Page 191 of Bitter’s Sweet

No.

A third follows before I can breathe.

Then he picked her.

The workshop flashes through my head. Dark red satin. Trixie. Bitter turning toward me with guilt all over his face.

My hand starts shaking.

Junie notices first. “Sweet?”

Another message arrives.

Then he told everybody you were nothing.

The words hit harder because they are true enough to hurt.

Not literally.

Bitter did not use the word nothing.

He did worse.

A woman I fucked.

You wanted it to mean more.

Not enough.

I lock the phone and shove it facedown onto the counter.

Lark stops smiling. “Is it him?”

“No.”

That comes out too quickly.

Petal sits straighter. “Razor?”

I nod.

The room changes.

Junie heads toward the office. “Mercy.”

“She just left.”

“To get your stuff?”

My throat tightens. “Yes.”

Lark reaches for the phone.

I snatch it first.

She freezes. “Sorry.”

“No.” I breathe. “I’m sorry.”