Chapter 32
CHAPTER 32
LOUISE
M y mind whirled as I tightened my arms around a sobbing Eve. After her confession, she’d wept again, but I hadn’t cared about the dishonesty, I cared about her broken heart.
As I suspected, she’d fallen for Spencer. Why wouldn’t she? They were perfect together.
She’d opened her heart to the man, and he’d stomped on it.
My lips tugged into a frown as Eve heaved a shaky sigh next to me, another whine escaping her. “Gosh, I’m so sorry, Lou. I’m really okay. Why don’t you go on your date with Theo?”
“Now, darling, I am not leaving you here to cry yourself to sleep. I just won’t do it. And Theo wouldn’t want me to, either. You heard him.”
“You are both very kind. But…really, Lou, I can nurse my own broken heart. It’s my fault anyway.”
“I have had just about enough of that talk,” I answered, a fake scolding in my voice. “This isn’t your fault, Eve, any more than it was mine when I’d found myself heartbroken in the past. I remember the pain all too well, and I can’t bear to see you go through the same. ”
Eve’s shoulders slumped. “You’re right. It’s no one’s fault. It’s just my bad luck.”
“Oh, darlin’, I am so sorry about this. I just feel so responsible for this whole mess.”
“Oh, no,” she said, her features pinching as she took my hands in hers, determined to soothe me. “It’s not your fault.”
“It is,” I answered, my consternation growing. “I started this. I pushed Spencer to date. And I forced him on you. And he broke your heart.”
“He didn’t mean to. He doesn’t even know he did. I…I never told him, but after our kiss–”
“The one at the park?”
Eve scrunched her features as she shook her head, her gaze focused on the tissue in her hands. “No, that…that wasn’t bad, but the one in Vale.”
“You kissed in Vale?”
“We did. It just…happened.” Eve pressed a hand to her forehead. “We had too much to drink, and we were playing cards, and…”
“Go on,” I said, stroking her hair.
“We were laughing so much.” Her features pinched. “And we stopped and…our lips came together.”
“Is that when you realized you loved him?”
Eve raised her glassy eyes to mine with a shake of her head. “No. I…I enjoyed our time together probably right away, but definitely from our arcade date on. I just…when that kiss happened, I thought maybe he was experiencing the same thing. Well, I guess I’d hoped he was. This was the best relationship I’ve ever had.”
My heart broke for her as she sobbed through her statement.
“Well, correction. This wasn’t a relationship at all. That’s my mistake. I…I just kept falling for him instead of stopping myself.”
“Darlin’, you can’t stop love. That’s just silly.”
“I wish you could,” she said, her voice breaking as she fell into me in tears again.
“I know, sugar. I know. I’ve had my heart broken, too. And I know how badly it hurts.”
“I’ve just…never connected with anyone like this before. Normally, I just get ghosted or dumped. Well, I guess I did get dumped again…this time I never had a boyfriend to begin with.”
Her words made my insides twist into a tight knot. “Shhh, you didn’t do anything wrong.”
I rubbed her shoulder in a desperate attempt to console her, but I knew nothing could help her broken heart.
“I’m going to fix this, I promise,” I said.
“Oh, Lou, you don’t need to do that. Honestly, it’s probably better this way. I’m no good at love. I told you I was unlucky in it. This is…well, it’s just my luck to fall for a man who has no interest in me.”
I pressed my lips together, rubbing her arm as she wiped at her cheeks. “Well, you just cry, darlin’. I’ll be right here with you.”
And cry, she did. For at least another fifteen minutes before she finally quieted.
I couldn’t stop my mind from berating myself over this. I should have paid more attention to the signs. This was why they’d been so coy with me, so interested in my progress with Theo.
Spencer had been waiting me out, lying to my face. My nostrils flared as I silently seethed until Eve’s breathing turned rhythmic.
I waited a few more minutes until I was sure she was fast asleep before I wiggled out from under her, propped her up with a pillow, and covered her with a blanket.
Her red nose and puffy eyes broke my heart as I glanced down at her.
I winced as my phone chimed, afraid it might wake her, but she seemed completely exhausted from her experience.
After I silenced it, I checked my messages, finding one from Spencer. Hey, Lou, the divorce papers are here if you want to sign them after your date. I’ll leave them on the sofa table.
“I’ll bet you will, you snake.” I frowned at the message, one hand curling into a tight fist. “You think you’re going to be rid of me so easily? I ought to stay married to you just to ruin things for you.”
But I couldn’t do that to my precious Theo. He deserved better.
As I paced the room, I couldn’t help but contrast the serene stability I’d found with him against the chaotic fallout I’d caused in Eve’s life. It was like walking a tightrope, balancing between joy and despair.
I pressed a hand against my forehead, stepping into the kitchen as I dialed Theo’s cell phone.
“Hey, sweetheart, how’s Eve?”
“Asleep,” I answered as I sank into her kitchen chair. “Finally.”
“What happened? Or is that secret girl stuff?”
“It’s not,” I answered, my emotions racing. “Spencer broke up with her.”
“Oh, no. That’s awful. For both of you. I know you thought they were going to end up married.”
“I did. I really did. They’re perfect for each other. Spencer is being so short-sighted.”
“Did he tell her why?” Theo asked.
“I just love how invested you are, darlin’,” I said with a grin, realizing how lucky I was to have found this gem of a man. “I know why. Apparently, on their first date, Spencer asked her to fake date until I found true love. She agreed.”
“Oh, well…maybe that’s not so bad then.”
“No, darlin’, the problem is Eve fell in love with him.”
“Oh, gosh.” I heard the pity in his voice and the sigh he heaved after. “That’s terrible. I guess he doesn’t feel the same way.”
