“Are you married?” I demand, my voice rising.
He sighs and closes his eyes. His silence speaks volumes, and I feel like I might throw up.
I shake my head, barely able to look at him. “God, I’m an idiot.”
I slip past him and grab my purse from where I left it in the entryway. My jacket is in the kitchen, but I can’t bring myself to go back in there and face his daughter again.
“Ash. Wait, please.” His voice is filled with pain, and I hesitate for a moment. He’s standing right behind me, but I can’t make myself turn around and look at him.
“Is what your daughter said true? Are you married?” I ask again, my voice barely a whisper.
“Yes, but please let me explain–”
His desperation is clear, but I can’t be the other woman. I won’t do that to his wife, to Laney, or to myself. We all deserve better than this.
“There’s nothing to explain. Goodbye, Ben.”
I struggle to hold back the tears as I throw open the front door and hurry down the porch steps, fumbling through my purse for my keys.
“Ash, please,” Ben calls after me, but I don’t respond. There’s nothing left to say. I don’t know how I’m going to face him at work next week, but I can’t think about that now. I just need to get out of here.
I’m in the car, reversing off the driveway when I finally glance back at him. He looks as devastated as I feel, but I can’tlet him explain. It’ll just be more lies. I’ve worked with him for almost six months, and he never once mentioned having a daughter, let alone a wife.
My phone rings through the car’s hands-free system, and I immediately end the call when I see Ben’s name on the display. He calls again, but I send it straight to voicemail. He can call as many times as he wants; I’m not going to talk to him.
I somehow make it back to Hope Creek, though I have no memory of the drive. Before I know it, I’m pulling onto Ivy’s driveway. I turn off the engine, drop my head onto the steering wheel, and let out a long breath.
We might only have been official with each other for a week, but we’ve spent hours together since that impromptu cooking class. When he sought me out in my classroom at the beginning of the week and said his life was complicated, I should have pushed for him to tell me exactly what he meant. Instead, I told him I didn’t need to know, effectively giving him the green light to string both me and his wife along, not to mention his daughter. I feel like such a fool. I’ve fallen hard for him, but beyond that, I’m just… hurt.
A knock on my window makes me jump. I look up and see Ivy standing there, her arms wrapped around herself, moving from foot to foot in the cold. She’s only wearing yoga pants and a tank top, clearly not prepared for the chill.
“What are you doing?” she shouts through the glass. “I saw you pull up, but then you didn’t get out of the car.”
I let out a sigh when I realize I’ve been sitting here longer than I thought. I unclip my seatbelt and grab my purse from the passenger seat. Opening the car door, I climb out.
“Ben’s married.”
“What? No way!”
I nod, my throat tight. “And he has a daughter.”
Her eyes widen. “Were they both there?”
“Just his daughter. She was the one who told me.” My voice cracks. “It was awful, Ivy. I couldn’t get out of there fast enough.”
“I’m so sorry, Ash.”
“You can sayI told you so. I deserve it.”
She frowns. “I would never say that. You don’t deserve any of this.”
She pulls me into a hug, and I let her, clinging to her warmth. After a moment, I loosen my grip and step back.
“Can I stay here? I don’t want to go home.”
“Of course.”
She takes my hand and leads me inside. Once in the living room, I collapse onto the sofa as she shuts off the reality show she was watching and sits beside me.
