‘It’s my decision, okay? I don’t want him to know.’

Monique gives a small nod, promising her word.

Penelope finds some comfort in this. She knows Monique well enough to know that she won’t break her word. Penelope’s secret is safe.

Chapter 43

43

Bonnie waits about thirty seconds after Darcy leaves to grab her keys, but just as she’s about to head out the door she reconsiders and rushes back to her bedroom to change out of her PJs and brush her hair … and add a smidge of makeup.

It isn’t until she’s driven across town and standing on the doorstep, face to face with Sophie, that she really registers what she’s doing.

‘What are you doing here?’ Sophie’s face is pale, her eyes red and puffy. Irritation visibly creates tension in her neck. ‘Don’t you think it’s enough that a photo of you and my fiancé is sprawled all over the internet? Now you think it’s okay to show up at our house?’

Guilt rushes through Bonnie like icy water entering her veins. She really should have thought this through. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. Oliver said you’d called the wedding off and I’d just assumed …’ She trails off, a little unsure where to go with the sentence. She assumed they’d broken up, but standing here now, she realises they might have just scaled things back to deal with the grief of the miscarriage.

Sadness comes crawling onto Sophie’s face, as though she’d forgotten about the cancelled wedding. ‘Yeah, I guess he’s not my fiancé anymore.’ Tears fill her eyes and Bonnie instinctively wants to reach out and touch her, offer her some comfort.

‘I’m sorry about the baby,’ Bonnie says, honestly feeling like it’s the right thing to say, but Sophie looks up, eyes glaring, swatting Bonnie’s sympathy away.

‘He told you.’ She clearly feels betrayed.

Bonnie realises she shouldn’t have said anything, but more words seem to pour out of her mouth, which is apparently no longer connected to her brain. ‘I imagine it’s been a tough time.’

‘But here you are? Ready to sweep in and take him away from me?’

‘No, it’s not like that,’ Bonnie rushes to say. But is it? Is that why she’s here? To get back with Ollie? Bonnie tries to grab hold of one of the many thoughts flying around in her head, but they zoom past, impossible to catch.

‘He’ll take you back,’ Sophie remarks. ‘Apparently I’m too sad all the time. Too hard to talk to.’