Adriana, people make mistakes. We weren’t exactly innocent while hiding our relationship from your family. Andy and Jessa are adults. They have their own experience to live and their own emotions to work through. Not you, or Luna, or anyone else for that matter, should be voicing opinions of their relationship. End of fucking story.”

Dad walks out of the room, leaving just the two of us. I’ve never seen Mom and Dad argue to this extent. They have fights, but they’re petty over dumb stuff like how the bed should be made or which way the toilet roll should be facing.

The guilt weighs on my shoulders since this is my life and shouldn’t cause problems between my parents. As for my sister, I don’t give a goddamn fuck about her right now, still livid over our heated argument.

“I’m sorry, Mom.”

“Oh, Andy.” She sighs, placing her arm around me. “Love can really test us. When Elijah passed away, I never imagined loving someone else, especially my best friend’s ex-fiancé. I knew we were against all odds, but I didn’t care. Love is a powerful feeling. When you feel it, you feel it. Sometimes the circumstances aren’t perfect, but nothing in life ever is.”

“No, it isn’t,” I say in a low voice. “I need to be alone.”

“Whatever you need,” Mom assures me, then she releases a breath. “Andy, just be careful. Leaving a marriage is one of the hardest things to do. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“I can take care of myself,” I remind her, then close the door behind me.

I find myself driving in circles, my mind unclear and able to settle. Finally, I pull up in front of Noah and Kate’s house. With my phone in my hand, I decide to text Jessa rather than knock on the door.

A few minutes later, I see her exit the front door until she’s sitting in the passenger seat.

“Hey,” she greets out of breath. “What’s wrong?”

My focus is on the windscreen in front of me.

“Are you going to leave Benedict?”

“Andy? Why are you asking this, and now?”

“Answer me,” I respond in an arctic tone.

“I’m tired, okay? It’s been a long day and—”

“I’m not going to sit here and wait forever, only to get hurt at the end because you don’t leave him.”

Jessa angles her body to face me. “Are you giving me an ultimatum? As in a time limit?”

“I’m asking you a question in which you’re not giving a straight answer!”

“Maybe I’m not giving you a straight answer because I don’t know how to answer it,” she argues back. “You show up, without warning, and expect me to say what?”