- 25.
After Ashton left, I threw myself into wedding
preparations. Josh still texted occasionally,
10:09
44
always about Ethan. He told me how Summer had trapped Ethan into a scandal that made headlines. She was good at playing the victim. Public opinion was on her side. First, Ethan’s clients were poached, then he was publicly humiliated by his girlfriend. Under pressure, he’d started drinking heavily, calling out my name in his drunken stupors. Josh pleaded with me. “After all these years, can’t you forgive him? Doesn’t it hurt you to see him like this?” I didn’t reply. Did it hurt? For twelve years, he knew how I felt, dangling hope while stringing along a parade of girlfriends. Who had hurt me? Ethan had sent countless friend requests, which I ignored. He called from different numbers, which I blocked. Our friendship was over the moment he kicked me out of the group chat. Some wounds don’t heal. Our bond was broken.
Fixing it wouldn’t be easy.
