Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 23437 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 117(@200wpm)___ 94(@250wpm)___ 78(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23437 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 117(@200wpm)___ 94(@250wpm)___ 78(@300wpm)
“Depo what?” I hiccup miserably, wiping at my cheeks again.
Chelsea nods importantly.
“You know, the contraceptive injection. They give it to you in the arm, and it’s good for three months. That way, there’s a lot less chance of fucking up and forgetting and all that kind of shit. It’s not even the girls who ‘forget’ sometimes. It’s the men,” Chels adds in a rueful tone. “They want it hot and unprotected, and so the girls feel pressured.”
I stare at my friend, who looks very “rich mom” right now. Chelsea’s brown curls are pulled back in an elegant low bun, and she’s wearing a colorful caftan that probably cost a thousand bucks. A huge diamond decorates her left ring finger, but it doesn’t stop me from squinting at her.
“How do you know this again?” I ask.
Chelsea laughs.
“Because I used to be an escort before I met Mason, remember? Way back when, before I got pregnant. It’s the only way to make enough in the city to survive, so yeah, I used to work for City Girls long ago.”
I shake my head.
“Oof, I forgot. It just seems so unlikely, girlfriend. I mean, look at you. You look like you belong in The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.”
Chelsea giggles, looking around the mansion with its triple height ceilings and luxurious furnishings.
“I know right? But once upon a time, I was a struggling young woman living in Manhattan, and seeing men professionally is how I made ends meet,” she says. “There’s no shame it in. At least, I’m not ashamed.”
I nod.
“Good for you. I’m not ashamed of sleeping with a ton of guys either but that doesn’t solve my problem right now. The problem is that Rick was also sleeping with a ton of women, and one of them got pregnant.”
Chelsea sighs heavily, dusting off her hands.
“That is a problem, isn’t it?”
I nod morosely, slumping onto the couch once more.
“Yeah, tell me about it. So what do I do? I mean, it’s pretty much the end of our relationship. It’s not that he lied or tried to do anything shady. If anything, Rick was totally upfront when we started seeing each other. He admitted to being a male whore and boning tons of women ever since he separated from his wife. But still, Savannah changes everything.”
Chelsea shoots me a thoughtful look.
“Why do you say that?”
I think for a moment, even as my heart contracts with pain.
“Well, because for one, it really hurts knowing he was sleeping with other women. I mean, of course I knew theoretically, but now there’s hard proof.”
My buddy nods sympathetically.
“Of course. It can’t be easy to be faced with evidence. It must have happened right before you left for Bermuda too,” she adds.
I smile, a bit sad.
“Yeah, and that really sucks because I think it’s possible that he boned Savannah Thursday night before boning me that weekend. So yeah, Rick could have slept with multiple women all within the span of a few days.”
Chelsea sighs.
“Male whore,” is her terse epithet.
“I know,” I nod. “But it’s not illegal. It just sucks, and not only that, but Rick is a good guy, Chels. I can’t deny it because I wouldn’t be with him if he weren’t. He’s a good father to Amelia too, and that’s why I know this spells the end of our relationship. He’s not going to shirk his responsibilities. If Savannah wants to keep the baby, then he’s going to take her side.”
My friend pauses and nods at me.
“But do you think he could keep seeing you at the same time?”
I gasp.
“While Savannah’s pregnant, you mean?”
My buddy nods.
“It’s not impossible. I mean, it sounds like you guys are in a relationship, and it’s inconvenient that Savannah’s pregnant now. But you could still see Rick even as he waits for the baby to be born.”
I think for a moment but then shake my head.
“No, I don’t think so. Not because of him but because I can’t do it. It’s just too emotionally draining and stressful knowing that your boyfriend is expecting a child with another woman.”
“Even if Rick swears high and low that Savannah’s nothing to him?”
I sigh as tears brim in my eyes once more.
“No, I don’t think I can do it,” I say in a low, trembling voice. “Knowing that his baby is gestating in another woman’s uterus is too much for me. I can’t stay with him.”
Those words tremble in the air between us, and Chelsea shoots me a sympathetic look.
“It sounds like you’ve decided then, hon,” she says gently. “You’re leaving Rick, aren’t you?”
I hadn’t fully realized that that was my plan of action until now, but hearing the words out in the open crystallizes the idea, and suddenly, I know that this is what I have to do. My heart breaks then, shattering into a million pieces as the tears spill over, but I have no choice.