Chapter 224
Before we could speak, she was already dialing his number. Viona and I exchanged worried glances as the phone rang.
“Jake?” Amber said when he answered. Her voice was cold, controlled. “We need to talk. Now.”
There was a pause as Jake responded.
“No, not later. Now,” Amber insisted. “I know you’re cheating on me and that you’re gay. The wedding is off.”
Another pause. Jake’s voice came through faintly, sounding panicked.
“Don’t try to deny it,” Amber cut him off. “I have proof. Pictures of you with another man today. On a date. And a Tinder profile to match.”
Jake’s voice rose, becoming clearer as he tried to explain.
“I don’t want to hear it,” Amber said firmly. “If you realized you were gay during our relationship, you could have just talked to me about it. Not cheat on me with men behind my back.”
Before Jake could say anything else, Amber abruptly hung up. She sat there for a moment, breathing heavily, before looking up at us with a small, sad smile.
“Thank you,” she said softly. “Both of you. I… I’m glad I know the truth now.”
Viona and I hugged her tightly, telling her how proud we were of her for standing up for herself.
“So,” I said after a while, trying to lighten the mood, “what do you say we break out that margarita mix you brought and have a proper girls’ night?”
Amber managed a weak laugh. “That sounds perfect.”
The rest of the night was spent watching movies, eating our weight in takeout food, and painting our nails. As the night wore on, Amber seemed to relax, her tears slowly drying on her cheeks.
During a lull between films, Amber suddenly spoke. “I think I need to get out of town for a bit.”
Viona and I exchanged glances. “What do you mean?” I asked.
Amber shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s just… it’s been too long since we had a girls’ trip, you know? I think I could use some time away with my best friends.”
I nodded slowly, realizing she was right. “The last time we all had a vacation together was… wow, almost three years ago, right after my wedding to Noah.”
“Exactly,” Amber said. “I think we’re overdue.”
Viona and I both grinned. “I’m in,” we said, almost in unison.
Later that night, Viona and Amber had drifted off to sleep on the couch and armchair respectively. I was quietly cleaning up the remnants of our night, gathering empty takeout containers and rinsing out margarita glasses.
As I was finishing up in the kitchen, I looked up to see Noah standing in the doorway. I tensed, unsure what to expect.
“What do you want?” I asked, perhaps a bit more harshly than I intended.
Noah cleared his throat. “Can we talk for a minute?”
“Fine.” I set down my dishtowel, crossing my arms as I waited for him to speak.
Noah ran a hand through his hair, looking uncomfortable. “I, uh… I heard what you did for Amber.”
I braced myself, expecting him to accuse me of being a schemer again. But to my surprise, he didn’t.
“It’s not what you think,” he said quickly. “I’m not here to criticize you. In fact, I… I’m proud of you, Hannah.”
Noah’s POV
Noah watched as the color drained from Hannah’s face. Her mouth opened and closed a few times before she finally muttered, “Thanks.”
Before Noah could say anything else, however, Hannah suddenly brushed past him. He turned, watching with a furrowed brow as she hurried down the hall and up the stairs—as if his very presence frightened her. But Noah knew the truth. That night, when he had told her to picture the man she wanted most, she had said Drake… And yet, when he had slipped into her bedroom, he could have sworn he heard her moaning his own name. Hannah was lying about her love for Drake. Noah was sure of it.