A) I didn’t want to know what my brother said when he was fucking someone,
and
B) I would probably leave her house and go and kill him if I did.
“Like… like he wasreallyinto her, you know? She looked so pretty. And I’m just…” Lila waved a hand at herself before staring down at her bitten fingernails, and I reached down and grabbed her hand in mine.
“Hey, this isn’t about you. Okay? Look at me.”
Lila lifted her head and my heart broke into a thousand pieces at the pain in her eyes.
How could he do this to her?
“This is about myprickof a brother. This has nothing to do with you. You’re stunning, Lila. You know this. Come on.”
“Not that stunning, apparently,” Lila replied, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks. Her skin was blotchy and red, so I jumped up and headed to the downstairs bathroom to grab her some tissue. On the way, I passed the wedding canvas they had on the wall.
Victor gazed lovingly at my best friend on their wedding day; the one woman I’d warned him off. I’d told him if he ever hurt her, I’d end him. And now, here we were, twenty years later.
My anger issues were tough at the best of times, but right now, I wanted to peel Victor’s skin off. I grabbed some tissue and headed back to Lila, my teeth grinding.
“Like, how long has he been…” Lila paused and tilted her head like she was searching for the right word. “Seeing her?”
God.
We were in our forties, and we were speaking about my brother seeing some slut behind her back like we were teenagers.
“I should’ve known. But there were no signs, you know?” Lila shook her head as my phone chimed.
I grabbed it. It was Enzo.
Enzo: He’s in a motel; he’s not in a good way. He wants to speak to her.
I scoffed and responded.
Vanessa: He can get fucked. I hope he’s suffering. Lila is a wreck. What the fuck was he thinking? Who is this fucking woman?
I watched the three dots appear as Enzo typed, and I wondered if he’d known about this bitch. But his reply earlier seemed like he didn’t… Oh, my god, if he did, he’d be on my shit list too.
Enzo: I don’t know. Haven’t asked. Just told him he’s fucking crazy to do this to a woman like Lila.
So, he didn't know.
“Are you texting Victor?” Lila’s voice broke my concentration, and I put the phone down, shaking my head.
“No, babe. Enzo.”
Lila smiled. “He’s a good guy. He’ll make sure Victor is okay.”
How, and why did she give a damn how my brother was? Shit, I was two years younger than him, related by blood, and Istill didn’t care. Anything wrong with Victor was self-inflicted as far as I was concerned.
“Do you need anything? I can go and kick his ass if you like?” I tried to smile, but my cheeks felt frozen. Guilt gnawed at me—he wasmybrother, not some random guy. I loved the bones of him, but this woman was my ride-or-die. If she wanted me to help bury this bitch’s body, I was down.
“I want to know who she is,” Lila whispered. “And I want a divorce.”
A divorce.
I felt like I’d been kicked in the stomach, but I was proud of her for saying that. Lila deserved so much more than this, and I would do everything I could to help her get through it.
