A week later, James cornered me in the hospital parking lot. His tall frame loomed over me, jaw tight, voice rough with frustration.
"Rosalie! What’s got you so worked up?"
We’d been together three years, and from the get-go I knew I was just a fling to him—a guy who always gets what he wants. If he hadn’t sprained his ankle on that Alps ski trip and ended up in my clinic, we never would’ve crossed paths in a million years.
He chased me hard, but I didn’t have it in me to get tangled up with him. I figured it’d fizzle out once he got bored. Except somewhere along the line, I went and let myself hope we might actually have a future.
I swallowed the lump in my throat, fighting back tears. Drew a shaky breath.
"The day Lily said she was pregnant… was she really just joking?"
James let out a laugh, staring at me like I’d lost my mind. "You’re telling me all this drama is over that?"
"Rosalie, I’ve told you a hundred times! Lily and I are just childhood friends. Hell, I’ve never even looked at her that way!"
The comments kept playing on a loop in my head:
["Bullshit! When she sent him that private photo, he hesitated for a second before saving it!"]
["Lily followed him into the living room for some alone time, and he smirked, asking when she’d gotten so bold. She flirted right back, asking if he wanted to find out!"]
["And when she ‘accidentally’ dropped her towel on camera, he cornered her in the hallway later, telling her not to pull that shit again. Dude was green with jealousy."]
A sharp ache squeezed my chest. I met his mocking stare with a cold smile.
"Then tell me this—after our last fight, where did you go when you got drunk?"
For the first time, the ever-composed heir looked flustered. He raked a hand through his hair in frustration before he spoke again.
"Fine, I admit it—I went to see Lily that night."
"I’ve already explained it to you—her prank videos are just her gig, she didn’t mean anything by it! But you had to make a scene and storm off, embarrassing me in front of everyone."
"So yeah, I was pissed and went to see her just to spite you, but nothing happened between us!"
Those usually charming eyes now searched mine, pleading. "Baby, I swear I never cheated on you!"
["To be fair, he’s not totally lying. From where he’s standing, he just crashed on Lily’s couch wasted."]
["Lily told him nothing happened, and he felt this wave of relief, clueless she was already pregnant!"]
I stared right into his eyes.
"Why are you so hell-bent on patching things up with her?"
He looked at me like I was crazy. "We’re friends. What, am I supposed to let her face the music alone?"
"If that bottle had hit me, would you still be bending over backwards to make amends?"
James paused, a beat of silence. Then: "No. If she’d hurt you, I’d make damn sure she paid for it."
I laughed—a harsh, bitter sound that made him frown and kiss me, like he was trying to shut me up.
"Yes, I screwed up, I admit it. But breaking up? That’s off the table."
I closed my eyes, utterly drained, not wanting to argue anymore.
"Let’s make a bet."
"If you can prove your promises are worth a damn, then I’ll pretend I never mentioned breaking up."
