Chapter 1
My best friend, Sophia Wells, showed up at my door, broke and desperate after getting scammed in a fake marriage.
That night, my boyfriend, Charles Grant, and I helped her move into our apartment.
I took her case to court to get her money back, while Charles sorted out all the messy bills and legal stuff for her.
With the three of us living under the same roof, Sophia joked, "You two better not break up, or who am I supposed to stay with?"
Charles glanced at her, then pulled me closer by the waist.
"Keep dreaming. I'm not going anywhere," he said.
Later, I got assigned to a big case with a special task force out of state, and I was gone for six months.
The day I got back, before I could even put my suitcase down, I saw Charles standing in the living room.
He was shirtless, and Sophia was wearing his shirt.
*****
"Summer, why are you back today?" Sophia asked.
I gripped my suitcase handle and looked at Charles.
"Can't I come back?" I asked.
"No, it's not that," Sophia said.
Sophia dropped her eyes and fussed with her shirt.
Charles stepped up, trying to take my suitcase, but I pulled it away.
"Explain," I said.
He froze.
It had been six months since I had last seen him, and he had lost some weight, but his face was still the one I knew.
But he was practically drenched in Sophia's perfume.
Sophia blurted out, desperation clear in her voice.
"Summer, please, don't get the wrong idea. We just had a few drinks tonight," she said, almost pleading.
My voice went cold.
"I'm asking him," I said.
Sophia instantly went silent.
Charles didn't even hesitate.
"We both got drunk that night," he said.
"Which night?" I pressed.
His face went stiff for a second.
"The twelfth of last month," he said.
So it wasn't tonight.
"And then what?" I pressed.
"I don't want to lie to you," Charles said.
He hesitated for a second.
"I hooked up with her," he admitted.
Sophia instantly reached for his arm.
"I was the one who made the first move. It's not all his fault," she said.
Charles let her hold on to him.
My gaze dropped to her hand.
On her wrist was a delicate gold chain, the birthday gift I'd given her last year.
She followed my gaze, then quickly let go of Charles.
"I never wanted to hurt you, Summer. I mean it," Sophia said, her voice trembling.
I didn't say a word.
She took a step closer.
"I was really messed up back then. He was just trying to help me out," she added, her voice barely above a whisper.
"So you took care of her all the way to bed?" I shot back, my voice dripping with sarcasm.
Sophia's face went pale.
Charles frowned.
"Don't talk to her like that," he said.
That snapped me back to reality.
Before I left for my business trip, he held me close and promised he'd be waiting for me to come back.
When I was burning the midnight oil with the task force, I'd text him, and he'd always say Sophia was upset and he needed to be there for her.
I even told him to keep an eye on her.
And now, here he was in our living room, he was all about someone else.
I nodded.
"Got it," I said.
Charles held onto my suitcase, stopping me from leaving.
"Summer, let's talk," he said.
"We're done talking," I replied.
"It's not what you think," he said.
"You admitted you hooked up with her, and she said she started it. What else am I supposed to think?" I shot back.
He fell silent.
I pulled my suitcase out of his grip.
Sophia burst into tears.
"Summer, I'm so sorry," she sobbed through her tears.
I looked at her.
Six months ago, she showed up at my door with nothing to her name, telling me some guy had cleaned her out.
I let her crash at my place, helped her gather evidence, and fought to get her money back.
On the day we went to court, she hugged me tight and promised she'd never turn her back on me, ever.
Now she was sitting on my couch in my slippers, waiting for me to forgive her.
"This is Charles's place. I'm leaving," I said.
That was all I said.
Charles blocked the door.
"Where do you think you're going this late?" he asked.
"None of your business," I snapped.
"Summer, I swear, it was just that one time," Charles said.
Sophia's head snapped up, eyes locking on him.
For a second she could not hide the panic in her eyes, and it was written all over her face.
I caught it.
Charles caught it, too.
The living room went dead silent for a few seconds.
I didn't press him.
Once or a hundred times, it made no difference.
I pulled the door open.
Charles called out from behind me.
"Do you really have to leave right now?" he called out.
I turned to look at him.
"What, you want me to stick around and watch you undress her?" I shot back.
His hand froze on the collar of his shirt.
Sophia's sobs grew louder.
Just as the elevator doors were about to close, I heard Charles call my name.
I pressed the button for the first floor and didn't respond.