Page 111 of How to Break My Heart

As I get into the car and drive back home, my eyes are beyond tired from staying up all night and all the tears I so easily shed. Even with copious amounts of coffee, nothing can take away my level of sheer exhaustion right now.

There’s no time for a nap, so I take a quick shower and then go straight to the Grand Honey Lodge to help Maddy get ready. Once Maddy is done, my hair and makeup shouldn’t take too long.

All I need to do is get through today.

“One more day,” I breathe to myself.

As I pull into the parking lot, I see Aston pacing by the door. The moment he notices my car, he storms toward me with flushed, mottled skin and wide eyes, ready to go to battle.

I get out of the car, only for him to yank my bag from me, pulling out my phone.

“It didn’t occur to you to pick up your phone any of the times I called you?” he hisses, nostrils flaring as he stares at me in a blind rage.

I glance at the screen to see twenty-seven missed calls.

My eyes close, wishing all of this would just go away. My patience has worn fragile, and nothing I say or do will come out rational. I am tired. I am so tired of life and spinning in this vicious cycle with Aston.

“Don’t start,” I warn him. “Not now.”

“I was worried sick about you! God, Everleigh. You could have driven into a ditch last night.”

“I’m not sure why you care. You’ve never worried about me before.” I place my hands on my hips, suddenly angry at him for everything that happened last night. “I mean, you’re going to live on the other side of the damn world. That didn’t seem to bother you in the slightest.”

“Jesus Christ, Everleigh. I wanted to tell you, but—”

“But what? You spent all day with me yesterday. It’s clear I am nothing more than an easy fuck to pass the time while in Cinnamon Springs. Or did Harvey get to you?”

“It’s not like that,” he mumbles, unable to look at me. “We need to talk properly.”

I point my finger at him. “No, wedon’t, Aston. All the talking has been done. You know just how to break my heart, don’t you? So, if you’d kindly get out of my way, I need to make sure my best friend gets married today.”

There are no words left to be said.

I enter the building, making sure to slam the door behind me as hard as possible.

We are done.

I am done.

Nothing, and no one, can change my mind.

All the bridesmaids are dressed with their hair and makeup finished.

During my dress change, I get my period. Why not addsomething else to the already fucked-up twenty-four hours I’ve had! Luckily, I carry tampons, but given that the dress is made from silk, I pray it doesn’t seep through during the ceremony. It could explain my mood, but it’s no match for walking around with a broken heart. Everything I do hurts, and no matter how much I try to distract myself, it all comes back to one thing.

It’s over before it even began.

And although it’s the last thing I want to think about, I remember how Aston has been entering me bareback. Even though I’m taking birth control, that’s only 99.9 percent effective.

Thankfully, I amnotthat 0.1 percent this month.

Ramona and Hailey have drunk a bottle of champagne between them. They offered me some, but I was not in the mood. It’s bad enough that the makeup artist had to use more concealer to hide the dark circles under my eyes. The girls giggled, thinking it was funny.

But they don’t know the hell I’ve been through.

I check the time with Georgina to ensure we aren’t running late. With Patricia in the room, we wait for Maddy to exit the main suite. It takes a few minutes, but she eventually walks out quietly, and we all gasp at how beautiful she looks.

“Maddy, you look perfect,” I gush, helping her with the long veil that follows her from the suite. It’s made from this expensive lace and passed down from Georgina’s great-aunt.