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“Didn’t your mom—”
“She told me what she thinks I can handle. But I need to know the truth.”
“You can remember going to La Dolce Vita with your mom?” I nod, but Hadley hesitates, tugging her bottom lip between her teeth.
“Hadley?” I prompt.
She gasps. “Well, she asked me to meet you at the house. I was supposed to distract you while she helped James set up the finishing touches for your party. But you were upset.”
“Because of Ace.” My chest tightens.
“I was hoping you might have forgotten that.” She grimaces. “You saw Michaela in La Dolce Vita, and she said some stuff.”
“She did?” I could remember being there, but I couldn’t remember—
I suck in a sharp breath as the hazy memory fills my mind. “She said she’d seen him.”
Pain coils around my heart. Hurting me is one thing, but giving Michaela ammunition against me is the ultimate betrayal.
“My mom invited her to the party, didn’t she?” Frustration burns through me. “She invited all of them?”
I can’t see their faces, but I know they were there. It’s a strange feeling, to know but not know, as if there’s something blocking the full memory from revealing itself to me.
“Yeah, everyone was there. We may have turned up drunk.”
“I would have paid to see that,” I chuckle.
“Bexley was all over you like a bad rash, of course. He’s been calling your mom every day.”
“Ugh,” I grumble.
“My sentiments exactly. If it wasn’t for him trying to wail on Ace, you wouldn’t be here.”
“What was Ace even doing there?” It makes no sense why he’d come to my party after he made his true feelings toward me perfectly clear.
Something passes over Hadley’s expression. “What is it?”
“What?” She blinks. “Nothing. I’m just thinking it shouldn’t have gone down like that.”
A tingle spreads through me. She’s not telling me everything. I don’t know how I know, I just do.
Closing my eyes, I inhale a deep breath. There’s nothing more frustrating than people keeping you in the dark because they think you’re not strong enough to handle the truth. But I’m hardly in a position to argue.
“You can ask about him, you know.” Hadley breaks the silence. “I won’t judge.”
“Who, Bexley?”
“No, not Bexley. But it’s nice to know you’re still as sarcastic as ever.” She smirks.
“Just tell me... how bad is it?”
Her expression falls, and I know she knows exactly what I’m talking about.
Reaching over, Hadley takes my hand in hers and gives me a sad smile. “I’m not going to sugarcoat it, girl. It’s bad. It’s really fucking bad. But you can’t worry about that now. You need to get better and get out of this place, and then we’ll deal with the rest, okay?”
“God, I hate this.” I screw my eyes shut, trying to regulate my breathing. If I let myself get too worked up, the nurse will barge in here and start lecturing me.
“Hey.” Hadley squeezes my hand. “The most important thing is that you’re okay. When I saw you lying there in Ac—” She stops herself, guilt glittering in her eyes.
