“Lila, you’ve lived with him for two years, shared your life with him, your achievements. We’ve all been waiting for him to propose. You’re allowed to be not-fine.”

A flash of emotion shot through my ribs, gone as soon as I felt it, scared off by sheer force of will. “I know,” I answered gently. “I’m fucking furious and embarrassed and …” I took a breath, unsteady, then steady again. “I am upset, I’ll admit that. But I’d rather think about all the ways Brock lost out. I’d rather recount all the things I just won by him nailing a Femme in my hallway.”

“Like what?”

“Like I get to come stay with my sister and help with her baby, if I can crash for a little while.”

“As long as you need,” she said softly, reaching for my hand.

I smiled, squeezing it. “I get to take all that money I’ve saved and buy my own place, one where I don’t have to deal with Brock’s Sunday work calls or piles of sweaty gym clothes in the entry. I don’t have to share a shower with a guy who has more hair products than me or clips his beard in the sink without rinsing it out. I don’t have to cook for a vegetarian anymore. I’m going to eat all the meat straight off the bone with meat juice all over my face and imagine him gagging.”

She laughed.

“It’s true,” I admitted, my voice losing its edge. “I thought … I thought this was it. I feel like a fool, Ivy. I trusted him. I accepted what he showed me as truth. Me.”

“You don’t trust anyone.”

“Except you. And this is why. People lie. They have their own agendas, and we can’t trust them not to manipulate us.”

“Not everyone, Lila. Not everyone.”

I gave her a look. “Everyone in my world.”

“Then maybe your world is the problem.”

I frowned. “This is everything I’ve wanted. I fought my way into this world. My career, my social life, all of it. Brock is just an asshole.”

Her eyes flicked to the ceiling. “He really is. I’ve never heard someone bitch about a wine list like he can. Remember when he made the waitress cry at Delmonico’s?”

“Entitled prick. I hope he and Natasha are happy together. They deserve each other.”

“The entire planet knows she’s a homewrecker. She’s practically built her brand around her knack for stealing boyfriends out from under people. I suppose we should have seen it coming.”

I ignored the sting of that truth. “But she always goes after famous people. What the hell does she want with Brock?”

“I can’t imagine. He’s hot and rich, but he’s definitely not famous. And he hasn’t even given you an orgasm in months.”

I groaned. “It’s tragic. Really and truly tragic.”