All Chapters of In Love With My Son's Best Friend: Chapter 141 - Chapter 148

JUNE’S POVFranklin’s shouting filled the bedroom, his voice hitting the walls and bouncing back from the heavy curtains we had picked out last spring. I stood frozen near the closet door, fingers still wrapped around the strap of my ruined dress where it lay on the floor. The fabric dragged heavy in my grip, like it had soaked up all the weight in the room.He paced at the foot of the unmade bed, shirt untucked and flapping with each turn, his face red and shining with fresh sweat. Luca stayed quiet in the corner by the window, back pressed flat to the wall, arms folded tight across his chest. His eyes followed every step Franklin took, never blinking away.“You brought him here?” Franklin’s words came out raw. “Into our own bedroom? Your son’s best friend, June? Have you lost your damn mind? You have no shame at all, you pathetic slut.”For a second my chest locked up, breath caught somewhere behind my ribs. Then my fingers opened on their own and the dress slid onto the chair besid

FRANKLIN’S POVI stood by the window with my arms crossed tight over my chest, the wood frame cool against my back. Adrian’s fist snapped Luca’s head sideways.The kid staggered, blood pouring fresh from his nose down over his mouth and onto the front of his shirt. It dripped onto the carpet in dark spots that soaked in quickly.The ceiling fan clicked every rotation, pushing the same stale air around the room. June lunged forward, her hand reaching for Luca. I caught her wrist before she got two steps. My fingers closed hard. She pulled once, sharp, but I didn’t loosen up.Adrian shook out his hand, knuckles already turning red. “You were supposed to be my brother, man. I let you sleep on my couch, eat with us, everything.”Luca wiped at his face with his sleeve. He didn’t swing back. Just stood there breathing through his mouth, one eye starting to puff.My gut unclenched a fraction as I watched their eyes slide off me and onto June, onto Luca.Marlene stayed near the doorway, finge

JUNE’S POVI kept my speed even as I took the turns through the neighborhood. When I rolled the window down a crack, the air came in sharply, mixed with exhaust from a bus up ahead and the smoke from someone grilling nearby. My foot eased off the brake at a yellow light, then pressed down again when it flipped to red.The big houses started giving way to strip malls and apartment blocks after a while. A vacancy sign blinked from a mid-tier hotel just off the highway. I reached back for the small duffel on the seat, the strap digging into my shoulder as I pulled it forward, then pushed through the glass doors at the entrance.The desk clerk slid a keycard across the counter without saying much. The elevator hummed its way up, and the doors dinged open onto a hallway that smelled like lemon cleaner trying to cover old carpet. I let myself into the room, dropped the bag beside the dresser, and sat down on the edge of the bed. The mattress dipped under my weight.I closed my eyes for a se

JUNE’S POVI picked up the phone and dialed the first one. It rang four times before a recording picked up: office hours start at nine. I hung up and dialed the second. A woman answered, said they were booked solid for the next six weeks and to try legal aid. I thanked her and ended the call.The third number rang twice. A man answered, tired but clear. I told him the basics—twenty years married, accounts frozen, papers served last night. He asked if I could come in at ten. I said yes and wrote the address on the back of one of the legal sheets with a pen from my purse.I carried the mug to the sink and rinsed it. I set it in the drainer and headed to the bathroom.The shower stall was narrow, the water pressure thin. I stood under it until the hot ran out, then dried off with the one towel. The mirror fogged over. I wiped a circle clear and pulled my hair back into a knot. In the bedroom I dug through the box of clothes and found the least wrinkled blouse, pale blue. I buttoned it sl