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If Constance thought that she’d hit rock bottom, she was wrong. It was like the air had been knocked out of her lungs. She clutched at her heart and her head thumped against the wall. Everything suddenly made so much more sense.
The way James had stared at Brielle before Constance had gone on a date with him. Brielle’s distaste for him and her insistence that Constance shouldn’t date him. There was history there.
Thoughts spiraled out of control with each passing second. What if he’d dated her to get over Brielle? How long ago had they been together? Was he still hung up on her even now?
She felt sick to her stomach and dizzy at the same time.
Constance’s hands clenched into fists and she charged into her room. Both of her sisters jumped and stared at her with wide eyes. Constance pushed past Brielle, their shoulders colliding.
Brielle grunted.
“Get out,” Constance muttered.
“What? Why?”
“Bri—” Dianna warned.
Constance grabbed a pillow and launched it at Brielle’s head. “I said get out.”
Brielle ducked, her eyes narrowing. “Are you going to tell me what’s gotten into you?”
Glowering at her older sister, Constance reached for another pillow. She took aim until Dianna’s voice stopped her.
“Connie. That’s enough.”
Constance shifted her focus to her younger sister and muttered, “You’re no better than she is.”
Dianna glanced away. At least she had some semblance of shame.
“When were you going to tell me that you had dated my boyfriend?” Constance spat.
Brielle finally dropped her gaze to the ground. “Oh.”
“Yeah.Oh. Lucky for you, I wasn’t paying much attention to the guys you used to sneak around with. I guess everyone got a good laugh watching me get your sloppy seconds when James was still infatuated with you.”
Brielle’s head snapped up and her face paled. “What? Of course not. That wasn’t how it was at all.”
“Whatever. Just—please, just go.” Constance’s voice had softened but more due to the energy that had been zapped from her body by having to discuss all of this with the one person she knew she’d inevitably forgive.
But James was different. He had kept this from her deliberately. If she hadn’t already broken up with him to save them each some heartache, she might have had to go over to his apartment again so she could put him in his place and end things based on principle.
“Connie, I—”
Constance held up a hand and turned around so she could sit on the bed with her back to her sisters.
“I think you should go, Bri,” Dianna whispered. “Just let her be.”
“I really am sorry,” Brielle murmured.
23
James
Numb.
Nothing registered in James’s whole body except the blinding numbness. He couldn’t tell if he was hot or cold. Maybe he was a little bit of both. He was still shaken over the whole thing. When the night had started, he’d been thrilled to be able to tell Constance that he was so in love with her that he wanted her to be in his life for the long haul.
He’d even let it slip that he wanted her to be his wife. That thought had come out of nowhere, but the second he’d said it, he hadn’t regretted it whatsoever.
