Page 86

“She said she wanted to leave, so I let her. At first, I truly thought she’d come back. When I realized she wasn’t, it was too late to ask.”

“I don’t know. I don’t think it’s ever too late to get closure.”

Her words reminded her of the conversation she had with Blair a few weeks prior. “Blair actually told me I should talk to her.”

“She’s a smart girl. Do you also realize how unusual it is for someone to tell the girl they like to talk to the ex who broke their heart? She did that because she cares about you so much. That’s special.”

“She’sspecial.” Erin sighed. Just thinking about Blair made her want to jump right into her car and drive straight to her house, but she knew she had to take care of something first. “That’s why I need to do whatever it takes to make this work, even if it’s going to be hard.”

Before she could overthink it, she pulled out her phone and brought up the contact she never thought she’d reach out to again. Her hand shook as she typed out the text.Would it be possible to get together and talk at some point?

She half expected Bianca to never answer, so she was shocked when a reply came back within seconds.About what?A few seconds later, another text came through.Everything has been settled. The documents were signed.

Of course she thought this was about custody or child support. Erin wanted to scream. Bianca was infuriating.This isn’t about Nolan.

Then what’s it about?

When April snuck behind her and tried to look over her shoulder, Erin took a few steps away to type out her next message.Closure.

This time Bianca’s response wasn’t immediate, and Erin thought the conversation was over for now. That was until her phone started to vibrate in her hand with a call from none other than her ex-wife.

She held the phone up toward April. “She’s calling me. What the hell am I supposed to do?” Her heart pounded in her chest.

April pointed to the phone. “Pick it up! Now!”

“But what do I say?”

Her sister laughed. “Whatever the fuck it is you need to say.”

Erin took a deep breath and took a few more steps away from her sister.I can do this.“Hello?”

“What’s up?”

Erin used to think if she heard Bianca’s voice again, it would take her back, and she would find herself missing her all over again, but that wasn’t the case. There were absolutely no feelings there for the woman on the other end of the phone—aside from anger. And the anger wasn’t even for herself. It was for Nolan.

Erin cleared her throat. “I want to ask you something.” Her voice sounded stronger than she felt.

“Ask away.”

There were so many things she could ask, but there was one question that burned in her brain about both her dad and Bianca. Something that had made her wonder if she was worth sticking around for. “Was it hard for you to walk away from me?”

“That’s a loaded question,” Bianca said nonchalantly.

Erin’s blood was boiling now. All of the nights spent wondering what was wrong with her, and Bianca wasn’t even bothered. She tried to keep her voice calm, but it was no use. She had been holding this in for way too long. “How is it a loaded question? It’s pretty simple if you ask me. Was it fucking easy for you to walk away from me?”

Much to Erin’s surprise, Bianca laughed in response to her anger. “Wow. I’ve never experienced this spicy side of you. I like it.”

She likes it? What the hell?Erin could feel her face turning red as she paced the sidewalk. “It’s…” Erin shook her head in frustration. “It’s not for you.”

“I realize that. I’m just saying, whoever brought this out in you must be pretty great. Much better than me.”

“What? No. This is about you and me. No one else.”

“Be honest, Erin. It wasn’t about just you and me for a very long time.”

What is she talking…“Nolan.”

Bianca was silent, and for a moment Erin thought the call had dropped. “The thing is, I never actually wanted kids.”