All Chapters of In Love With My Son's Best Friend: Chapter 151 - Chapter 160

182 Chapters

0151: 65 DOLLARS AWAY

JUNE'S POVWhen the door closed behind Luca, I stayed where I was and pressed my forehead to the wood. I listened until his steps faded and the hallway went quiet. He left when I asked him to. That choice still held, even after he was gone.The knock hit hard enough that it rattled the door. I pulled back and opened it without thinking, already expecting Luca to be there with a reason to undo what I had just done.It was Mr. Patel.He stood a step back with a stack of papers held against his chest. His shoulders sagged the way they always did when he had bad news. He lifted the papers and stopped.“June,” he said. “I have to give you these.”I opened the door wider so he could not hesitate. He handed them over, and I took them.“They called again this morning,” he said, looking past me into the apartment. “Your husband’s lawyer. Twice. They are pushing the eviction through the court. This is the official five day notice.”My name was printed at the top. June Wallace. Franklin’s name s

0152: THE CAUGHT UP

LUCA’S POVI let the door click shut behind me in the hallway. The sound landed heavy in the quiet, marking a line I didn’t want to examine too closely. My phone vibrated against my palm—Lena’s name flashing—so I swiped to answer and lifted it to my ear as my feet carried me down the tiled floor.“Hey,” I said, keeping my voice low and steady. “Yeah, I’m on my way. Traffic was worse than I thought. Fifteen minutes, tops.”I pushed through the stairwell door as I spoke. Lena’s voice came back tight, edged with building frustration. “Fifteen minutes? Luca, you said you’d be here twenty minutes ago. The nurse already called my name once. I had to tell her you were parking.”“I know. I’m sorry. I’m leaving now.” The words came out even, but my free hand gripped the railing harder as I took the steps two at a time. I shoved open the ground-floor door and stepped into the morning air.The sun already felt warmer than it should. I crossed the lot toward my car, got in, and started the engine

0153: SPYING FOR DAD

JUNE’S POVThe phone rang at 7:43 that evening. I had watched the red numbers flip forward for the last hour in the dark apartment, so I picked up on the second ring."It went through." Carla's voice came through rough. "The motion to quash. Judge signed it at 4:15 this evening. The eviction is temporarily blocked pending a hearing."I sat up, the blanket sliding off my shoulders. The air felt colder than it should. "Blocked means what exactly?""It means you stay put for now. The hearing is set for next Thursday. You'll need to be there and make your case to the judge directly. But you're not getting locked out today, June. That's the win."I listened and waited for relief. It didn't come. I sat on the edge of the bed with the phone pressed to my ear, the hollow still in my chest."June? You still there?""Yeah. I'm here. Thank you, Carla.""Don't thank me yet. The hearing is real. Show the judge you're making progress. Employment, housing plan, something that looks like forward moti

0154: THE HOUR OF BAD IDEAS

LUCA’S POVThe phone pulled me awake at 3:47 in the morning. I cracked one eye open to check the screen. Adrian’s name showed. I let it ring through the first time, needing a second to decide if I had space for it. When it rang again, I answered on the fourth ring. “What?”“I went to see her.” His voice came slurred, pushing through alcohol. “My mom. Her apartment tonight.”I pushed myself up against the headboard, sheet pooling at my waist. “Adrian, what time is it?”“I don’t know. Late. Early. Doesn’t matter.” He shifted, a creak carrying through. “I showed up at her door, Luca. Just showed up. She opened it and looked so—” He cut off. His inhale was shaky. “Smaller than I remembered. Like she’d been shrinking and I didn’t notice.”I swung my legs off the bed and stood. The cold floor woke me further. I walked to the window because his story felt too close by the bed. The parking lot lay empty except for my car and the dumpster.“What did you say to her?”“Nothing. Everything. I don’

0155: THE PETTY DOCUMENT

FRANKLIN’S POVI sat in the car outside the building while the engine idled rough and shuddered through the steering wheel every few seconds. I'd already been parked there for twenty minutes watching the door to number 1B.The blinds stayed drawn and his car was gone, so I stayed put because I needed to see if she would come out first or if Luca would show up instead, and that would decide what I did next.I pulled out my phone and opened the messages from my lawyer. The emergency motion had gone through, so June could stay in the apartment for now, but the hearing was locked in for next Thursday. I'd called in every favor to force it through. Still, she sat in there breathing what felt like my air and using my name like she owned it.My grip tightened on the phone until the edges dug into my palm. She would regret leaving me. The same thought had run through my head every day for weeks. I kept scrolling the messages because I needed the proof right there that I still held control.My

