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"Where were you?" I rasp "Where were you when I buried htly "What?"

"You ht have chosen to drop me, Nate, but you were my friend Someone I trusted and confided in So where were you when I buried her? You couldn’t come to pay your respects? Couldn’t show me a little compassion?"

He looks confused How dare he look confused?

"I didn’t," he begins

"Don’t bother," I say, turning away

"I didn’t know, Avery I didn’t knohen the funeral was"

I stop and turn back, and I can see in his eyes that he’s telling the truth He looks so upset, his face grief stricken

"Kelly sent you a e"

He shakes his head "I didn’t get a h neither of us will say it

"Look, it doesn’t rown softer "This thing, this connection between usit’s broken now I a away for a while, Nate, and I truly can’t tell you if I’ll be back I can’t livelike this Running into you all the time It hurts too much Your wife doesn’t want it and neither do I"

"Hoould you knoife doesn’t want it?" he says, narrowing his eyes

Shit

"I, uh"

Shit, shit, shit