Page 99 of Sweetest Revenge

Finally, I had two people by my side. Instead of racking my brain trying to fix everything, I could rest. With them. Lean on them.

Warren showed you you could lean on him too.

The thought alone had me crying even harder.

“I ruined everything,” I whispered, forcing out a pitiful laugh between my sobs.

Piper let out a hiss.

“You mean Warren did,” she corrected. “I knew the bastard would hurt you.”

Violet shot her a hesitant look before turning to me.

“How can we help?” Violet asked.

I wish they could. Wish they could help me turn back time. But I’d already fucked it all up.

“It was me,” I said, looking at them. “I lost the money. All two million of it.”

Piper’s face twisted, and Violet sucked in a quick breath.

“That much?” she whispered. “You don’t even get, like, I don’t know… a prorated version of it?”

I shrugged.

“I don’t remember reading it in the contract, and at this point, I doubt he’d give me anything.”

They gave me pitying looks.

“I think that calls for a The Notebook rewatch,” she said.

“Add The Time Traveler’s Wife, and we have ourselves a cry fest,” Violet added.

“That technically has a happy ending,” Piper noted.

“Don’t you bullshit me.”

This got a true laugh out of me. I let them lead me to the couch to drown my sorrows.

The girls fell asleep well before me, and I sat there watching the end of The Notebook all by myself.

I’d already been a crying mess, but the ending had it starting all over again.

I can’t believe I fucked up so bad.

I tried to remember the contract, but I hadn’t read it through. I was too blinded by revenge to even think of protecting myself.

That Addi didn’t care about herself, but if this experience taught me anything, it was that I needed to get my fucking shit together.

But first, I’d allow myself to wallow.

Allow myself to cry. To throw a fit. To mourn what could have been.

Over the last eight years, I never allowed myself the time to do it. I’d been too busy working, trying to fix things.

All while my mom hid the money.

I told her I’d be back for her, but the more I thought of it, the harder it became to face her.

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