It Was Always You (Four Points Mafia #1)
Prologue
W alking in on Corey, my boyfriend of seven years, fucking his best friend, wasn’t on my bingo card for this year. However, ending this sham of a relationship was , so I can’t say I’m heartbroken by this development. Quite the opposite actually.
Saying yes to his awkward request for a date at fifteen, especially when I was reeling from rejection, ranks among my top five dumbest mistakes. But returning to single life as the girl hopelessly in love with someone who clearly wasn’t interested— and having sympathetic looks from all sides—was more than I could face. After our high school graduation, when my world fell apart, having Corey by my side turned into having a comfort blanket I wasn’t ready to part with. Eventually, that comfort turned suffocating, but by then, I couldn’t see a way out that wouldn’t break his heart, which I never wanted to do, —after all, he had always been there for me.
So standing in our bedroom doorway, watching the colour drain from his face, I feel nothing but gut-wrenching relief as thoughts of freedom finally flood in. Free from the weight of half-hearted promises and expectations dragging me down. Free from going through the motions, wondering what’s even keeping him here when it’s been years since we gave up on our lack of physical chemistry. But looking past him at Sam, his best friend whose features are painted with panic equal to Corey’s horror, his motives for clinging to our relationship’s safety net suddenly seem less mysterious.
As he stutters out apologies and excuses, I cut him off. “It’s fine, Corey. We both know we’re way past our expiration date. I’ll just head to Abbie’s and text you in a few days about picking up my stuff.”
I grab the pineapple vodka from the kitchen, slip on my favourite pair of black high heels, and quickly dodge out with a smile on my face and a spring in my step. I know Abbie will greet me with an I-told-you-so look before making us drinks that are more vodka than mixer, insisting I spill all the dirty details.
To me, it’s all the more proof of my newfound freedom and, hey, if that’s the worst part of this breakup, I’ll take it with a smile.