0156: BEGGING IS FOR LOSER

JUNE’S POVI stepped out of the car in front of the Wallace house. The engine ticked behind me as I closed the door. I smoothed my blouse and headed up the path. Weeks ago when I packed my bags, returning here never crossed my mind. But Franklin forced my hand by playing dirty, so I came back with my own leverage.I pulled in a deep breath and let it out slowly before I reached the front door. The knob turned freely under my hand. I pushed it open and stepped inside. Cooler air wrapped around me right away. The place looked exactly as I remembered.I moved into the living room. The family portrait from last Christmas hung over the fireplace. Adrian and Marlene flanked us, all four of us smiling back at the camera. I stopped in front of it and studied Franklin’s expression. The smile looked so genuine. Twenty three years, and I never saw what was really happening.The boy I fell for no longer existed in that man. The partner who built this life with me had lied the entire time. I kept

0157: DON'T YOU DARE

JUNE’S POVMarlene stepped through the door first. My hands twitched at my sides. I wanted to reach for her but held back, unsure if she would allow it or how far she would let me go.Adrian followed and walked straight to the window, positioning himself to watch us both. His eyes scanned the bare walls, stacked boxes, and single chair, measuring the place and me in it.Marlene turned slowly in the small space. Her gaze stopped on the boxes, empty walls, and one family photo. I searched her face for any sign of judgment or pity at how bare my life appeared."It's small," she said plainly.I nodded. "It's temporary."The lie hung between us. They both knew eviction notices did not mean temporary. They meant running out of chances.Marlene moved to the couch and sat on the edge, pulling her knees up and wrapping her arms around them in the tight curl she had used as a scared little girl. My throat tightened."Adrian said I should come," she told me. "He said you'd want to see me.""I do

0158: JOB HUNTING

JUNE’S POVI woke before the light grew strong. For an hour I lay still and listened to the radiator hiss in the corner, the neighbor’s dog bark once then stop, and my own breath moving steady in the quiet apartment. The sounds settled into place around me.I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood. The floor met my feet cold. I crossed to the alcove closet and slid my hand across the hanging clothes until I found the navy blouse, the black pants, and low heels. Each piece went on with deliberate movements.The choice settled something in me. I stood straighter once dressed. Yet the remaining boxes along the wall and the plant on the windowsill that had dropped another leaf reminded me how much still waited to be unpacked.I checked the bathroom mirror. The woman there looked tired yet held her shoulders level. That would have to be enough for today.Carla arrived at eight sharp. She stepped inside when I opened the door and gave me one quick scan from head to toe.“You’ll do

0159: BUMPED OFF THE LIST

JUNE’S POVThree days later, I sat at my kitchen table scrolling through job listings when my phone lit up with a text from an unknown number.“Hi June. This is Lena. We need to talk. Let me know when you’ll be free.”My fingers stopped on the screen. Lena. The one from the school party. The one-night stand that led to her pregnancy. The person who had forced me to end things with Luca because staying would have made everything worse for all of us.I stared at the message for a long time. My thumb hovered. I could ignore it completely, block the number, and return to the job search as if nothing had changed. But Luca’s face from the night I broke it off kept returning—the confusion in his eyes, the way he tried to understand my sudden withdrawal. Because of that, I typed a reply before hesitation could lock me in place.“Ok.”I sent it, and the delivered notification appeared. That single word committed me to a conversation I didn’t want. Now she knew I had read it and agreed, so avoi

0160: PUDDLE OF PROBLEMS

LUCA’S POVThe text from June arrived right as Lena sat beside me on the couch, describing the onesies she’d found online. I opened it and read the words three times because they refused to line up with anything I had tried to keep separate. I thought it would be a good idea to stay in touch but I just realized how distracting that can be for both of us. This might be difficult for you to do but don’t contact me again. Just focus on your relationship and your responsibilities with Lena.I stood up from the couch because the message forced an immediate move I could not make in front of her.“I have to make a quick call,” I said. I moved past her toward the front door while she kept talking about the different colors and sizes behind me.I stepped out onto the porch and closed the door behind me so her voice cut off completely. I tapped June’s name in my contacts. It rang once, then switched to the busy tone. I tried again right away, but it went straight to voicemail.She had blocked

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