“What are you doing, Evan?” my father asks as I dump my bag on the bed. “You’ve fucked up more than you should have. You’re too old to be carrying on like this.”

My initial reaction is to bite back that he’s wrong. That he has no idea what’s going on. But it wouldn’t matter.

I nod my head and let the strap from the bag fall off my shoulder. “Yeah, I know.”

“You need to make this right,” he tells me, holding my gaze and pointing a finger at me.

I swallow thickly, knowing he’s right. But I haven’t got a clue how to make this better. I can’t take back what’s been done.

I’m fucked.

“Yeah, I know.”

Kat

Just get it over with,

Tell me that we’re done.

Leave me to this madness,

I accept that you have won.

You’ve broken me to pieces,

Left me numb and blind.

Made me only yours—

I’ve completely lost my mind.

“I need a distraction, that’s what I need.” I speak the words on my mind without realizing it. It gets the attention of both Maddie and Jules and that’s when I realize I’ve said anything at all. Cue swallowing down another sip of wine.

We’ve been here in Jules’s house helping her unpack for at least two hours now, and everyone’s been kind enough to not only not ask about what’s going on between Evan and me, but to not treat me like I’m some wounded animal either.

That’s what friends are for, although the girls do seem to be walking on eggshells around me. I’m grateful, but I need to talk and have someone sift through this mess and give me a straight answer as to what I should do.

I roll my eyes at the thought. I’m a grown woman. I should know what to do and make the decision with certainty. But I’ve never felt so uncertain in my life.

“A distraction?” Jules questions, a little more pep in her tone than she’s had all night.

“That makes sense,” Maddie says and nods her head as she takes out a picture frame, wrapped in thick brown packing paper. She’s careful with it as she removes the wrapping and exposes the pristine silver frame. “Distractions are a good thing,” she adds with a small nod. “Sometimes.”

I don’t know what photo is already nestled inside of the frame, but whatever it is, it makes her smile. I can only imagine it’s a wedding photo … I lift the glass to my lips again.