Penny stopped me, nodding while holding a hand up.
“Whoa, whoa. I didn’t realize you were still hanging out with your ex.”
“He’s not my ex!” was my protest. “Things were never serious enough between us for Jim and I to be anything. He was just someone who was interested in me that I had to let go. That’s all.”
But Penny took my hand and offered an apologetic expression.
“But Mason didn’t know that at the time, did he? From the photos, he probably thought you were seeing someone on the side. After all, you and Jim did kiss.”
“Just on the cheek! Lots of people do that!”
She shook her head apologetically.
“Still, a kiss is a kiss.” Penny insisted. “We’re not in Europe Laney, people don’t greet each other like htat. So for Mason, even a kiss on the cheek would be a sign of betrayal.”
I gaped at her.
“Are you my friend or his?” I whispered, pained yet proud. “Are you on my side or his?”
Penny squeezed my hand, expression apologetic.
“All I’m saying is that he made a mistake, but it’s one that kind of, sort of makes sense. I mean, if I saw my boyfriend kissing some girl on the cheek multiple times, I’d go ballistic too. You hear? It’s not that you did something wrong, or he did something wrong, it’s just optics.”
I goggled at her again.
“You can’t be serious,” were my low words.
Penny shook her head regretfully.
“I know you don’t want to hear it, but maybe he has a point? Maybe the photos are kind of weird? And your string ring, honey, it was so small. Most times, I could barely see it, and I’m right here in the room with you.”
My mouth opened and then closed with a snap.
“You must be kidding,” I repeated again, heart pounding like a drum. “This has to be a joke.”
Penny merely shrugged again, taking my hand and squeezing it thoughtfully.
“I’m just giving my opinion,” she said slowly. “Mason’s a powerful man, but that doesn’t make him god. He was a man in love, and the sight of you kissing someone else made him go ballistic. Is that so bad? He had no idea who Jim was, and yet there were multiple incriminating pictures of you guys locking lips.”
“No,” I interrupted sharply. “Just on the cheek.”
But Penny was on a roll, shrugging again.
“All I’m saying, sweetheart, is that Mason Evercore was a man in love. That’s what caused the knee-jerk reaction. He couldn’t think straight, he was so in love with you. So he did the first thing that leapt into mind. Booting you to the curb.”
I was silent for a moment.
“He could have asked me,” I said tightly. “We could have avoided divorce, if he’d just asked.”
Penny shrugged again, eyes sympathetic.
“I don’t know, Laney. I don’t know how billionaires work. It seems they have a ton of people to do whatever they want, and things happen in a snap as a result. You want photos? On it. You want a divorce? On it. If anything, he’s too powerful.”
I shook my head, confused.
“So you’re saying Mason Evercore made a mistake because he’s too powerful? Please, Pen. It’s too much. The logic is too twisted.”
She sighed, squeezing my hand again.
“I know, I know. But still, in an eerie way it makes sense, right? If Mason didn’t have resources at his fingertips, then none of this would have happened. He’s got too much going for him, and that includes too much information. And look where it’s gotten him now.”
In some twisted way, Penny made sense. People jump when Mason says jump. People hang onto to his every word. And in this case, he’d overreacted, and there had been no one to speak truth to power. No one to say, “Hey wait, let’s slow down for a moment.”
So was it true?
Had the billionaire been so in love, that he’d been blinded?
But before I could decide, Penny leapt in again.
“Go to him,” she urged. “I think there’s something there. Your divorce isn’t final, and there’s still hope. After all, you can’t keep running away from this, Laney,” she said wryly. “If you duck these problems, they’ll only come back a thousand fold stronger.”
I took a deep breath then, trying to weigh my options.
Because Penny was right in a way. If I didn’t face Mason now, what would happen? The self-doubt and self-hatred would only grow. It was better to get some kind of conclusion to this, even if it hurt.
Because deep down, I wasn’t sure if this could ever be resolved. How could we ever be the same again? How could we go back to the idyllic place, committing our love and devotion to one another?
The world had changed. I’d changed. He’d changed. And unfortunately, there were no easy answers. My soul ached, tears rolling down my cheeks once more. Because not once, but twice, my heart had been broken. And now … I was potentially going in for round three.