Page 46 of Best Friend's Dirty Ex

What chance do I have to live a normal life if she's willing to just burst in and accuse me of kidnapping?

I take another drink of my whiskey.

When I woke up this morning, I had no idea that things would go so sideways. And now that I'm quietly facing the truth about my daughter vanishing, thinking about how easily I could have not known if something truly terrible happened, thinking about how Lyla can just barge in and make wild accusations and potentially ruin my life... it's a lot to deal with.

Trying to find a way forward through all of this isn't going to be easy.The painful reminders of the life I lost are fresh once more, and that hurts.

Still, I can't help but be hopeful. I'd rather allow myself to think that things can potentially get better than get stuck wallowing in the what if and the worry that it will always be this way.

And while I would like to spend time with Everly, I can also accept that she’s made her stance clear.

Losing her wasn't ever part of the plan, but now I know that I can't hold her tight and refuse to let her go. She's made her decision and now I need to respect that. My friends can think that she's going to come around, but I need to face the reality that she may never trust me again.

And can I really blame her?

What happens when she learns all the other secrets that I've been keeping from her?

What happens when all of these people that I consider my friends learn the truth?

Chapter Twenty-three

Everly

“Lyla, I need you to talk to me.” I chase after my friend, grabbing her arm, and pull her back toward the room.

At first she seems to want to fight and pull out of my grasp, but then she lets out a huge sigh and reluctantly begins to walk with me. I manage to catch the door to the room before it swings closed and I pull her inside into the quiet.

She quickly crosses her arms and adopts an expression that tells me that she's not going to answer a single question I have. “What do you want?”

“I want us to go back to being friends. I want us to trust one another. I want us to confide in each other. I want you to tell me the truth.” The words just pour out of me as I think about everything I've been holding back and not saying to her, things that I probably should have said a long time ago if I wanted to salvage our friendship. Because at this point, I don't know that what we had can be saved.

She seems to hesitate, teetering between the edge of wanting to talk to me and wanting to continue to be standoffish. “Well, of course we're friends.”

I hold back a chuckle, knowing that that sound will not help this conversation. “If we're friends, then why do you keep lying to me?”

As I say the words, her eyebrows lift as if she can't believe I'm accusing her of the truth.

“Never mind that right now. Can you tell me why you think that Troy had something to do with your niece going missing?” I want to know what makes her think that he did this, or I want her to admit that she's just pinning it on him for no reason other than to make him look bad.

“I saw his car outside my sister's place-”

“When?” Nothing she says feels right, and the way her eyes roll toward the ceiling as she answers makes me think she’s lying to me even now.

“Today, or this morning, maybe last night, I’m not sure. Sometime before my niece went missing, so I just assumed that maybe he had something to do with her going missing.” The answer sounds like a total blow off, like she's making it up as she goes, trying to convince herself and me as she speaks.

I'm not buying it because it feels like a lie.

“Okay, now do you want to tell me the truth?” I'm through with all of this. If she just wants to lie to me, then there's no way we can stay friends.

Her eyes narrow. “Are you calling me a liar?”

“Well, yes, because you're lying to me.” I'm not about to back down and let her think that she can get away with just telling me mistruths and I'll accept them even though I know they’re lies. “I'd also like to know why you're driving by his place and stalking him. That's unacceptable behavior and you should know better.”

“Did he say I was stalking him? You know he lies.” Her arms are crossed so tightly I'm not sure how she can even breathe, and I shake my head.

“No, I actually haven't really known him to tell me any mistruths. In all honesty, you are the one who's been lying to me.” I don't want her to think she's fooling me, not for a second.

“I don't have to stand here and listen to this.” She moves toward the door.

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