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The look that Liz gives me lets me know that she doesn’t believe my indifference for even a second. She takes my hand and squeezes it.
“He’shurting, Lana. Really bad. We aren’t even allowed to say your name at the office, or he gets angry. I’ve never seen him so short-tempered. It’s not surprising, though. He tends to lash out when he is hurt.”
“I wish I could go back and do everything differently. I messed up. Jake and I are done, but I hope you will forgive me. I hated lying to you.”
“Lana, I have had time to think about everything you told us. I understand and can even respect why you did what you did. You were trying to protect your family. When Jake sits down to think about it and pushes his anger to the side, he’ll understand, too. He will forgive you. He just needs time.”
I wish that all I needed was Jake’s forgiveness. This relationship has been irrevocably over ever since I found out about his fiancée. He may forgive me one day, but I will never forgive him. I will never be okay with a cheater. Though the thought crushes me so hard that I can barely breathe, I know I will never see or speak to Jake again. Liz is Jake’s friend. I can’t really tell her all of this because she will always side with Jake.
Instead, I tell her, “I don’t think that time will be enough in this case. And it turns out it was all for nothing. Everything that Jake said about my uncle is true. My uncle was going to lose everything if I’d done anything to stop the sale.”
“I’m sorry that you had to find out that way,” Liz says sincerely.
It was awful having that conversation with my uncle. We have worked hard over the years to establish a trusting relationship, which was understandably difficult for me. To know that he was hiding the truth and being deceitful is hurtful.
Just then, the door bounces open, saving me from responding to Liz immediately.
“Hey, babe, I’m home!” Jess breezes in. She is carrying all kinds of shopping bags. “Oh hey, Liz. I’m surprised to see you here.”
“I just stopped in to see Lana. I’ve missed having her around the office,” Liz says.
“Well, she has missed you, too. It’s becoming embarrassing how much she mopes around the place.” Jess winces as she speaks. She walks around the couch to flop down on the chair beside us. She looks at Liz with narrowed eyes, realizing that something is different. “Hold up. You’re preggers? Are you freaking pregnant?” she squeals, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees.
“Yep, due in five months.”
“Okaaaaaay, everything is beginning to make sense now. I just thought you didn’t like wine. But then I thought, what kind of crazy person doesn’t drink wine? I get it now. Congrats! Holy cow. That’s really exciting.”
Liz’s cheeks are pink from the attention. “Thank you. I’m overwhelmed at the moment, but I have time to sort everything out,” Liz says. “And I know that you are dying to ask, but no, there is no father in the picture.”
“Girl, let’s toast to that. We don’t need men. They are nothing but trouble,” Jess says. She jumps up to get some glasses of wine for us and a glass of water for Liz. “Here we go. I’d like to toast to…. Men suck, and we don’t need them!”
“Hear, hear,” Liz and I say in unison.
“Speaking of men,” Liz starts. “I have something I’m supposed to give you.” She looks at me nervously. “I want you to know I refused to be the delivery girl, but he insisted.”
“Who insisted?” I ask in confusion.
“Jake.”
“No, I don’t want whatever it is.”
“I don’t have a choice.” Liz pulls out a small yellow padded envelope and hands it to me. “You should open it.”
What could he possibly have sent me? He already messengered all of my belongings from the office. I didn’t have anything at his house. Curiosity is getting the best of me, so I cautiously open the flap of the envelope. I peek inside and gasp.
I pull out a piece of paper and two key fobs. The keys have a Mercedes emblem on them.
“What is this?” I ask Liz in confusion. For a moment, my heart does a little flip-flop. Is this his way of apologizing?
I open up the letter and read out loud.
“Congratulations. You worked hard for this, so it’s yours. - J.A.”
“‘You worked hard for this?’ What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Jess demands. “That J.A. must stand for Jack Ass.”
“I think we all know what this means,” I say miserably. “It’s his way of getting the last word. His way of saying that he thinks I did this for his money. You both know that I never wanted anything from him.”
If it’s even possible, my heart breaks all over again. I just want to crawl into a miserable ball and disappear.
