“Did you miss the whole part where he cheated on me? With another sex worker? It would have been one thing if he’d met someone else and fallen madly in love, but no. He jeopardized his relationship with me over a stranger.”

“I get what you’re saying,” Bianca said in an attempt to mollify him, “and what he did was shitty, I agree, but it sounds to me like he had some valid points as well. Not about the cheating—because if nothing else, he emotionally cheated on you—but about how hard it is to commit to someone when you think they could dump you at any time. It sounds to me like you’re both to blame.”

Zack couldn’t argue with that, but it didn’t make him feel any better. “What do you think I should do?”

“That’s really up to you. If it were me, I’d start by thinking about how I feel. Do you think he’ll cheat on you again? Do you still love him?”

That was surprisingly easy to answer. “Yeah, I still love him. I don’t want to, but I do.”

“That’s a start. But more importantly, can you trust John after this?”

Now that was a different question. “I don’t know.”

“Well, then you need to decide if love is enough. Sometimes it can conquer anything. Sometimes it just makes people make terrible decisions.”

“That is so not helpful.”

“Sorry, little brother. I’ve never encountered anyone in your particular situation before. Spend some time figuring out if you want to be with John. You two don’t seem like you have that much in common, but I could be wrong. If you decide you want him, wait. Wait for as long as it takes to make sure it’s not the hormones talking. And keep in mind, just because you broke up with him doesn’t mean he’ll stick around. If he’s moved on by the time you’re ready to talk, then there’s your answer.”

The thought made Zack’s chest clench, but he shook it off. “I can’t think about reconciling right now. Or ever, for that matter. I’m still too pissed off.”

“And you should be. If you two do end up talking, I hope you make him work for it.”

He smiled. “You know it. Thanks for the talk, sis.”

“Anytime. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

He hung up and tossed his phone to the side. Bone-deep weariness suddenly spread throughout him, and he considered sleeping right where he was. In the end, however, he decided a neck cramp on top of a broken heart was more than he could handle. He got up and forced himself to walk back to his room. Ziggy followed him and curled up on the bed while Zack changed into his sleeping clothes.