Page 121 of Symphony for Lies

Ella stepped forward with a beaming smile and bowed toward the audience. To my horror, she was wearing the dress my grandmother had tailored for her.

I rewound it again.

Nothing changed.

Rita snatched the phone back, her expression furious. “You didn’t know?”

I shook my head.

“That was on Saturday,” she added.

Saturday.

The day he told me he had something to take care of.

Something inside me cracked. “He didn’t tell me.”

Not. A. Single. Word.

“What an asshole. Men are such fucking pigs.”

Rita grabbed my shoulders and pulled me into a tight hug. “I’m so sorry, Amelia. I thought you knew, so I wanted to check if you’re okay…”

I shook my head, still in disbelief.

“But better now than later. Don’t let him make a fool out of you.”

She urged me to sit, and I did so mechanically.

My mind felt empty. My heart pounded dully as if it had been cracked open. And yet, all I could do was sit there.

Numb.

I worked on autopilot. No small talk, no unnecessary conversations. I just wanted to get through the day, go home and collapse.

I took a deep breath as I stepped out of the veterinary clinic.

It was cold, but I kept my jacket open.

I needed the cold.

Words. Images. Feelings.

They swirled in my head like a raging storm, refusing to settle.

Why did everything have to happen at once?

Losing two jobs? Fine. I could handle that. I’d find something else. Something to keep me afloat.

But Zane?

Hah.

My heart twisted painfully.

I felt betrayed.

I walked to the bridge. I hadn’t been there in a while, not since I’d run into Tristan. Back then, my worries had been different. I had been consumed by the poisoning cases.

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