46. Alexis #3
“Oh, you’re awake,” Ivy says. She’s holding a suitcase, which she drops at the foot of the bed. “How are you feeling?”
“I’ve been better.” I shift to sit upright, rubbing my eyes.
“We swung by your apartment to get some of your things,” Chloe says, setting another bag down next to Ivy’s. “Clothes, mostly. If there’s anything else you need, let us know and we can make another run.”
“Thanks,” I say. “I really appreciate it.”
“It’s no problem.” Ivy sinks down onto the bed. “The guys told us what happened. Well, some of it. We wanted to hear it from you, because I’m pretty sure they got Gabriel’s version.”
“If you’re up to it,” Chloe adds quickly.
“I’m up to it,” I say, pulling the blankets tighter around myself for comfort.
“It’s just… a lot.” I take a deep breath, then begin to tell them everything that’s happened over the past few days.
The meeting at Vérité. Travis’s attempt to trap me in marriage.
Gabriel’s interruption. My stay in the hospital.
They don’t interrupt, but I can see them exchanging concerned glances. When I mention the baby, Chloe reaches up to squeeze my hand.
“God,” she whispers when I’m finished. “That’s a hell of a few days.”
“Tell me about it.” I lean back into the pillows, my chest aching from the effort of divulging everything. “It feels like one long nightmare.”
“How are you feeling?” Ivy asks quietly.
“To be honest, I don’t know,” I admit. I stare at the ceiling, feeling tears prick my eyes.
“I mean… Gabriel saved me, right? He kept Travis from blackmailing me. If it wasn’t for him, I’d be in legal trouble.
Or engaged to Travis.” The idea makes my mouth twist. I don’t know which fate would be worse.
Chloe and Ivy exchange a dubious look. This one’s easier to interpret. They both think I’m being too kind.
“At the same time, though, he lied to me,” I continue.
The tears start to slip down my face, and I don’t do anything to stop them.
“Just like my parents did, all those years. They were just using me.” I shake my head.
“I… I should’ve known, honestly. I was never actually the CFO.
I th-thought they gave me the job just because of the Beaumont name, just to give me some sort of title, even if I had no say in the company. I guess it was even worse than that.”
I blink, and my vision blurs as I swipe at my eyes. When Chloe and Ivy come back into focus, their expressions are sympathetic.
“I wish he’d told me the truth,” I whisper thickly. “I don’t know why he didn’t trust me enough. I don’t know what he thought I’d do, or if he thought I’d fuck something up. I…” I trail off, hesitant, then murmur, “I’m angry at him. I can’t help it.”
“It’s okay,” Chloe tells me, her tone empathetic. “You have every right to be angry.”
“At everyone,” Ivy adds. Of the two of them, she seems like she’s the more furious on my behalf. There’s a look in her eye that makes me wonder what she’s said to Gabriel. I suspect he’s gotten an earful from her, and the thought almost makes me smile.
“I just don’t know what to do with it,” I admit. “I feel like everything I’ve known has been a lie.” I let out a long, shaky breath. “I don’t know what to do from here. I have nothing left.”
“That’s not true,” Ivy protests. “You have Fashion For All.”
I try to conjure that smile, but I can’t maintain it for long.
She’s right, in a sense. I do have Fashion For All.
But my passion project isn’t a home, a family.
It’s not a foundation. In fact, now that I think about it, even the workshop is tainted by memories.
It was Gabriel who initially encouraged me to pursue my passion, Gabriel who believed in me when no one else did.
Without him, I would never have built Fashion For All. It wouldn’t exist.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do,” I whisper. My arms wrap tighter around my sides, like I’m subconsciously trying to hold myself together.
“Hey,” Ivy says fiercely. “We have your back, no matter what you decide. Okay?”
The smile comes more easily this time, even through my tears.
I nod. Throughout my entire life, I’ve been taught to keep myself small and prioritize my family.
I’ve never really made any friends for myself, never known the sensation of having true support.
Even though the feeling is foreign, it’s more comforting than I expected.
I guess this is the first time I’ve really realized it. Chloe and Ivy have become actual, bona fide friends.
Chloe speaks up, as if she’s hearing my thoughts and wants to confirm them. “No matter what happens with your family, or with Gabriel,” she says, “you’ll always be our sister.”
There’s a lump in my throat as I murmur, “I don’t deserve you guys. Seriously.”
Ivy clicks her tongue, shaking her head. “Of course you do.”
“Yeah, you do,” Chloe adds, giving my hand a reassuring squeeze. “You deserve to have people in your corner.”
I let out a shaky breath, the knot in my chest loosening just a little. For the first time in days—weeks, really—I feel like I can breathe, even if it’s only for a moment.