“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” Adan told Lucy. “I’ve got a really busy day ahead of me, so I won’t be able to get together tonight.”

“Aww,” she whined. “Okay, fine. But I’ll be missing you.”

“Me too.”

Adan rolled his eyes.

He was talking to Lucy through his car’s speakers, while driving out to the capitol.

“And hey,” he added. “I think it would be really good for you to check on Yena today. Maybe you could give her a call.”

“I was thinking the same,” Lucy replied. “I’ll do that. You’re so sweet to think of her.”

“Ah, I’m just worried about her.”

“So am I.” She sighed.

“It’s sad, what Nolan is doing…” Adan trailed off, hoping to pique Lucy’s interest.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, it’s just that Yena is such a wonderful girl. So smart and talented, so ambitious. And Nolan convinced her that he loved her, but… well, would you give divorce papers to someone that you really loved?”

“No,” Lucy said. “No way. It doesn’t make sense.”

“It doesn’t. The only reason he’d divorce her is because he doesn’t love her. The travel stuff is just an excuse, and a stupid one at that.”

“Goddess,” Lucy said. “Yena really adores Nolan. This must all be so heartbreaking for her.”

“And you know what the worst part is?”

“Hmm?”

“I bet Nolan will be remarried in less than a year if Yena grants him the divorce. And probably to that girl… his ex.”

Lucy went quiet.

“I’m sorry,” Adan said. “God, I’ve gone off and run my mouth again. I shouldn’t be talking about them like this, it’s not my business.”

“No, really, it’s okay,” Lucy said, her tone lighter now. “I’m so glad I have someone to talk about this with. If I didn’t have you, Adan, I’d be feeling so lost, not knowing how to help my best friend through this horrible time.”

“Good,” he said. “I’m really glad I can help.”

“Oh, you have helped so much.”

Adan smiled. Thinking about how much he had helped Nolan and Yena’s relationship already.

Someone was talking to Lucy in the background. Probably her mother. Adan could just barely hear the voice, but it sounded familiar.

“I gotta go,” Lucy said. “I’ll talk to you later, okay, baby? Will you call me?”

Adan grimaced. That was another thing he hated about Lucy. She liked to call him all kinds of infantile pet names.

“Sure,” he said. “Bye, beautiful.”

Then he hung up quickly, before she could try to linger on the phone. Or call him another offensively childish nickname.

Coasting onto the highway, Adan put a cigarette into his mouth and lit it one-handed. He lowered the windows to let the smoke out as he exhaled.

Nolan was right on the verge of losing the love of his life. It sounded like the boy had gone and done something really stupid.

Adan could see how it might’ve happened. And what Nolan had been thinking in his dumb, lovestruck little mind.

Nolan was probably trying to make a grand gesture. Trying to show Yena that he would be willing to set her free. Hoping she’d swoon and tell Nolan how wonderful he was for being willing to let her go.

What a fucking idiot.

And Lucy might be able to give Yena that final push that she needed today, to follow through with the divorce. And Nolan’s risky little gamble would turn into a devastating loss.

And… then Yena would officially be in play.

With the two of them apart, Adan was already winning. All he’d originally planned on was splitting them up, and making Nolan look like a fool.

But what if he might actually be able to seduce Yena, too?

Adan took a very long drag of his cigarette as he thought about that for a minute.

He exhaled a giant smoke cloud and let his foot fall heavier onto the gas pedal, revving the engine and sending him flying down the highway.

It’d already be a challenge just to get Yena to talk to him. To get her in bed, too… now, that would something else. Because Yena did not trust Adan at all.

But apart from Nolan, she’d be a lot more vulnerable.

If Adan could get with Yena… that would really destroy Nolan, once he found out.

And it would be very, very satisfying, too.

Adan flicked the butt of his cigarette out the window and smiled wickedly.

YENA

I was lying in bed late in the morning, snoozing in and out of weird dreams, when Lucy called me.

I rolled over and grabbed a sip of water before answering the phone.

“Hey.” My voice came out less sleepy and more controlled than I was expecting.

“Hi, Yena. How are you doing today?”

“Oh Lucy, I don’t know.”

I put my head back on the pillow and rubbed my eyes. They were puffy, itchy, and swollen.

“I’m still in bed,” I told her. “Nolan was gone already when I woke up this morning, and I’ve just been lying here dozing on and off.”

“Aww. Do you want me to come over? I hate that you’re feeling like this.”

I thought about it for a moment, then said, “That’s okay. I think I kind of want to be alone right now.”

Lucy said, “Alright.”

But there was a tone in her voice that did not really sound alright.

“Is everything okay with you, Lucy?”

She sighed loudly into the phone.

She had a bad habit of doing that.

“I was just thinking about it some more, Yena… about your situation, after we talked last night.”

“Yeah?”

“And… I don’t want to meddle in your life. I would never try to tell you what to do. But you asked me for advice, and at the time I didn’t really know what to say.”

“And now? Do you have some advice for me? Because honestly, Lucy, I could really use any help I can get, figuring out what the hell to do here.”

“Okay.” But still, Lucy was reluctant to spit it out.

“Please tell me,” I said. “Just tell me what you think I should do. I need the advice.”

“Okay, so, I think…” Lucy was really struggling to get this out. “I think… you should consider signing the divorce papers, Yena.”

My eyes went huge, and I sat straight up in bed.

“You do?”

“Listen,” she continued, “now that I’ve had time to think about it, it really seems like the whole thing about traveling out of the country, has got to be an excuse. That is no reason to divorce someone.”

She paused, but I stayed quiet. Waiting for her to say more.

“I mean, why would he offer a divorce to you, if he didn’t want it? If he didn’t mean it? I just… I don’t want you to stay with someone who doesn’t really love you, Yena.”

That last sentence struck a nerve.

I couldn’t even respond right away. I had to catch my breath first.

“You really think that he doesn’t love me?” I asked.

Lucy did another of her signature dramatic sighs. Then she replied, “I don’t, Yena. I really don’t think that he does.”