I went back home, hoping more than anything that my mom would be there. I needed her now more than ever. But it wasn’t surprising when she wasn’t around. Earlier, she’d texted to let me know she was at Bill’s company—he’d said he needed her for something. Of course, he always needed her for something. And between him and me, she was always there for him. Love makes people selfish. I understood that.
I was still reeling from everything that had happened. I sat on my bed, staring at my phone through blurry eyes. My face was soaked with tears, and I was trying to be strong, but I kept breaking down. Emily’s actions hurt, but Carter not even giving me a reasonable explanation hurt even more. He told me he loved me—as if that was suddenly going to fix everything. Emily had spoken terribly abou
