Chapter 148

Hannah

“I just can’t believe it,” Viona muttered through grit teeth as we made our way up the front steps. “After all these years, Jake has a secret Tinder profile…”

“And he’s going to go on a date with ‘Tyler’,” I said with a shudder.

As I fumbled for the keys, Viona shot me a nervous look over her shoulder. “Amber’s gonna be heartbroken.”

“She’ll be alright.” I paused, turning the key in the lock and pushing the door open. “Heartbreak sucks, but we’re here for her. That’s what matters.”

Viona hummed in agreement. Stepping inside, we both kicked our shoes off by the front door. Viona headed up to her room while I made my way to the kitchen to make a cup of tea before bed.

As soon as I stepped through the doorway, I was met with the scent of something cooking. Rounding the corner, I saw him: Noah, pouring a serving of saucy pasta into a single dish.

Our eyes met for a split second before he quickly looked away, his jaw clenching. Without a word, he grabbed his plate and moved to leave the kitchen. As he passed by, his shoulder bumped into mine, hard enough that I knew it wasn’t accidental.

I gritted my teeth, biting back the urge to say something nasty. Instead, I kept my eyes forward and ignored him as he left the room. The sound of his footsteps retreating up the stairs echoed in the tense silence.

With a sigh, I crossed over to the stove and put the kettle on. It had been like this for days now; ever since that fateful night with my toy in bed, things had been colder than ever between us. At this point, I was practically counting down the days until our divorce.

And it couldn’t come soon enough.

Sleep didn’t come easily that night. I tossed and turned, my mind racing with thoughts of Jake, of Amber, of Noah... When my alarm went off at 7:30, I felt like I had barely closed my eyes.

I dragged myself out of bed and into the shower, hoping the hot water would wake me up. As I got dressed, I tried to make myself look as unlike my usual self as possible—dark sunglasses, a hat pulled low over my face, clothes I rarely wore.

At 8:45, Viona and I slipped out of the house, not bothering to say goodbye to Noah. He was probably neck deep in work in his office anyway, or simply avoiding me.

Viona and I met Drake outside the cafe at precisely nine AM. Viona was similarly disguised, while Drake... well, Drake looked like a completely different person. He had gone all out with his ‘Tyler’ persona, complete with a blonde wig and colored contacts, along with a baseball hat and sunglasses so it wasn’t too obvious.

“Wow,” I whispered as we huddled together outside the cafe. “You really commit, don’t you?”

Drake grinned as he ran a hand through his fake blonde hair. “Go big or go home, right?”

Viona nodded approvingly. “Jake won’t know what hit him.”

We quickly went over the plan one last time before entering the cafe. Drake took a seat at a table near the window, while Viona and I settled at a table in the corner, partially hidden behind a large potted plant.

“Remember,” I whispered to Viona as we pretended to peruse our menus. “Act natural. We’re just two friends having coffee.”

Viona nodded, her eyes scanning the room nervously. “Right. Natural. I can do that.”

We ordered our coffees and settled in to wait; of course, the minutes ticked by agonizingly slow. I found myself checking my watch every few seconds, my heart racing with anticipation.

Finally, after what felt like hours but was probably only about twenty minutes, the bell above the door chimed. I peered around the plant and felt my breath catch in my throat.

“Jake is in the building,” Viona whispered. “I repeat, Jake is in the building.”

Pausing in the doorway, Jake looked around the cafe for a moment before his eyes finally settled on Drake. A smile spread across his face as he approached the table.

“Quick,” I hissed to Viona, snapping my fingers. “Get your phone ready!”

Sputtering on her coffee, Viona fumbled with her phone and nearly dropped it in her haste. We both watched, wide-eyed, as Jake greeted Drake with a warm hug.

“Holy shit,” Viona whispered, snapping pictures furiously. “He’s actually hugging him!”

I could barely believe what I was seeing. Jake sat down across from Drake, leaning in close as they began to talk. At one point, Jake reached out and touched Drake’s hand, his fingers lingering there for a moment too long to be purely friendly.

“This is insane,” I muttered, shaking my head in disbelief.

Suddenly, Jake’s head started to turn in our direction. I grabbed Viona’s arm, yanking her down behind the plant.

“Shit!” Viona hissed. “Do you think he saw us?”

We held our breath, hardly daring to move. After a few tense seconds, I risked a peek around the plant. Jake was back to focusing on Drake, seemingly oblivious to our presence.

“I think we’re okay,” I whispered, letting out a sigh of relief.

We stayed hidden for the rest of Jake and Drake’s ‘date’, occasionally sneaking glances and more pictures. After about an hour, Jake finally stood up to leave. We watched as he gave Drake another hug, this one lasting even longer than the first.

As soon as Jake was out the door, Drake made his way over to our table, a triumphant grin on his face.

“Well,” he said, sliding into the seat next to me and ripping off his wig, “I guess I still got it.”

Viona and I were too stunned to respond at first. We were already huddled around her phone, scrolling through the pictures she had taken.

“I can’t believe it,” Viona said, shaking her head. “It’s all here. The hugging, the hand touching... He even grabbed your ass during that last hug, Drake. There’s no way he can explain this away.”

I felt a mixture of emotions swirling in my chest—vindication, sadness for Amber, anger at Jake, gratefulness for Drake.

“What do we do now?” I asked, looking between Viona and Drake.

Viona’s face hardened. “We have to tell Amber. As soon as possible.”

“Are you sure?” I asked, hesitating. “Maybe we should wait, figure out the best way to break it to her…”

But Viona was already pulling out her phone. “No. She needs to know before she makes the biggest mistake of her life.”

Before I could protest further, she was dialing Amber’s number. It rang twice before Amber picked up.

“Hey, Vi!” Amber’s cheerful voice came through the speaker. “What’s up?”

Viona took a deep breath. “Hey, Amber,” she said, keeping her tone cool despite the circumstances. “Do you want to come to Hannah’s place tonight? Girls night?”

There was a pause on the other end of the line before Amber replied, “Sure! I’ll bring stuff to do mani-pedis. Maybe we can order Chinese?”

Viona’s eyes widened as she looked at me. “Uh, yeah,” she said slowly, hesitantly. “We’re gonna go all out tonight. Trust me.”

…

“Are you sure about this?” I asked Viona one last time as we waited for Amber to arrive. The living room was fully stocked for a girls night: movies, fuzzy blankets, bowls of snacks and popcorn, iced coffees, and Chinese takeout on the way. Everything that a girl needed right after she had her heart broken.

Including the chair that Amber would sit in when we broke the news.

Viona nodded grimly. “She deserves to know the truth.”

Before I could respond, we heard a car pull up outside. A few moments later, there was a knock at the door.

“It’s open!” I called out, my voice wavering slightly.

The door swung open, and Amber stepped in with a bright smile on her face. “Hey girls! I brought margarita mix for our…”

Her voice trailed off and her smile faltered as she took in the scene in front of her—Viona and I sitting solemnly on the couch, a single empty chair placed directly across from us.

“Amber,” I said slowly, rising to my feet. “Please… Take a seat.”