Chapter 4

Ben's threat cut deep, leaving me cold and hollow.

I kept my head down so he wouldn't see my tears and did my best to keep my voice steady. "You've got it all wrong. Jean is my best friend. I couldn't be happier for her. Why would you think I'd hurt her?"

Ben watched me closely, perhaps trying to figure out whether I knew he had his memory back.

After a few seconds, his expression softened. "That's not what I meant. You two are best friends. I'm just saying she'll need you to look out for her."

I didn't respond.

A little while later, Jean asked me to bring her some ice cream, giving her an excuse to get me alone in the living room. She opened her mouth to speak, then hesitated as tears filled her eyes.

Calmly, I asked, "When did it happen?"

Jean's face crumpled with guilt as she began to sob. "Ben and I were both drunk that night. I took the morning-after pill, but I still got pregnant. Maybe it was expired or fake."

She hadn't told me any of this.

Like a fool, I had felt sorry for Ben, convinced his amnesia was the only reason he thought Jean was his girlfriend. And because Jean was my best friend, I had trusted her never to betray me.

It turned out I was the only one who had believed any of it. They had crossed the line long before I found out.

Jean suddenly dropped to her knees at my feet and slapped herself across the face.

"What I did was unforgivable. I betrayed you. I lost my head and made a terrible mistake. Just say the word, and I'll get an abortion tomorrow!"

"You don't have to."

"No, I'll go right now."

Then she looked up at me in disbelief. "Wait. What did you just say?"

I pulled my dress free from her grip. "It's not the baby's fault."

Jean's eyes went wide. "Then what about you? What are you going to do, Noelle?"

Ben came out of the kitchen carrying a plate of food and saw Jean kneeling at my feet.

She scrambled to her feet and hurried to explain, "Ben, it's not what it looks like! I tripped, and Noelle was about to help me up."

Ben flew into a rage and yanked Jean away from me.

"You didn't listen to a word I said, did you? Jean was kind enough to let you stay in our home, and this is how you repay her?"

Jean stepped in front of me, sobbing so hard she could barely catch her breath. "This isn't Noelle's fault. Leave her alone!"

Ben took a moment to calm himself. When he spoke again, his voice was cold. "Fine. I'll let it go this time, but you're moving out today! Now that Jean's pregnant, we can't have anyone else staying here."

Jean froze and turned to me, watching carefully for my reaction.

"Okay," I said without hesitation.

I went straight to the spare bedroom and started packing.

When I reached the door, Jean held onto my hand. "Don't worry. I promise I'll talk to Ben tonight and convince him to let you move back in."

"Don't bother."

I walked out with my suitcase and immediately called Ian Mercer, a real estate agent I knew. "I want to sell my house as soon as possible."

Ben had been faking amnesia for so long that he seemed to have forgotten that the house was mine. My parents had bought it outright as a wedding gift for me.