A

king lot, leaning against her

my seat for a moment, hands on the wheel, half hoping she was a trick of the light. She wasn't. She straightened u

ut of t

asual tone of a woman who had j

out icy, and I looked at her as though

She moved in with her a

ack. "Get o

Two years ago, Ashley had cheated on me. As far as I was con

fix this. I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have ch

u a long time ago. It's been two years, but

eyes filled with tears.

one

girl biting her lip flashed through

k I'm a joke if you believe I'd fall for tears. You were very good at them back then to

and wal

houted across the lot. "I promise

gusted to listen to her. I took the lift up to my penthouse, and for the f

e someo

ly Ashley, talking nons

E

han twenty-four hours since my boyfriend and my stepsister broke my heart into a million pieces, and I had spent the night in t

d arrived, and I had no idea what to do with it. I had no toothbrush. My clothes were still nowhere to be seen, even though he had pointed at the chair like it wa

he door. My heart skipped a

d in with a warm smile an

the vanity beside the bed. "I've brought your clothes, and a few things I

trailed off. I hadn'

a," she sa

you,

car is in the lot, and the keys are in your bag. I put them

grances and a body wash. It was everything I needed, and I wasn't sure whether I should be touched or terrif

idn't want to be sick again. Then I grabbed my bag and flew down the stairs to the lot. I didn't meet a soul on the way out. So much for Nathaniel see

son, that th

e again. The betrayal, the night, the smirk on Victoria's face, the

ph

hen we went to university, I went to the University of Manchester for my three-year degree in nursing, and Sophie went to Liverpool to study information tec

ie yelled. She always pi

, So

t now? It's the weekend. I thought that

o call out of the blue. I have a lot g

kind that meant she had hea

on," she said.

ore I could say

ter, my do

les and chicken. I hadn't eaten much before leaving Spinningfield. I swung the d

eight of everything fell on me. I had been holding in so many tears since

t you," Sophie said, rubbing my b

kitchen to turn off the cooker and grab some tissue to clean my face. When I came back to the couch, Sophie

me with Victoria, m

mouth. She sprang up from the c

ent to Oliver's after work yesterday,

ophie sat back down gently a

nger," I blurted out

"I'm hearing too many things.

ed exactly like she did when we were six

? Is he handsome?

. You're asking to

only question

ar, Nathaniel, and the housekeeper's name, Trina." I rol

ou slept with a man who

I was drunk an

e." She burst into loud laughter. "You're crazy, B

e noticed. "Oh, my goodness. Look

answeri

just

hter faded, and then Soph

going to do ab

that snake or have anything to do with her right now. As

orbel

d at eac

someone?" S

N

" She marched

, and he shows up," Sophie e

his face like a puppy that had been caught chewing the sofa.

in a cold voice, glaring at him as t

d there like a moron?" Soph

lla, Victoria, she came onto me.

. "Was she holding you down? Must have been

, that'

ou can't even finish a sentenc

and I realised he wasn't really looking at Sophie at all. He was l

" Sophie said aga

ing you to leave my house and never show up here again." My voice

ned to

ella," he said,

r him, and she slammed the door behind him

umped onto

nce, I turned to her. "Want

aid at once. Sophie wou

E

or the early shift, and of course I had to show up as the strong, almighty nurse with zero worries, even though everyth

A familiar voice pulled

" I said, and forced

hings between us at friendship. He had been kind to me, caring and sweet. I might have considered him seriously, if he were my type.

having flashbacks of everything that had gone on between u

ella, are

as biting my lower lip hard, and my face had tur

carried away for

w. "You were biting your lip so har

ine. R

doctors use when they don't believe a word

soon as I parted ways with him. The bed in 21

ged, Bella," Irina

due to leave for a

ned her papers on Saturday morn

than I'd expected to. She had been the one patient who would

stop it. My shift ended at 8 p.m., and I was about to leave the hospital when I noticed a man standing

uld th