Chapter 4

Andrew slid an arm around her waist.

"Come on, Den, you promised you'd spend Valentine's with me today. No backing out."

Denise pinched his nose, doting on him. "Fine, fine, fine, you big baby. Only your best friend would put up with you, spending every Valentine's with you like this."

Something in my chest went tight.

For the past several years, every Valentine's Day, Andrew always found some excuse to pull Denise away.

She'd promised me that this year, this Valentine's, she'd come with me to sign the marriage license.

Denise turned to me, cold.

"Harvey, behave yourself. My company's about to raise funding and go public. My net worth will multiply, and you'll get to live off that too."

"Since you're stuck on a drip today, we'll push the license to tomorrow. Cool your head. Because if we really do break up, with your background, you'll never find a woman better than me."

Maybe it was the fluids I'd taken in, and the fact that I still hadn't been to the bathroom.

A cramp pulled low in my belly, and I caught Denise's hand. "I need to use the restroom, but it's hard with the IV. Could you come with me first? Just a few minutes."

Denise was about to agree when Andrew shook her arm off and gave a cold snort.

"Den, the thing I hate most is people who don't keep their word."

"We said nine o'clock. If you're going to keep your best friend waiting over some man, then tomorrow I'm leaving the country and I'm never coming back, so your husband doesn't have to keep glaring at me and making my life difficult."

Denise turned on me at once, irritated, throwing my hand off.

"Is your other arm just for show? Plenty of people in the hospital have no one with them. How do they manage the bathroom on their own? You're the only one who makes such a fuss!"

She linked her arm through Andrew's and walked out without looking back.

I dropped my eyes, my nose stinging before I could stop it.

Right.

It's because some patients have no one at all. But I had a girlfriend, and she'd rather spend Valentine's with her male best friend than spare me a few minutes.

That's what made it more pathetic.

What I didn't see was Andrew, before he left, shooting a look at one of his friends.

I carried the IV stand to the restroom, and only then noticed the hook on the door was set a little high.

Weak after being sick, and with no food in me, I had no strength. I went up on my toes a few times and still couldn't reach it.

I was about to step out and find a nurse when a man shoved his way in.

One of Denise's crowd.

Grinning, he hung the IV bag for me. "Aw, look at poor Harvey. Denise and Andy made a point of sending me back to give you a hand."

His leering eyes put me on edge.

"Thanks, but you can go now."

The man acted like he hadn't heard.

"Don't be like that. The bag's hung, but with one hand you probably can't get your pants down either, right?"

"Look how artsy these buttons are. Bet they're a real pain to undo. Why don't I help you out of them?"

"Denise ran off with Andy, so I'll keep you company and we can have some fun. Lucky for you, you're just my type. Don't be shy now."

His hands started to wander, and I shoved him out the door with everything I had.

But the lock was broken, so all I could do was brace my body against the door.

My phone had one bar of battery left. I called Denise fast.

Only to find she'd blocked me, and then the phone died completely.

The man laughed from the other side of the door.

"Harvey, don't waste your energy."

"Denise didn't want you interrupting her and Andy, so she just blocked you on everything. Let me help you instead. It'd be a real shame if you wet yourself."

Out of patience, he shoved at the door hard enough to knock the IV bag down. It hit the floor and shattered.

I screamed for help.

Almost the instant the door gave, a nurse rushed in with security.

"What's going on here? Out, now. Keep this up and we're calling the police!"

The man's face darkened, and he spat at me.

"Playing so pure and chaste. What you're like in bed, Denise already told all of us as a joke ages ago."

"Ungrateful piece of trash. No wonder Denise thinks you're a buzzkill. Last night she'd rather go sleep with Andy than touch you. And breaking you in would just bring me bad luck anyway!"

The nurse helped me up and asked, worried, if I was all right.

I looked at the back of my hand, already swollen and pooled with blood, and the tears finally came.

Whatever was left of my feeling for Denise burned away for good.

That evening, when I was discharged, Denise sent a message.

"Andy's place is close to where we ate, so I'm staying at his tonight."

"Nine sharp tomorrow, front of the marriage license office. A few media outlets are coming to interview me about my personal journey as a local entrepreneur. Don't be late."

I didn't reply. I walked straight to the Maybach that had been waiting a long time.

...

The next morning, Denise waited a full hour.

There was no sign of me.

The reporters started looking puzzled.

Denise pulled out her phone, irritated, ready to call me.

Then she saw me walking out of the marriage license office lobby.

She stormed over, furious.

"Harvey, didn't I take you off my block list last night?"

"You've been here all this time and didn't tell me? You made me wait for nothing. Do you still want to sign the license or not?!"

As her words fell, Layla Stephens stepped out from behind me and slid her arm through mine.

She looked down at Denise from her full height, and gave a cold smile.

"You're joking, Ms. Henson. My husband certainly wants to sign a license."

"Just not with you."