Page 67 of The Ring
“Was I so easy to find?” I ask her. “I thought I did a good job with my disguise.”
“You did, but I heard your voice and it’s a big giveaway,”she points to my Jessica McCormack ring. “So, why have you been avoiding me?” Annabelle adds bluntly.
At that moment, thankfully, the bartender hands me the martini I ordered. I take a big sip, buying myself time to come up with something.
“I haven’t been avoiding you. I’ve just been very occupied,” I lie.
“But notthatoccupied for TJ, it seems.”
I didn’t tell her about spending time with TJ, but I was almost one-hundred percent sure she knew.
“TJ just happened to… fine,” I sigh, giving in. “I was avoiding you.”
“Because you were spending time with TJ?” she presses.
Begrudgingly, I say, “Yes.”
She frowns, her brown eyes studying me intently for a few seconds. “Are you still in love with him?”
I look at her, offended. “Are you really asking me that?”
“Yes,” Annabelle says with unwavering confidence.
“He did one of the vilest things anyone could have done to me. How could I love him after that?” I reply, my voice sharp, almost defensive. “Thinking that I could is ridiculous, and disgusting, and…”
She looks at me, eyes narrowing as if peering straight into my soul. After a moment, she replies, “But you do.”
More like never stop.
I take a few seconds to answer, but at last I say, “I do.” I could try to deny it, but the only one I’d be fooling is myself.
I shouldn’t, though. The love I have for TJ doesn’t make any sense. It seems to defy every law in the universe, stubbornly existing in a place where it has no right to be.
“But it doesn’t matter, because even though I do, how could I ever forgive him for what he did?” I tell her, my voice heavy with frustration and sadness.
How could I ever forgive him for what he did? It is a question I have been asking myself a lot lately. Not because I think I could never do so, but because I desperately want to find a reasonable way to do so. One where I wouldn’t be betraying myself in the process.
Annabelle just nods because, like me, she doesn’t have an answer.
Chapter 38
TJ
Icome out of the bathroom and see Cornelia with Annabelle at the bar counter. I spotted her the moment she entered the nightclub. I wanted to approach her then, but I didn’t want to seem too intense or like I’d been looking at the door all night, waiting for her to arrive, which I had. Since then, I’ve been following her with my gaze, and when I saw her heading to the bar, I quickly made my way to the loo. So when I came out, I could act like we naturally bumped into each other.
I would have preferred her to be alone, but it’s fine. Lately, I’ve spent a lot of time with her alone, and I’ve concluded that maybe what happened between her and Nate was a blessing in disguise. I hate thinking about it. I think I’ll always be mad at Nate for sleeping with her, though not for falling in love—if I were, I’d have to be mad at half of the world. But maybe she needed it to even the scales so we could move forward.
As I approach her, I hear my name mentioned. Maybe I shouldn’t, but I can’t help myself. Instead of interrupting, I stop in my tracks and position myself far enough away that they won’t notice me, but still within hearing range.
“Because you were spending time with TJ?” Annabelle asks Cornelia.
“Yes,” Cornelia responds.
I smile, captivated by the tone of her voice. There’s something so enticing about the way she reacts when she is called out.
“Are you still in love with him?” Annabelle asks.
The question shakes me, but I keep my composure. I don’t want them to notice someone is listening to their conversation—or worse, recognise me. I didn’t expect Annabelle to be that blunt. But then again, I’ve been asking myself the same thing. I fear the answer so much, yet I want to know so badly.
