“Hesawyou?! Oh my god!” This shit washysterical.My cheating brother was paying big time, and I was here for all of it.
“Yeah, I didn’t care. Then I sent him the video of him and his trashy bitch and told him to sign the divorce papers.”
Sadness flooded her eyes for a second, but when she blinked, it was gone.
Divorce.
Such a heavy, final, bitter word. It sat heavily between us until she asked in a small voice, “Do you think he’ll tell the cops it was me?”
Immediately, I shook my head. “No. He knows he fucked up. You’re his wife—he fucking loves you. This is on him. He pushed you to this, but as your best friend, I need to bring you back fromthe ledge.” I smiled and reached for her hand. “I’ve got the day off, which is rare, right? So why don’t we go shopping?”
Lila perked up. “With his credit card?”
I snorted. “Of course.”
16
VICTOR
“Someone torched your truck?” My boss, Alan Boone, stared at me, the beads of sweat on his bald head glistening beneath the fluorescent lights. I hated this tiny cabin he resided in; it stunk of fat-man sweat and cheese. Fuck knows why, but I suspected my boss as the source.
Grim.
“Yep.” I grimaced. “I’ve hired one for now, but my tools are fucked.”
“Jeez, Rossi, who did you piss off?” Alan boomed, filling the air with more cheesy breath.
Christ.
“Who knows,” I muttered, backing away so I was closer to fresh air.
“Well, were you insured for the tools?”
I nodded and Alan eased back in his chair. “Okay, no worries then. So why are you here?”
I rubbed the back of my neck, wishing the ground would open up and swallow me whole. “I need a few days off.”
“More?” Alan arched a bushy brow. “C’mon, Rossi. You need to get a grip. I can’t keep giving you time off to lick your wounds. Besides, the work will give you something to focus on.”
That fat fucking prick. I was sick of living at Enzo’s and drinking until I couldn’t see just to get through the day. I needed some time to sort myself out, get my finances in order?—
“You can’t keep turning up smelling like a brewery either.” The absolute audacity of this man. He sat there telling meIstank when?—
I took a deep breath; I needed my job.
“Sorry, boss.”
He nodded and stared back at the paperwork on his desk, a silent dismissal. I exited the cabin, inhaling plenty of fresh air, when Ryan, one of the younger workers, wrinkled his nose as he passed me.
“Fucking hell, Rossi. Are you drinking on site now?”
Ryan laughed as he continued walking, but I had to resist the urge to drive my fist into the back of his head. He must be what, thirty? What does he fucking know about your world falling apart at my age?Nothing. That was what.
“Fuck off, Henderson,” I muttered, and he chuckled.
“Hey, from what I heard, you did this to yourself.”
I wish I could’ve taken a breath or paused, anything other than what I did.
