I thought I could do this, I thought I was strong enough to survive this shit without breaking, but thirty seconds in Tristan’s presence has proven that was a lie.
I can’t marry Tristan. Not only because he’s the biggest entitled jerkface to ever walk this earth, but because I’m in love with Emmett.
God help me, I love him and Casey both. And I want to protect them, I do, but there has to be another way out of this…
There has to be.
I just don’t know what it is.
My thoughts consumed with despair, despair over what’s going to happen to Casey now that I’ve failed him, I’m barely paying attention to where I’m going. I get turned around at least two times trying to fight the direction of the crowd.
Everyone is coming in when all I want to do is get out.
When I finally manage to get myself going in the right direction again, someone touches my arm and says my name.
“Bree.”
After what I just went through with Tristan, my body’s immediate reaction is to yank my arm back.
“Oh my god, what’s wrong with you?” Ashley gasps at me in surprise. “God, you’re such a basket case.”
I blink at her, wondering if my luck has completely gone to shit and she’s real.
She makes an exasperated noise and rolls her eyes. “I really don’t see what Tristan sees in you.”
Having neither the time or patience to suffer her right now, I agree and start moving forward again. “I don’t either.”
Momentarily stunned by my response, she just stares at me as I move away, but then she rushes to catch up and grabs my arm to stop me.
Fuck, I’m really sick of people grabbing me tonight.
I stop and look down at her hand then up to her face.
“What do you want, Ashley?” I ask impatiently.
Ashley blinks at me, exactly l
ike I did at her, then she shakes her head, dark curls bouncing around her face.
Smokey eyes narrowing and sharpening as if she’s trying to intimidate me, she says, “I just wanted to let you know that you marrying Tristan doesn’t change anything. We’re still going to be together.”
I roll my eyes to the heavens, wondering what on earth I did to deserve this, and then sigh. “That’s good to know.”
Shaking off her hand, I start to walk off again.
I’m beyond caring about her and Tristan. A few weeks ago, what she said probably would have hurt me. It did hurt me to find the two of them in bed together. But it didn’t hurt because I was in love and they betrayed me. No, it hurt because they showed me the truth.
The truth that I truly had no friends in this world.
Ashley gasps behind me, but before I make any significant progress toward the door, her damn hand is on me again.
I turn back, ready to tell her off for stopping me, when she finally says something that actually surprises me. “He fucked me tonight. He fucked me in the limo on the way here.”
Her eyes search my eyes, desperately seeking the reaction she wants. Its so clear, so out in the open, I feel the tiniest bit of pity for her.
Only the tiniest bit.
At my surprise, a smile starts to unfurl across her glossy, overly plump lips. “We’ve been fucking for the past three years.”