Page 116 of From This Moment (After We Fall 4)
“Oh. My. God.” It was either Margot or Georgia who said it, but I was covering my face with my hands so I wouldn’t have to watch the second love of my life leave me.
You made him leave. You chose this.
Maybe I had. But at least I hadn’t been blindsided this time.
“Are you okay?” My friends came to me, stroking my arms, patting my back, hugging me as I cried.
“No,” I sobbed. “I’ll never be okay again.”
“Oh, Hannah.” Georgia looked like she was about to cry too. “I’m so sorry.”
“Me too. That was…” Margot paused. “I don’t even know what that was.”
“Intense,” Georgia supplied.
Margot nodded. “And sad. Heartbreaking. He’s loved you all along?”
“He says he did.” But it only made me feel worse.
“That’s some heavy baggage,” said Georgia. “He was in love with his brother’s wife?”
“He met me first,” I explained, trying to get control of my breath. “But was too shy to ask me out.”
“Oh my God.” Margot clutched her heart.
“And then I met Drew, and he swept me off my feet.”
“You’re killing me.” Margot fanned her face with both hands, like she was trying not to cry. “This entire thing is killing me.”
“It killed me too, when he told me. I’d had no idea.” I sniffed, looking around for my purse with Margot’s handkerchief in it. Spying it on the ground about three feet away, where it must have landed when I fell, I scooped it up and dug through it.
“And that woman at the bar…” Georgia faltered.
“Oh, God.” I took out the handkerchief and wiped my nose. “It makes me sick that he was with her.”
“Drew actually cheated on you with her?” Margot asked. “You’re sure?”
I nodded. “He confessed.”
“No wonder you got so upset.” Georgia rubbed my back again. “But maybe it was like Wes said, just a drink set up by his mom.”
“Doesn’t matter.” I steeled myself against any inclination to believe him.
“I so wanted you to give love another chance,” Margot said softly, brushing my hair off my face.
“I almost did.” I shook my head as the tears came again. “God, you guys. I’m a mess.”
“You’re not,” insisted Georgia. Then she paused. “I mean, right now you kind of are, but you’ll get through this, Hannah. I know you will.”
“But I love him,” I sobbed. “What am I going to do about that? I love him. And he w
alked away.”
“He walked away because he thought it was what you wanted,” Georgia reminded me gently. “Not because he doesn’t love you. He does.”
“Is there any chance you can work this out?” Margot asked. “I can’t stop feeling like this isn’t over.”
“No. It’s over,” I said, squeezing my eyes shut. “It never should have started.”
