“Thanks, you guys.”
An hour later, I’m sitting in Sam’s living room with Ingrid, Maya, Bella, and Sophie.
We’re camped out on the massive plush sectional, picking at our Vietnamese takeout.
I just finished telling them what Jake did the night before our reception. They’re all staring at me with wide eyes, their expressions ranging from shock to anger to horror.
Ingrid blinks quickly, her eyes teary. Maya shakes her head and stares out the window nearby. Bella looks like she’s about to punch a hole through the wall.
“What kind of coffee does Jake drink?” Bella asks after a second, her voice eerily calm.
“What do you mean?” I ask, confused.
“I want to find out his drink order so I can send a poisoned cup of coffee to that jerkoff.”
I let out a laugh. God, it feels good to do that after such an emotionally draining morning.
Sophie cracks a smile. Maya starts to laugh too. Ingrid’s brow hits her hairline, then she nods like she’s impressed.
“I’m serious,” Bella says. “He deserves to suffer for doing that to you, Dakota.”
They all nod along.
“I don’t care what happens to him anymore. I just don’t want to ever see him again.”
Dread ripples through me when I remember that I’ll probably have to see him when we sign divorce papers…as soon as I work up the nerve to start that process.
“But I guess I’ll have to see him eventually to finalize the divorce and all that stuff.” I let out a heavy breath.
Both Sophie and Ingrid, who are sitting next to me, grab my hands in theirs.
“We’ll go with you so you won’t have to face him on your own,” Ingrid says.
“Yeah. We will,” Maya says.
Emotion bubbles up inside of me. “You’re the best friends on the planet. Seriously.”
I sniffle. Bella hands me a napkin, and I wipe my eyes.
“You’re the best, Dakota,” Sophie says. “You’ve been an amazing friend to me since we were kids. I’m here for you through it all, whatever you need. We all are.”
Ingrid, Maya, and Bella all nod their heads in agreement.
“Whenever you’re ready to file for divorce, we’ll go with you too, if you want,” Maya says. She offers a sympathetic smile.
Sophie squeezes my hand. “You won’t have to do any of this alone. We’ll help you work through it. All of it.”
My best friend’s words trigger the insecurity I’ve been hiding this whole time.
“I just…I’m worried that something is wrong with me.”
They all shake their heads.
“Dakota, just because you couldn’t have an orgasm with Jake at the drop of a hat doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you,” Bella says. “That’s not surprising at all. He was a jerk in bed. No one would be able to have an orgasm with a jackass like him.”
“Did you ever feel comfortable in bed with him?” Sophie asks, her tone hesitant.
I shake my head, that familiar wave of shame pummeling through me. “No.”
