CHAPTER {4} You're Dead To Me, Adam

Zara is curled up beside me on the couch, one leg tucked under her. 

A half-eaten pancake sits on her plate, forgotten, her tea cooling between her palms. 

Her brows are drawn so tightly in confusion.

She's gotten just a bit lean, but her caramel skin glows better, her black curls always look ever glossy like she oils it every minute.

“Babe… tell me you’re joking,” she says, her voice almost breaking.

“Adam? Divorce? That man worshiped everything that concerns you.”

I stare down at my plate, pushing crumbs of pancakes around with my fork. 

My chest feels hollow, like someone scooped me out from the inside, and it hurts so much, but I feel more ashamed talking about it.

Zara only visited us once but she knows everything about me and Adam. I used to tell her everything. But now…

“I wish I was joking. But it’s true, Zara. He sent the papers while I was still in prison.”

Zara’s head snaps toward me, her mouth parting in shock. “Sent them? God!—”

“I don’t get it. I don’t fucking get it. That is so cruel!”

Zara leans closer, her shoulder brushing mine. Her eyes are almost wet.

“I swear, Hermione, I could kill him right now. To put you through this after everything? After you…” she stops herself.

She takes a deep loud breath. “You don’t deserve this. Not from him.”

Silence drapes over us.

She reaches out, and holds my arm, “You’ve been crying a lot. Look at you Hermione.”

A broken laugh escapes me. “What do you expect? Two years locked away… and now this waiting for me as soon as I get home? I’m… I’m shattered, Zara.” I breathe out, not even finding the strength to talk.

Her grip tightens. “No. You’re hurting, yes. But you’re not shattered. You’re still you. You’re still Hermione.” 

“The smart girl that can program dead bodies to function, but can't fry eggs without turning them black.”

“I shoot my gaze at her, holding the urge to laugh, then my hands snap to her mouth, squeezing. “You bitch, you just have to keep remembering that, huh?” 

She bursts out laughing.

Then she leans her head against mine, her voice turning into a whisper. “And I’ve missed you. More than I can say.”

“I’ve missed you too babe.” I say.

“But…Zara, the idea.” 

“No no no,” she shakes her head.

“You eat, you rest your head, shake off everything about Adam and prison, then we can talk business.”

“Because damn Hermione, we've got a shit load of business to discuss.”

~~~

I wake up with a pounding headache. My eyes feel swollen, my pillow is damp. I must have cried myself to sleep again.

The first thing I do is grab my phone. My heart beats faster as it turns on. 

I stare at the screen, waiting. But I see nothing. No missed calls. No texts. Not even a blank message from Adam.

I'm sure he's still with her, in our matrimonial bed. Making out, probably mocking me while they're at it.

It feels like the heartbreak is fresh all over again. Like it just happened this morning, not yesterday.

“I’m never crying over you again, Adam.” I whisper. That's exactly what I promised myself last night before I fell asleep.

I pull out the SIM from my phone and snap it in half, then throw it in the bin. 

I block him everywhere. I don't want anything ever reminding me of him.

I open my phone gallery. My thumb hovers over pictures of us. I select everything, press delete, and they all vanish, except one.

The photo of us in the pool. He’s lifting me up, I’m laughing with my head thrown back. 

We looked like the happiest couple alive. My finger brushes over his face on the screen.

“I hope you’re happy with her,” I whisper, and another tear slips down but I wipe it fast. “I hope…she loves you as much as I loved you.”

I press delete and the screen goes blank. 

“Goodbye, Adam…You’re dead to me.”

I take a long bath and change into clean clothes. 

When I walk into the kitchen, the smell of coffee fills the air. Zara is leaning against the counter with two mugs.

“Bitch, you look like you woke up from the dead,” she says, handing me a cup.

“Thanks,” I mutter and take it, instantly falling in love with the warmth it gives me.

“Aww. You already sieved out the sugar.” I ask.

I smile faintly. “You put all of it in yours, right?” 

“Exactly. I’m a sweet girl, I know.” She winks, and I can’t help but laugh softly.

“You’re the best, Zara,” I say. 

Then I set my laptop down on the table and take a sip of the coffee.

Her tone shifts to a more serious one. “So, from our beta testing, remember that? With my followers and a few influencers, we got an insane response.”

“We could’ve made millions just from that if you’d agreed to make it a paid version, Hermione." She shakes her head. 

“Your idea’s super genius, but then…prison happened,” she says, gesturing with her hands in the air.

I breathe in slowly. Shame touches me, but I push past it. 

“I got a lot of new ideas in prison,” I say. “Crazy ones. With what we already have, we can build something way bigger.”

Her eyes light up. “That’s what I like to hear. And listen, I’ve still got influencers begging to partner with us. They were pissed when everything paused, but they’ll jump right back in.”

“You said the beta has… what, three million users now?” I ask.

“Three million active fucking users,” she yells excitedly. “And you gotta open a social media account, by the way.”

I chuckle softly. “I'll handle that later.”

“Fine.” She takes another sip of coffee.

“I’m thinking five dollars per month for a subscription.” I say.

Her eyebrows shoot up. “Hermione, that’s too low. A shitty competitor app takes ten dollars, and it’s nothing compared to yours.”

“I know. But five is still amazing for a start. We make it superb and affordable for the people. That's how we grow faster.”

Zara leans back, crossing her arms. “And with the influencers on board, we could hit the world hard.”

We stare at each other. And I find both her eyes wide with excitement.

“Oh my God, Zara,” I breathe. “We could hit a billion dollars in a year if we work super hard on this.”

She squeals and nearly spills her coffee. “That’s exactly what I’m saying, bitch! Like disgustingly rich. That's what I'm fucking talking about!”

“I've waited so much for you, Hermione, you won't understand!” 

Her excitement pulls a laugh out of me. I nod, relief rushing through me for the first time in years. 

“Good," I say, looking at her. “Let’s make this happen.”