Chapter 7

Aubrey sat patiently before me, but the annoyance rolled off of her in waves. I wondered if it was directed at me, and I wouldn’t blame her because our last conversation hadn’t been the nicest.

“I…” she started, but paused and breathed deeply, “I stopped seeing him.”

“Is it okay if I ask why?”

She seemed nervous, fiddling with her thumbs as if she had a secret too big to bear. Her eyes were red, nose puffy, and cheeks bright with freckles. Aubrey was not okay.

“I’m so tired, Lilith,” she whispered while staring blankly at her hands. “So, so tired of not feeling what I want to. What I should.”

“And what should you feel?” I tried to sound kind. Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect besides more recklessness and demand on her part. I was only here because she paid me for this meeting. As sad as that sounded, that’s just how business worked.

At least that’s how I worked.

Maybe I had deep-set issues related to money that I should’ve been looking into. Either way, I had to try to care abou