Page 60 of Wicked Prince

He blows a puff of air through his nose. "You don't need to thank me. That's kind of what friends are for, you know? The good stuff, the bad stuff, and the holy fucking shit stuff, too."

I give a dry laugh, even though it sounds more like a sob. "Yeah. I guess so."

I wouldn't really know, though. Anthony is the first real friend I've had since elementary, but it feels way too pathetic to admit that.

Relationships aren't something I'm good at, romantic or platonic. I've lived my whole life having to keep most of it a secret, and it eventually gets so complicated to remember who you have to be around each person that it's easier just to give up and shut everyone out.

That's still my go-to instinct, but this is one thing I know I can't handle by myself. More than anything, I just wish my mom were still here.

Eventually, I convince Anthony to go back home since I know he has other shit to do, even though he's made it clear he's willing to blow it off. I need to just take a shower, curl up in bed, and ugly cry like no one's watching.

I spend the rest of the night doing exactly that, because I know that come morning, I have to put myself back together and find a way to pretend like everything is fine.

At least until I know for sure it isn't going to be.

Maybe not ever again.

* * *

My phone buzzeson my nightstand, rousing me from the restless sleep I finally managed to succumb to at some point. When I see Dad's number on the screen, I'm filled with confusion since it feels like the middle of the night. A quick glance at my display reveals it's only a little past ten.

I have no idea what he's calling about. Probably some other bullshit thing he wants to drag me to. Or maybe tales of my bad behavior have made their way off campus and to him, and he wants to lecture me.

Either way, I turn my phone on Do Not Disturb and hide under the covers. He's just another problem I'm going to have to face tomorrow.

Not class, though. I've already decided I'm skipping tomorrow, and I'll figure out the rest from there. It's not like I'll be able to focus on anything until I get an official test, even if deep down, I know the answer isn't going to be any different.

Why would it be? Everything in my life seems to go the worst possible way it could, so why would this be any exception?

That night, I dream about Lorenzo, which is nothing new. What is new is that this time, it's not just seeing him in class or dinner or the intimate encounter that likes to repeat in my mind while I'm asleep, just to torture me even more when I'm awake.

This time, it's his wedding.

I'm in the audience, watching as he waits at the end of the aisle, and with each note of the bridal march that plays, I feel like another part of me dies inside.

Then I look down and see my swollen belly, and the nightmare takes a nosedive into something even worse.

I wake with a jolt in a cold sweat as my alarm goes off, and I realize I forgot to turn it off the night before.

"Shit," I mutter, grabbing my phone and turning off the alarm with trembling hands.

It's a little past seven, and even if I'm not going to class, I know better than to think I'll be able to get back to sleep after that. And knowing what awaits me in my sleep, I don't want to, anyway.

I press a hand to my stomach just to reassure myself itwasa dream. Still flat, so my secret will remain a secret.

For now.

ChapterTwenty-Four

AMELIA

As I sit in the waiting room at the walk-in clinic a few miles off campus, I can't help but feel like none of it is real. Wishful thinking, maybe. Denial, probably. Either way, I'm coasting on it for the moment because the only other options are sobbing under the blankets or outright panicking, and I did enough of both last night.

Anthony is sitting next to me, flipping through a magazine. He's frowning at the page and shaking his head. "Being an LA divorce attorney has to be the most lucrative profession in the Western hemisphere."

I snort. "Better than being like the mob where everyone just cheats, I guess."

"I don't know, it's always worked out pretty well for my mom," he muses.

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