Page 134 of The Jealous Girl

We hadn’t always been that way, though. We’d worked. Before Dorset. Before the stables. Before her.

Charlotte.

She’d been there from the start. Picking at our relationship. Poisoning him against me. Without her, we would have remained as we were. United. Strong.

She’d taken that from us. From me.

I stood slowly, brushing the pieces of our past from my fingers.

The one good thing about having your worst fear become reality is that there’s nothing left to fear.

I’d lost everything.

I had nothing left to lose.

But she did.

47

NOW

Late August

Friday

‘Are you sure you don’t need any help?’ I called from the sofa as Ben moved around in the kitchen, the sound of cupboards opening and closing rising above the hum of the kettle.

‘No, everything’s under control in here,’ Ben said. I heard two mugs tap down on the counter. ‘Today’s been intense. You need a minute to catch your breath and take it all in.’

I settled back against the cushions. He had a point. But I needed longer than a minute and a cup of tea to process everything.

‘Teabags?’ Ben called, as cupboards opened and closed again.

‘Cupboard on the right,’ I called back. ‘Bottom shelf.’

‘Aha.’

I chuckled lightly. Clearly, he’d found them.

More noises drifted in and I twisted around towards the kitchen door. It still felt wrong to leave him to it.

I should be the one making him tea. It was my flat, my mess and I’d dragged him into the middle of all of it.

‘Here you go,’ Ben said, setting two cups of tea on the coffee table in front of me.

‘Thanks,’ I said.

He started to move towards the sofa but stopped abruptly. ‘I forgot to ask if you take sugar. I can get you some.’ He turned back towards the kitchen.

‘No, it’s okay,’ I assured him. ‘I don’t.’

‘Okay,’ he said, but still lingered. ‘Do you need anything else?’

I shook my head and watched as he sat on the sofa beside me.

It was oddly unsettling having him looking after me.

I picked up my tea and drew it towards me even though it was too hot to drink.