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Chapter Twenty-Five
Hallie
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IDIDN’T KNOW WHATto do with myself.
After both my father and my brother’s behaviour that day, I didn’t want to go to either of them. I hated the idea of them thinking I had failed in the one thing that should have been easy—lying on my back for Tam Cornell and eventually saying yes at the altar. It didn’t matter that they’d both played their part in what had gone wrong—neither of them would admit to it.
I struggled with myself internally. Was I being too hard on Tam? Or not hard enough?
Then I remembered what he’d implied about me and my brother, and the memory of those words sickened me. His temper was too much. I was lucky he’d only got Jay drunk instead of breaking his nose, but I wouldn’t put it past him to do exactly that.
I swiped my phone and put it to my ear. “Layla, I need a favour.”
My friend’s voice came back to me. “Is everything all right?”
“Not really. I just walked out on Tam, and I don’t want to go home to my dad. Can I come and stay with you?”
“Of course. You know I’d love to have you here. I’ve missed you.”
Tears sprang to my eyes. “I missed you, too. Thanks, Lay. I owe you one.”
“Don’t be silly. I’ll make up a bed for you.”
I gave the driver Layla’s address in Hackney, and within twenty minutes we were pulling up outside her flat. Layla didn’t come from a crime family, but her parents did have money, which was why we’d met at private school. They’d bought her the flat, which, while not flash, was still worth a million-plus. I saw her face at the window as I climbed out, and then it vanished. The driver helped carry my bags to the door. I hesitated, wondering if I should tell him not to disclose my location to anyone, but what was the point? Anyone who knew me would probably figure out I was here. I hoped I wasn’t going to get Layla in any trouble.
The front door opened, and my friend scooped me into her arms and hustled me through to her flat. Within minutes, I found myself sitting on her sofa, a glass of wine in my hand and a box of tissues on the sofa beside me.
Layla watched me with a worried expression. “What are you going to do?”
“Honestly, I have no idea.”
“Do you love him?”
A painful lump clogged my throat. “How can I love him? He’s cruel, Layla. I thought I’d broken through to him, but then...”
