“Now that I've found Lois, I finally understand. She's the one I love.”
My face was draining of color, and he could see it.
Lois stepped forward and cut him off. “Enough, Rick! Can't you see how awful she looks? Stop talking……”
She turned to me, all worry and warmth. “Aggie, don't listen to him. He's just messing with you. Tomorrow's your wedding……”
I lifted my eyes and stared at the woman in front of me through swollen, reddened lids.
My best friend. Or so I'd believed.
When she had nothing left and nowhere to go, I'd wired her every last cent I had so she could make rent.
Her first job was one I'd found for her.
When a mugger came at her with a knife, I threw myself in front of it without thinking.
I was covered in blood, and she held me and cried and swore we'd be best friends for life.
This best friend.
She stole my boyfriend and drove the knife in when I was at my weakest.
“Lois, what wedding are you even talking about?”
“Didn't you hear him? The person he wants to marry is you.”
“Drop the act. It's sickening.”
Lois's eyes brimmed with tears. “Aggie, I……”
“Who are you calling sickening? Don't push your luck, Agatha.”
Rick's expression shifted first. He pulled Lois behind him.
“I'm the one who doesn't want to marry you. If you want to hate someone, hate me. Leave her out of it.”
I shook my head with a bitter half-laugh.
Then I looked down, slid the wedding ring off my finger, and held it out to Lois.
“This belongs on your hand anyway.”
Lois frowned slightly and glanced back at Rick.
“Your castoffs? Why would you give those to her—she's not here to pick up your trash.”
Rick scoffed, snatched the ring, and stuffed it back into my pocket.
“If there's nothing else, you should go. We have a party to get back to.”
Telling me to leave. Not even pretending otherwise.
I let my gaze travel around the room. Every pair of eyes was on me.
Some pitying. Some mocking. Some just there for the show.
I gave a dry, self-mocking smile and left them with one last thing.
“Rick, I put two hundred and thirty thousand into renovating this apartment. Four hundred thousand toward the down payment. I want it back.”
Rick laughed like I'd told the funniest joke he'd ever heard.
“You're seriously keeping score with me, Agatha?”
“Why wouldn't I? You're the CEO of Northstar Group. Don't tell me you can't even come up with that.”
The moment the words left my mouth, his expression turned ugly.
“Watch what you say.”
He grabbed my arm and shoved me toward the door. “These are all people from the same circles, Agatha. You spread lies like that, how am I supposed to show my face here?”
“Whether it's a lie or the truth, you know better than anyone.”
I raised my voice on purpose. “Go ahead, Rick. Add it up yourself. Five years together—how much of your money did I spend, and how much of mine did you spend?”
“Can you even do the math?”
“If there's no wedding, fine. Then let's settle every last cent.”
I dropped those words, ignored the look on his face, and walked out.
I didn't sleep that night.
By the time the sky turned gray with dawn, I was sitting up with dark circles under my eyes, dialing a number.
“Dad. I'll do it. I'll come home and get married.”
My father was quiet for a long time after hearing that. When he finally spoke, it came out as a sigh.
“Agatha. You've finally come to your senses. Though I wish it hadn't cost you five years to figure it out.”
“A girl like you, raised with everything, sheltered your whole life. You've never really suffered.”
“You and a man like Rick Graves, someone who clawed his way up from nothing. You were never the same.”
