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“Wait, please let me have a chance to explain everything. I screwed up. I got scared. I’ve had time to figure it all out and must see you––”
Her stomach heaved. “No, there’s nothing you can say to change how you betrayed me.”
“I messed up. But I love you so much, and I’ve figured it all out now. I’ve been going to therapy. I know I’d never cheat again. Please give me another chance. It can be like it was those first three years—incredible. You’re the only one for me.”
Tears streamed down her cheeks. Doug had gone to therapy? He sounded so sincere––like the man she’d fallen in love with years ago. She’d loved him with all her heart.
“Are you still there? Please tell me where you are so I can come talk to you in person. Please believe me that I love you so much and I’ll never hurt you again.”
Sophie’s nostrils flared.Bullshit. He was full of it. She’d heard his excuses before. Never again. One and done.
“It’s too late. I don’t love you anymore. Lose the number, and while you’re at it, stop harassing people to find out where I am. I am no longer any of your concern.”
She hurled the phone across the bathroom, where it smashed against the wall with a satisfying crack. Too bad it wasn’t that asshole’s head.
Scalding tears of pain and rage poured down her cheeks as the past flooded back. The water chilled, and she dragged herself out of the tub, managing to wrap herself in a fluffy towel. Unsteady and queasy, she sank onto the thick bathroom rug, curling into a tight ball, and flashed back.
The first few years together everything seemed perfect. They were blissful, always laughing, having fun, traveling, enjoying each other’s company. Sophie had believed she was with her soul mate, her ride-or-die.
After the engagement, things shifted gradually. Doug’s excuses of having to work late, his growing travel schedule, his increased aloofness, and their correspondingly decreased sex life. He’d blamed it all on work. She’d trusted him—eager to believe that once they were married, they’d rekindle the romance.
Yeah, she’d been naïve and blind. It wasn’t Doug’s career. Nope, he’d been leading a double life––sleeping with another woman the entire time they’d been engaged. For months he’d lied to her and continued to move forward with wedding plans.
Who does that?
Why did he even bother to propose?
Sadness, despair, and the overwhelming feeling she’d never be enough consumed her. His betrayal shot her back to when she was five years old, when her father had strolled out the door without a backward glance.
Sophie wrapped her arms around her waist and rocked herself until her breathing slowed. She’d go sleep on the couch. In a minute.
* * *
“Sophie?”
She cracked open an eye. Kelly peered down at her from the bathroom doorway. What the…
Lifting a hand to her pounding head, she groaned. It felt like she’d spent the evening at a wild bachelorette party in Las Vegas, without the dancing, drinking, and fun. She must’ve passed out on the floor.
“Sophie,” Kelly repeated. “Are you okay? Why’d you sleep in the bathroom? Do you have a concussion?”
Sophie turned her head from side to side, just in case. “It certainly feels like my brain imploded, but no, no concussion.”
She spotted her phone, praying it hadn’t shattered when she’d hurled it across the room. Rising to her feet, she picked it up, with a blessing for the pint-sized computer nerd at the cell phone store who’d insisted she buy a hardcover case. She’d cracked the front of the phone, but the familiar symbol appeared when powered it on.
Kelly scrubbed her hands across her face. “Okay, you need to catch me up. What happened to your phone?”
“Coffee first.” Desperate for caffeine, she started toward the kitchen with Kelly on her heels.
Kelly sank onto a kitchen stool while Sophie brewed coffee. “Did yesterday really happen?”
“Yeah, your car is totaled. Are you feeling better today?” Hopefully, Kelly felt better than she did right now.
Kelly’s brows drew together. “I’m fine. The accident freaked me out, but physically I’m okay. Are you sure you are?”
“I will be. Doug called me last night.”
Kelly slammed her hands down on the kitchen counter. “What? Are you kidding me right now? Why won’t he leave you alone?”
