“Shit,” she says, sliding her hands over her dress. “I knew I forgot something when I stormed out of my dressing room.”
“Well, there isn’t anything you can do about it now.” I pull my phone out of my suit pocket and hold it out for her to take it. “Why don’t you call Erica? She can get your stuff for you before Jason does.”
She accepts my phone and begins drafting a text to Erica.
“You know, I realized something as soon as I found out about Jason cheating,” she says.
“What’s that?”
“My gut feeling was warning me all along that he wasn’t any good for me.” She looks away from me, lost in thought.
I nod in understanding, not wanting to interrupt her moment of reflection. “You’ll get through it,” I promise her, giving her one last glance before returning my attention to the road ahead of us. “It’s okay if you’re upset,” I add. “I know what it’s like to be cheated on. It hurts, no matter how much you try to deny it.”
Catherine gives me a watery smile, and I can see the pain in her eyes. She takes a few moments to collect herself before looking my way again.
“I appreciate it, but I’m not upset,” she says, her voice still shaky but with more strength than before. “Most of my current feelings would cause me to burn down his house.”
“Jesus, Catherine. The man has a cat.”
She crosses her arms over her chest. “I’m so stupid for thinking he was the one.”
“You’re not stupid,” I reassure her. “You were in love. And sometimes, people take advantage of that.”
Catherine nods. I can tell she’s still processing everything, so I leave her to her thoughts for a moment. “I just don’t understand why he would do this,” she says. “We were happy, or at least I thought we were.”
“It’s not your fault. He made the choice to cheat on you.”
Catherine nods slowly, her eyes focused on the passing scenery outside. “I know,” she says softly. “I just wish I could’ve seen it coming.”
I shrug. “We’ve all been there. You’re strong, and you have people who love and support you. That’s all that really matters at this point.”
She turns to me with a humorous expression on her face. “Including you?”
I shake my head. “No, definitely not me.”
She scoffs under her breath.
“Look, marriage isn’t what it’s cut out to be,” I reply. “It’s a gamble. If you don’t play it right, you’ll feel nothing but heartbreak every day.”
Catherine purses her lips as she observes me. “Are you talking about Emily?”
I roll my eyes, feeling a pang in my heart at the mention of the name. “You forget I’m ten years older than you and have way more life experience. I’m only trying to offer you some advice so you don’t feel bad about having to start over. If you’re going to do it all over again, do it on your terms.”
“Nope,” she insists. “I plan to change all of my terms.”
This is exactly why I wish Erica wouldn’t spend so much time with Catherine. What twenty-three-year-old talks like this?
“What do you mean?” I ask, attempting to listen instead of lecture her about what a horrible idea I think that is.
“Staying true to myself didn’t do me any good,” she quips. “It got me cheated on.”
“It wasn’t your values that got you cheated on,” I retort. “It was the guy you were planning on marrying.”
“Either way, I’m set on changing.”
I suppose I can understand where she’s coming from a little. “That’s fair. Just make sure you’re changing for yourself and not anyone else.”
Catherine looks at me, her eyes searching mine. “What if I don’t know who I am anymore?” she whispers.
