Page 426 of The Doctors Will See You Now

Nothing. It meant nothing and did nothing to soothe the constant ache stemming from the bottomless pit of heartbreak.

And the realization that made it even worse? I’d understood why Nick had ended things. I hadn’t blamed him for not taking any chances when it came to his daughter. Which meant I didn’t even have anger to fall back on.

If anything, I loved the fucker more.

It was a real fucking bitch.

My phone pinged loudly in my small, loft apartment, and I already knew who it was before I snagged my phone off the coffee table to look at the message. My best friends had been trying their damnedest to get me out of the apartment—so far, to no avail.

Ivy: Just come out tonight. It’ll make you feel better.

Harper: Ivy’s right, dude. A girls’ night out with wine solves everything.

I called bullshit. The only thing that would solve my problems was if my connection to Remy magically didn’t exist and Nick and I were still together.

Me: Believe me, you don’t want me around. I’m a complete sad sack. We’re talking armpit hair and complete lack of personal hygiene. I’m just going to hang out here tonight. Read a book. Take a bath. Binge-watch GoT.

My phone rang a minute later, and I sighed when I saw, Incoming Call Harper, flashing across the screen.

Cripes. They wouldn’t let this go. I appreciated their concern, but it was unwarranted. I just needed some time to lick my wounds and get my thoughts in order.

I warred with the idea of sending the call to voice mail, but because friendship and shit like that, I ended up muting Game of Thrones and accepting the call by the fourth ring.

“Seriously,” I said by way of greeting. “Couldn’t we keep the eventual interrogation about my breakup to the group text?”

“Nope,” Harper responded, popping her p loudly. “We wanted to hear your voice. Are you sure you’re okay? Aside from the days old pussy smell you have going, of course.”

“We?”

“Ivy’s on, too. Consider it a three-way.”

“Hi, Char. How are you holding up, sweetie?” Ivy asked, her voice soft with concern.

Jesus. Their sympathy was nearly my undoing.

What was it about that emotion that urged tears to form in your eyes? Like, even when you thought you had it together, that you’d cried all you could cry, one tiny inkling of sympathy and concern in a loved one’s voice and bam! The dam burst, and you were back to square one all over again.

I swallowed hard against the building pressure in my throat. “I’m fine, guys. Seriously. I just need some alone time.”

“Bullshit,” Harper muttered. “We all know you’re not fine.”

“It’s okay to say you’re not fine, Char,” Ivy chimed in. “I know I wouldn’t be feeling too good after a breakup.”

“Okay. Okay.” I sighed heavily into the receiver. “I’m in a real rough place right now, and honestly, your sympathy and concern are much appreciated, but it’s too overwhelming for me at the moment. I just need some time to be alone with my thoughts and process it all.”

“What exactly happened?” Harper asked. “I mean, you never really explained why you and Nick ended things…”

“God, it’s a big, fat fucking mess to be honest,” I muttered. “You know he has a daughter, right?”

“Yeah,” they both answered simultaneously.

“Well, his daughter’s mother is Winnie.”

“Who is Winnie?”

“You know, Winnie,” I repeated.

A few seconds of silence passed over this, until it all clicked into place for them.