Chapters (47)
Her eyes were watery, neck kinked. After hoisting herself up with her palms, she looked around. Nothing was out of place.
Was Lauren really here or had it all been a dream?
She slid off the bed and padded in her bare feet to the hallway. All the lights were on, the entire apartment lit up like a Christmas tree. She went to Amelia’s room. The door was open, light still on. Her bed looked exactly like it had earlier today, comforter askew, one side hanging lower than the other. And her closet door was closed.
It must’ve been a dream, then.
23
THE FIRST TIME Mitch hit Millie, I told her she should dump him.
“You’re being melodramatic,” she said in response.
“Millie, he hit you.”
“It was an accident.”
“How does someone accidentally hit you?”
Flustered, she shook her head. “Well, I mean...it wasn’t an accident, per se. More like a mistake.” She waved away my concern with a flick of her wrist. “It was my fault, anyway.”
Oh, my God. “For real?”
“No, I’m serious,” she said firmly. “I went all batshit crazy on him. I kinda deserved it.”
“What are you talking about?”
“He went out with the guys one night when you couldn’t come over. I begged for him to let me go with them, but he said no. That it was guys’ night. But then I found out later that girls were there, and I just sorta lost it.”
“I don’t blame you. That’s really shitty.”
“No, but that’s the thing. I was wrong. The girls weren’t with Mitch. He didn’t even know they’d be there.”
“Still, none of that explains why he hit you.”
“I told you, it’s because I was really mad and acting crazy, accusing him and stuff. And he hadn’t even done anything wrong.” She shrugged. “I pushed him into it. It’s that simple.”
“You’re never gonna convince me that it was cool for him to hit you.”
“Whatever.” A heavy breath escaped between her lips. “It doesn’t matter, anyway. It won’t happen again. He promised.”
“And what if it does?”
“It won’t,” she said, but when I raised my brows and opened my mouth to press her on it, she added, “But if it does, then I’ll break up with him.”
I wanted to believe her, but I didn’t. She was already in too deep, I could tell.
But he didn’t love her. Not the way I did.
And I had to make her see that before it was too late.