“I don’t know. I can’t believe he doesn’t. I just…” I slid my eyes closed, my heart breaking over this. “I just can’t believe he did this. You should have seen her tonight, just sobbing. Poor girl. How could he do this?”
“If he felt anything for her, he wouldn’t have, Lou.”
I frowned. “Spencer is…”
Frustration cut off my words, and I shook my head.
“Sweetheart, I know you want to fix this, but I’m not sure you can.”
I heaved a sigh. “Can you pick me up?”
“You’re not staying with Eve?”
“She’s asleep. And I’ll come back right after I make one stop.”
“Stop?” Theo asked, surprise in his voice.
“Yes. At Spencer’s.”
“Sweetheart, I’m not certain–”
“He has the divorce papers,” I cut in sharply. “I want them signed tonight. I want nothing more to do with him after this.”
“That’s it?” he asked.
“Theo, please don’t lecture me on this.”
“I’m not, Lou. I just…I want you to be happy. I’m sorry this happened, but I don’t want anything else to happen to you over it.”
I rubbed at my temple. “Darlin’, I appreciate you protecting me, but I need to protect that sweet little girl who I shoved into this situation, too. I want to go to Spencer’s and sign those papers.”
“All right,” he answered. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“Thank you.”
I sat in the kitchen, my emotions overrunning me, a mix of anger and upset swirling within me and building with every moment.
After a few minutes, I tiptoed to the living room. Eve still slept soundly. I grabbed her keys from the bowl near her front door, slipped out of her apartment, locked the door, and tucked them into my purse.
Theo pulled up to the curb a few minutes later, scurrying from behind the wheel to open my door.
As we both settled into our seats and he aimed for Spencer’s, he slipped his hand around mine. The simple gesture and the warmth behind it finally opened the floodgates. I shed a few tears, prompting him to rub my shoulder.
“Sweetheart…I’m so sorry. I know you wanted them to stay together.”
“I feel like it’s my fault,” I sobbed.
“It’s not, Lou. They…they decided to do this, and Eve just…had some bad luck.”
Those words made me cry more. “That’s what she said, too. She’s unlucky in love.”
“Well, I know you, Lou. You’ll have her back on her feet in no time, and probably with an upgraded boyfriend.” He shot me that award-winning smile that had melted my heart when we first met as we pulled into Spencer’s driveway.
I wanted him to be right, but I just wasn’t certain anymore.
He tossed the shifter into park. “You want me to come in with you?”
“No, I’d rather you didn’t. This is between me and Spencer. I won’t be long.” I kissed his cheek with a sniffle before I opened my door and slipped from my seat.
My heels pounded across the pavement as I stormed my way toward the house. I threw open the door and entered.
“Lou? Is that you?” Spencer’s voice called.
“Yep,” I snapped, storming toward it.
“The divorce papers are right–” He froze as he spotted me. “Is everything okay?”
I glanced down at the papers and snatched the pen that sat next to them, scribbling my name across the page where indicated. I slammed the pen down and dug into my purse, fishing the rings Spencer had given me out of my purse.
“No,” I answered finally, setting my glare on him, “everything is not okay.”
“What happened? Something with Theo?”
My nostrils flared. “Nope.”
His brow furrowed. “Well, you seem upset…”
“You’re darn right I’m upset. I ran into Eve.”
His eyebrows lifted, realization crossing his face. “Oh, Lou. Look, I’m sorry we lied to you, but–”
“Lied? You mean about how you weren’t really dating?” I asked.
He nodded. “Yeah. Look, I just…I didn’t want a string of bad dates, and so I asked Eve if we could just ride it out until you found love. I’m sorry we lied to you.”
I crossed my arms, flicking away a tear that fell to my cheek.
“Come on,” he continued, “you can’t be that upset. I mean, you lied to us, right? You set up that whole honeymoon suite, didn’t you?”
“I did,” I admitted, my lips curling. “To help you. To help you two to find your happiness.”
“Yeah. Well, little did you know we were faking that to make sure you found yours.” He offered me a sneaky smile.
“Do you feel proud of yourself, Spencer? Are you happy?”
“I’m happy that you found the right man. And I wish you all the best,” he answered.
I couldn’t take anymore. I jabbed a finger at him. “You’re a snake, Spencer Whitaker. And a coward.”
“Huh?”
“Oh, don’t play innocent. Eve told me everything. Not just about the fake dating, but also about how…”
I hesitated, tears flowing down my cheeks as his brow furrowed. “You broke her heart.”
“No,” he said with a shake of his head. “No, we weren’t actually dating.”
“I’m aware of the charade,” I said, my voice trembling with anger as I curled my fingers into fists. “But she genuinely fell for you. She’s in love with you. You didn’t just end a fake relationship, you shattered someone who truly cared about you.”
My voice broke. “And you broke her heart. That poor, sweet little girl just cried herself to sleep. And I feel so responsible. I set this up.”
“What?” he murmured.
“You broke her heart!” I shouted. “You gave her hope where there was none. You toyed with her for months, spending all that time together, connecting with her. And then you…you kissed her. You kissed her in that hotel room knowing full well you were going to do this to her.”
I sucked in a shaky breath, wiping at my cheeks. “Ohhh, you are a coward, Spencer Whitaker. You used her.”
I grabbed the engagement ring he’d given me when we’d wed and hurled it at him, followed by the wedding ring. “I hope you’re happy, Spencer. I hope you’re thrilled with what you’ve caused. You deserve to end up miserable and alone.”
With my piece said, I spun on a heel and stormed from the house, climbing into Theo’s SUV.
He rubbed my shoulders as I wept. I’d ruined Eve’s life. While I had found my forever, hers had been ripped away. And it had been all my fault. I had ruined everything.