Chapter 212

A muscle in Noah’s jaw ticked as a weighty silence fell over the room. Satisfied, I rose from my desk and tossed my pen down. “I’m tired,” I said, circling my desk and heading for the door. “And this conversation is over.”

Noah reached out to grab my arm as I brushed past him. “We’re not done here,” he said, his fingers tightening on my skin.

“Move,” I growled, my eyes flashing.

“Not until we talk this out.” He didn’t let go.

“Noah, if you don’t move, I’m going to throw you to the ground.”

Noah’s eyebrows raised, a challenge flashing in his eyes. “I’d like to see you try,” he whispered through gritted teeth.

In that moment, something in me snapped. Without thinking, I used one of the moves I’d learned recently in my training sessions with Drake. It all happened so fast: I grabbed Noah’s arm, pivoted, and used his momentum to flip him over my shoulder. Noah hit the ground with a thud, the air rushing from his lungs. He lay there, stunned and gasping for breath, his eyes wide and his hand clutching his chest.

I stood over him with clenched fists, my heart racing. Growling deeply, I pressed my high heel into his chest and bent slightly to meet his eyes. “Don’t ever try to corner me again,” I warned.

Noah was silent, too stunned to speak—or maybe still too breathless. I bared my teeth at him before removing my heel, stepping over him, and sauntering out.

A few days later, I found myself in a bridal boutique with Emma, Viona, and an ecstatic Amber. The night I flipped Noah onto the floor was still fresh in my mind—it would likely go down in my personal history book, if I was being honest, although I hadn’t told anyone else about it. Not even Viona.

Noah, for his part, had given up on talking to me. I hardly saw him anyway, and he’d stopped sleeping at the house; he was likely staying at Zoe’s, I figured.

As we waited for Amber to try on her first dress, Viona leaned in close, her voice snapping me out of my reverie. “I hate to say it,” she whispered, “but I always kind of thought Jake might be… you know… gay.”

I nodded slightly, thinking back on all the times Amber’s long-term boyfriend had exhibited more interest in men than women—such as at last year’s New Year’s Eve party, when he’d brought his “friend,” Doug, and hadn’t left his side the entire night while Amber cried in the bathroom.

“I’ve had the same thought,” I admitted. “I’m more worried for Amber than anything.”

Emma overheard and joined the conversation. “You guys think so too? I mean, not that there’s anything wrong with being gay, but…”

“But getting married to a woman if you are would be unfair to everyone involved,” I finished, eliciting nods from both Viona and Emma.

Our hushed discussion was cut short as Amber emerged from the dressing room. She was radiant in a flowing white gown, her face beaming with joy.

“What do you think?” she asked, twirling for us.

As I watched my friend glow with happiness, I felt my cynicism slowly melting away. Maybe I was projecting my own marital issues onto Amber’s relationship. Or maybe I was just the scheming, judgmental bitch that Noah thought I was.

“Amber,” I said, clasping my hands together, “You look… beautiful.”

Chapter 213