Page 24 of The Wrong Husband

Zoey cuts her a glance.Enough.

Grace sighs, then her features soften. “Look, relationships are messy. But from where we stood… He made you doubtyourself. And you, Phe?” Her eyes shine. “You’re not meant to feel small in love.”

I swallow hard. A lump rises in my throat. Because she’s right.

Iwasshrinking.

Drew chipped away at me—inch by inch—until I believed I wasn’t good enough. For him. For anyone.

He made me think letting him go meant ending my last shot at love.

He didn’t just spot my insecurities—he played on them. And I let him.

But somewhere deep down, the part of me that still believed I deserved better finally clawed its way to the surface. Things got so bad, I couldn’tnotspeak up. And thank God I did.

For the first time in forever, I can breathe.

Still, hearing my friends say aloud what I’ve been too scared to admit… It stings, while at the same time, it validates my feelings. I shift in my seat, the truth of it stamped across my face.

“Oh, sweetie.” Harper squeezes my hand in both of hers. “We’re sorry you went through that. But I’msoproud of you for ending it.”

Even Harper—our resident romantic—is relieved he’s gone.

I force a laugh. “Wow. I didn’t realize it looked that bad from the outside.”

They exchange looks. Guilt flashes in Grace’s eyes.

“Maybe I should’ve said something,” she admits. “But we all agreed it was better you realize it on your own. We didn’t want to push you away.”

My gaze bounces between them. “You talked about me?”

Harper and Zoey both wince.

“We were worried,” Harper says gently.

“Especially when you kept turning down plans,” Zoey adds. “And when you didn’t want us over at your place? We knew something wasn’t right.”

“Nothing was right.” I curl my shoulders. “Not even close.”

Harper leans in, eyes searching mine. “We didn’t want to push. We just wanted you to know—we were here. Always on your side.”

“I knew that.” I half smile. “That’s, partly, why I stayed away. I knew, if I saw you, I’d crack. I’d spill everything. And that would mean I’d have to do something about it. I wasn’t ready… So, I avoided you.”

“It’s okay.” Zoey exhales. “Breaking up is brutal. Even when youknowit’s the right thing.”

“Tell me about it.” I let out a laugh—it comes out bitter, brittle. “Truth is, I was just as much to blame.”

I glance at Grace, then back at them. “I chose Drew because he didn’t ask much of me. I didn’t have to open up. Didn’t have to be real with him. It was easy… Safe… And honestly, kind of lifeless.”

I swallow.It’s so difficult to say this aloud.“It wasn’t love. I knew that. And I still stayed.”

There’s a beat of silence. Then I add, more to myself than anyone else, “I should’ve ended it a long time ago. And I probably shouldn’t have stayed away from you guys.”

“What made you decide to meet us today?” Grace fixes me with a shrewd stare.

Of course, Grace would ask that.I look away, “Umm—” I hesitate. “I—I…” I stumble over the words, trying to form them. “I?—”

Her eyes narrow. “Hold on, did you meet someone?”