Chapter 147

Hannah

I shuddered as I looked at my phone: the forum post claiming to have proof of my divorce with Noah was up to 7,000 likes. Just 3,000 more, and the poster would supposedly post this so-called ‘proof’... Whatever it may be.

“Hannah? Earth to Hannah?”

The sound of Viona’s voice snapped me out of my haze. I quickly shut my phone off and slipped it into my purse, meeting her gaze from across the table. For now, I would have to push the thoughts of that forum post out of my mind. After all, I was supposed to be out for dinner with my friend.

“You okay?” Viona asked, eyeing me from across the booth at our favorite restaurant. She dipped a chip into the nacho cheese, swirled it around, then took a big bite.

I forced a smile and shook my head, sipping my drink. “Yeah, I’m fine. My mind is just… elsewhere right now.”

Elsewhere. Still stuck on that night with Noah, more like. I still couldn’t get that image out of my mind: his large form hunched over me, the heat between us, the way his face turned black before he stormed out. It felt like the final nail in the coffin.

Viona raised an eyebrow but didn’t push it further. Instead, she changed the subject. “So, about Amber’s wedding. Can you believe it’s only a month away?”

I shook my head. “They’re getting married so fast… He only proposed a couple weeks ago.”

“That’s what I’m saying.” Viona leaned in, lowering her voice. “This whole situation is fishy. Frankly, I still think Jake is gay.”

I bit my lip, remembering what I had seen at the club during our girls night. I hadn’t mentioned it to Viona yet, or anyone, really, because that also happened to be the fateful aforementioned night with Noah.

“Actually, Vi... I saw something the other night that makes me think you might be right,” I said, pursing my lips. “I almost forgot, what with everything else going on… But I think you should know.”

Viona’s eyes widened. “Spill. Now.”

I glanced around to make sure no one was listening, then recounted what I had seen at the club—Jake with another man, their intimate body language, the almost-kiss.

“Holy shit,” Viona breathed, leaning back in her chair. “I knew it. He’s using Amber as a beard!”

“Hang on. We don’t know that for sure,” I said, holding up a hand to placate her. “Maybe he’s bi?”

Viona shook her head vehemently. “No way. If he was and they were in some kind of open relationship deal, you know Amber would have mentioned it.”

I nodded, realizing that Viona was right. Amber wasn’t exactly a closed book. “Okay, but what do we do about it?” I asked. “Amber’s so in love, she would never believe us without proof.”

“That’s the problem,” Viona sighed as she dunked another chip into the cheese. “We need solid evidence. But how do we get it is the ques—” Before she could finish, the chip slipped from her fingers and fell back into the cheese. Her eyes widened as she looked over my shoulder, and I turned to see what she was looking at.

Speak of the devil.

Drake, brushing the rain water off of his jacket, caught sight of us almost immediately—like he could sense us looking. He didn’t hesitate before approaching. “Ladies,” he greeted. “Mind if I join you?”

“Not at all,” Viona said, scooting over to make room for him. As he shrugged off his jacket, Viona shot me a sly wink that made me roll my eyes.

As Drake settled in, he ordered a drink from the waitress. Once she was gone, he looked back and forth between us. “So, what are we talking about? You both looked pretty serious when I walked in.”

Viona and I exchanged wary glances. Drake wasn’t really privy to our personal friend group drama, but he had been helping me figure out what was going on between Zoe and Noah… Maybe he could help with this, too.

“We’re talking about our friend Amber,” I said.

“We’re… worried,” Viona added.

Drake cocked an eyebrow at us. “Worried? Why?”

With a sigh, I filled him in on our suspicions about Jake, including what I had seen at the club. Drake listened intently the entire time, his brow furrowed.

By the time I was finished, his drink had already arrived. He took a sip, swallowed hard, and let out a low whistle. “That’s rough,” he said. “Are you gonna tell her?”

“We would, but the problem is,” Viona chimed in, “we have no proof. And Amber would never believe us without it.”

