She crushed out her cigarette and leaned close to my ear. "Let's make a bet. No matter how much you have suffered with him, or no matter how many things I have done to let him down, as long as I come back, there will be no place for you."
I said inwardly, "Fine, let's bet. Who says you'll win?"
I returned to the apartment alone in the early morning, torn about whether tomorrow's wedding was worth continuing. Could I really leave my parents to face this mess? Could I just accept that these six years were wasted?
I was lying in bed when my phone buzzed twice with a message from James: [Are you asleep? I'm already at the hotel.]
He had suggested staying at a hotel so I could rest well in the apartment. What once seemed considerate now made me question his true intentions.
I looked around the small apartment, recalling how, when James' startup failed and he couldn't afford rent, his original partners had scattered, leaving him with nowhere to go. I had helped him move into this apartment.