Chapter 3

Fern was crying prettily, tears streaking down her face.

I leaned back against the couch, arms crossed, my eyes cold.

As if I were the vicious mistress tearing two people apart.

Ralph knitted his brow, his tone full of disapproval.

"You're saying you want to cut Ferny out of your life?"

"Millicent, aren't you always the kindest person? Why are you being so cruel this time?"

Ten minutes earlier.

Fern had explained everything from start to finish.

How she'd been dumped by her scumbag ex six months ago.

How that scumbag had conditioned her with certain toys.

How the brutal, out-of-nowhere breakup had left her psychologically damaged.

Her doctor had advised her to find someone with similar tastes to gradually wean her off it.

She had nowhere left to turn.

So she'd had no choice but to come begging to Ralph.

Ralph sighed, trying to talk me around.

"Running that couple's account with her is just to help her recover."

"Those moves, how far it went, that's all her ex's style. I was just copying it, imitating him."

"Millicent, there was nothing else I could do."

"Would you really have the heart to hand her off to some other man, someone we don't even know?"

"For a girl, that kind of thing does terrible damage."

That kind of thing, meaning that in the name of so-called "treatment,"

the two of them kissed and held each other and did the things only couples do.

Whether they'd taken the last step, I didn't know.

Listening to it, my whole body was shaking.

I didn't dare ask.

All I could do was let my refusal speak for me.

"Cut Fern off completely, and end whatever this is between you two, right now."

I made a concession I had no right to make.

Because I had carved out my whole heart and loved Ralph for five full years.

I couldn't. I couldn't just wipe it all away in an instant.

All I could do was cling, humbly, to what pride I had left.

Making one last push, one last concession.

Only yesterday I'd been planning to say yes to Ralph by the end of the year.

We could start planning the wedding.

In these five years he'd brought up marriage no fewer than ten times.

"Millicent, you've met my parents. They're still very happy with you."

"Your firm's stable now, a top civil litigation attorney in all of New York. My wife's amazing."

"Millicent, when are you going to make it official? I want to take you home as my wife."

"Baby, my sweet girl, if you don't marry me soon I'm honestly afraid some rich, handsome guy is going to steal you away."

I couldn't understand how he could feed me lines like that

while playing "hands-on treatment" with Fern without a shred of guilt.

But Fern still wouldn't accept it.

Her eyes went red, her voice edged with resentment.

"Millicent Henson, don't you have that knight complex!"

"Don't you see someone in need and want to help them, want to protect them!"

"So help me too!"

"Can't you see how much pain I'm in?"

"He and I never took the last step. Can't you just give me a little room?"

Ralph came closer and reached for my hand,

head bowed, his voice defeated. "Millicent, can't you just help her?"

"Her treatment's already made so much progress."

"Why can't you show a little tolerance?"

Those peach-blossom eyes of his filled with sorrow.

"When you act like this... it really makes me feel like you don't love me enough."

Just a few short sentences, and yet how they clawed at every nerve.

I threw off his hand.

Shut my eyes against the pain.

"Ralph, get this straight. This is you cheating."

"How do you have the nerve to demand this of the victim?"

"Her treatment's had such great results, is that it? So for more progress,"

"do you have to climb into the same bed with her too?!"

"Let's break up."