“Not lucky her, Vanessa. Do you know that we fought every fucking day we were together because of you?”

“Because of me?” I let out a laugh. “I wasn’t in your life.”

“But you were in my mother’s. My sister’s. My niece and nephew’s.”

“So you should have told them to tell me not to come around anymore.”

“My family loves you more than they love me at this point.” He sets down his fork with a clink.

“Funny, I feel the same about my family.”

We both stare down at each other for a silent moment and I feel every single ounce of anger that I tried to push down during these last two years resurface. Instead of saying anything else, I stab into my waffles and start eating. I can’t with him right now. I can’t with the ridiculousness of this entire conversation. I decide I’ll have my meal, leave, and put this encounter behind me. When we promised we’d always be friends no matter what, we obviously didn’t take into account all of the crap we were going to pile on each other through the years. All that baggage, all that history, as cool as it is to have when you’re happily together, comes with a price when you’re not. History easily turns into contempt. When we’re outside, Adam turns to me again.

“Please consider being my date to the gala.”

“I already said no.”

“I’ll buy you any gown, any purse, any pair of shoes.”

“Thanks to my alimony, you don’t have to.” I wink. “It was good seeing you, Adam. I like your hair like that.”

Chapter Four

Adam

Out of everything I learned about myself in the last hour, the one that sticks out the most is that I’m not over Vanessa. I’ll never be over Vanessa. I knew that even when I filed for divorce and it’s even more apparent now.

“Did you tell her you quit your job because you were so damn depressed without her and couldn’t function?” my sister asks.

“No, Emma.” I shoot her a look. “And don’t you dare tell her either.”

“I’m not.” She scoffs. “I’m not getting involved.”

“You say that until she comes over and then you start spilling all the beans. How’d she know about Cindy?”

She looks away quickly. “Whatever, Adam. She’s my friend.”

“She’s my ex.”

“Whom you want to get back together with.”

“I never said that.”

“It’s very obvious.” Emma shoots me a look. “Maybe you should have told her.”

“I couldn’t. She wasn’t open to a conversation.”

“Maybe because you and Camila plotted this whole thing behind her back and she felt attacked.”