AllFreeNovel
Share Us
THIRTY-TWO
Davit
One week later
“I still can’t believeit, Josh,” Carol said, her voice so thick with tears I could barely understand her.
I clenched my teeth, then forced myself to relax, put on my most patient, sympathetic expression, and met Carol’s eyes.
“I’ll come to your desk, and we can talk,” I said.
Carol nodded then walked away, and I followed behind her, using the few seconds I had to compose myself.
I was fed up with this shit but knew that I would keep up the charade as long as necessary.
“Now, tell me what’s going on,” I said to Carol after she sat down and put on a headset.
I knew what she was going to say before she said it, had heard the same thing every day since Amethyst had left.
“An email!” she exclaimed.
She shook her head, her expression so despondent that it almost touched my heart.
Almost.
I did feel for Carol, but I had other shit to worry about, and babying her had been taking up far too much of my time. But I would play my role, pretending to be the supportive yet clueless friend and colleague.
“Well, you know… She was definitely going through something,” I said.
“But I’ve known her for her entire life. To leave without saying good-bye…”
“Carol, did you know that she still had feelings for Keenan?” I said.
The entire sentence was one that I could barely force myself to say, but I knew I had to.
After news of Keenan’s unfortunate death had come out, I’d gone to great lengths to send just the right people a message from Amethyst’s email account. So I wouldn’t do anything to undermine the cover story that I had painstakingly created, even if it made me want to punch a fucking wall.
“I didn’t. Last I knew, she didn’t think too kindly of him after what he had done to her,” Carol said.
She didn’t know the half of it, but I just murmured noncommittally.
“Although I guess someone dying changes your perspective,” she said.
“It does,” I responded.
She looked wistful, then breathed out deep.
“I guess she took it harder than I’d thought. But I suppose I should just be happy,” she said.
“What do you mean?” I asked, putting on my most sympathetic and interested expression.
“Well,” she said, leaning toward me conspiratorially, “I always wanted her to get out of here. That girl was… Why am I talking about her in the past tense?”
“Just a slip, I’m sure,” I said. “Now what were you saying, Carol?”
“It’s just, she was so smart, so kind, and she could have done anything in this world. She deserved better than Raphael ever gave her or ever would, and I guess I should just be happy that it seems like she finally saw that.”
“I think you should,” I said, the words some of the only sincere ones I had said all day.