“She’s totally in love with him,” I added. “She’s been head over heels for him since they started dating a few years ago. She’d never believe us unless we had solid evidence.”

Drake was quiet for a moment, his eyes darting back and forth across the tabletop in an expression that I had come to know well as him thinking deeply. After several long moments, a sly grin spread across his face. “You know... I might be able to help with that.”

“How?” Viona and I asked almost in unison.

Drake leaned in conspiratorially. “Well, not to brag, but I’m pretty good at attracting almost anyone I want.” He shot me a loaded glance, causing my face to redden, before he leaned back and shrugged. “That includes men. What if I were to, say... catfish Jake?”

Viona’s eyes lit up. “That’s fucking genius,” she whispered.

I, however, was more hesitant. I had already learned my lesson about scheming with the whole Zoe debacle. To do the same with my friend… I wasn’t so sure about that. “I don’t know,” I muttered. “Isn’t that kind of risky?”

“Maybe,” Drake conceded. “But if it would protect your friend from marrying someone who’s potentially using her, isn’t it worth the risk?”

I had to admit, he had a point. Amber might be pissed at us, but she would understand why we did what we did.

Finally, with a sigh, I threw my hands up in exasperation. “Fine,” I conceded. “So how would this work?”

Drake pulled out his phone. “First, I’ll create a fake profile. Give me a minute.”

Viona and I watched as Drake’s fingers flew over his phone screen. After a few minutes, he turned the phone to show us. “Meet ‘Tyler’, 28, fitness enthusiast and dog lover.”

The profile showed a handsome AI generated man with sandy blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. “Wow, that’s so realistic,” Viona breathed. “I’d swipe right.”

Drake grinned. “That’s the idea. Now, let’s see if we can find Jake…”

It took a few minutes of searching, but eventually, Drake located Jake’s profile. My stomach twisted as I saw the images of Jake with Amber carefully carefully cropped out.

“That bastard,” Viona hissed. “We should send her the screenshots.”

Drake shook his head. “No. Let’s see if we can get him to meet up first. If we just send her the screenshots of his Tinder profile, he might be able to claim it’s not actually him.”

“If we can get him to meet up, we can photograph him and show it to Amber,” I said.

Drake nodded. Without hesitation, he sent a message. When he was finished, he showed us the screen. The message read: “Hey there, handsome. Love your smile. Want to grab a coffee sometime?”

“And now we wait,” Drake said, setting his phone down.

We tried to make small talk while we waited, but the anticipation was palpable. After what felt like an eternity but was probably only about ten minutes, Drake’s phone buzzed.

We all leaned in as Drake opened the message. Jake had responded: “Hey, Tyler! Thanks for the compliment. Coffee sounds great. When were you thinking?”

“Holy shit,” Viona whispered. “He actually responded.”

Drake quickly typed out a reply, suggesting a cafe and time for the next day. Jake’s response came almost immediately, agreeing to the meeting. And with a trap set up, it was only a matter of time.

We finished up our meal, feeling both nervous and sad for our friend. With a promise to meet outside the coffee chop, we gathered our things and Viona headed out to the car. I hung behind for a moment to talk to Drake.

“Drake,” I said, pulling him aside. “Have you found any proof about Noah and Zoe yet?”

Drake’s face fell slightly. “I’m sorry, Hannah. I’ve been watching them like a hawk, but... nothing. No late-night visits, no suspicious behavior. Maybe they’re not cheating after all.”

I felt a strange mix of relief and disappointment swirl around in my chest. “But... he has to be. I’m sure of it.”

Drake placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. “Look, I’ll stay for one more week to try and find evidence. But that’s it, okay? If we don’t find anything by then, you might have to consider the possibility that Noah’s telling the truth.”

I nodded, feeling numb. As Drake walked away, my mind wandered back to the picture in Noah’s offering bundle—the one I was so sure he had put there himself. But if he wasn’t cheating with Zoe…

A small, nagging voice in the back of my head whispered a thought I had been trying to ignore: that maybe Noah was telling the truth after all.

And if that was the case, then who put that picture there? And why?