She turns her angry eyes to me, and I almost wish I hadn’t said anything so she would go back to ignoring me. “It doesn’t look like you tried very hard to tell me the truth.” She purposefully makes a show of eyeing her father’s shirt that I’m wearing and I want to curl up into a ball. I can feel myself losing her.
She turns back to Dante. “So what is this? You just getting your rocks off? Is this a midlife crisis or something and she was convenient?” She lets out a laugh that’s hollow and hateful. “And to think, I was the one that told you to hire her. So tell me, what is it?”
Now I know Dante is going to say something. He knows that we’re not just some fling. We may have started as casual, and we haven’t really spoken about the future, but he has to admit that we mean something to each other. Except, he doesn’t say that. He doesn’t say anything.
“I— I’m— I can explain—”
“Oh, this ought to be good,” Amanda says with a sneer.
Tell them I’m your girlfriend!I’m screaming in my head for him to stand up for me, for us, but all I see is his mouth opening and closing like some kind of fish gasping for air.
In that moment, I think about all the times in my life I didn’t matter. Every single time I was ignored, considered less than. Each time I had to put my wants aside for somebody else. And in that moment, I’m done with it all.
I may love Dante, but I finally realize that I love myself more. I snatch my purse off the chair, sling it over my shoulder, and walk to the middle of the room. All eyes are on me but I’m only looking at Dante, whose eyes are filled with some mixture of fear and remorse, which just tells me I’m making the right decision.
“You know what, Dante Moreno? You’re not good enough for me.”
He puts his hand on his chest, covering his heart like I’ve somehow wounded him, but I know that’s not true. I turn on my heel, push past both Amanda and Bianca, and make it out the front door without shedding a tear.
???
No one chased after me when I left the house, and I haven’t decided if I’m happy or sad about it. Once I made it home, I went directly to my room and locked the door. If Bianca storms in, demanding a confrontation, I’m just not up for it right now.
I know that I’ll have to speak to her about it eventually, but it can at least wait until I stop crying. It’s not long before I fall asleep, and when I wake up, I look at the clock, seeing that it’s only just after eleven p.m.
The house is still eerily quiet, so I know that Bianca isn’t home. Maybe she’s so angry she stayed somewhere else tonight. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this alone. Normally, at a time like this, I’d talk things out with Bianca or Hollie. I can’t talk to Bianca about it for obvious reasons, and Hollie doesn’t live here anymore.
I pick up my phone and look at the time again, wondering if it’s too late to call my other best friend. In a split-second decision, I make the call. If she can’t talk, she just won’t answer.
After three long rings, I hear a sleepy, “Violet?” on the other end of the line. Her tone is full of worry and concern and sends me into another wave of tears.
Holy hell, I’m not sure I’ve ever cried as much as I have the past few days.
“Honey, what’s wrong?” Her voice sounds more alert, and I can tell she’s awake now. In the background I can hear Archer’s sleepy voice ask who it is and Hollie telling him that it’s me.
“Hold on, Vi, let me go to another room.” I try to stop my tears while she finds somewhere private where she can talk. “Okay, tell me what happened.”
“She knows.”
“Oh, shit. And let me guess, you weren’t the one who told her.”
I hiccup as I answer. “No, she walked in on us. Amanda was with her.”
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry, honey. Do you need me to come over?” And that’s Hollie for you. She could’ve said “I told you so,” but instead she’s willing to drop everything for me. At least I still have her.
“No, please, just stay home. I just had to ask you; do you think she’ll ever forgive me?”
Hollie lets out a sigh. “I do, but it may take some time. Especially because of what she probably saw when she walked in on the two of you. Just give her some space. Let her come to you. Do you want me to call her?”
“That might be helpful. You don’t have to make excuses for me just... just tell her how very sorry I am and that I love her.”
“I will,” she says in a soft voice. “And hey, at least you have Dante.”
I don’t have the mental bandwidth right now to explain to her that no, I don’t have Dante. Not only did I lose my best friend, but I lost the love of my life as well. I’m not ready to admit it out loud yet.
“Yeah,” I choke out. “Look, I’m sorry for calling so late. Why don’t you get back to sleep?”
“Don’t forget, you can call me anytime, Violet. Day or night, I’m here for you, and remember, you will get through this.”