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"Nothing I just have plans for us after dinner, is all" She shtens

We share a meal of roast duck that Beth has prepared and I fill Sophie in on the details of s have really turned around It’s nice having someone to share the ups and doith She’s successfully broken down ht me what it means to fully share yourself with another In the past, I would have kept all s bottled up Now I know there’s nothing I need to hide from her She acceptsin the world With her, I feel whole

We finish eating and I’ht whenI turn it over and the name Stella is displayed across the screen

"Why is Stella calling you?" Sophie scrunches her nose in disgust

"Good fucking question"

"Answer it," she says

Christ Here we go "Hello?"

"Hi Colton," she says

"Why are you calling, Stella?" The annoyance in s I wanted to say"

"Sophie’s here withyou on speaker" I click the speaker-phone button without waiting for a response I won’t have her wondering what is being discussed betweenfrom her

Stella clears her throat and momentarily stalls "I never meant to be the villain, Colton," she says softly Sophie squints down at the phone inand foolish I loved you–in my oay–but I realized quickly after ed that it wasn’t a forever kind of love You worked long hours, you were building a coularly focused I wasn’t cut out to live lected and as wrong as it was, I let et swept up in the attention of another s I’d beenI could want materially–but you weren’t e you We just didn’t have that deep connection Your as your first priority"

"Why I are you telling e to roll , but if it’s forgiveness she wants, she’s barking up the wrong fucking tree She cheated on ardener, then took half my damn money Relationships take work – if she was unhappy in ourpause, Stella continues "My lawyerthat you were out of work due to a death in the family I was curious, so I called Marta"

I had no idea she was still in contact with Marta For soaze flicks over to Sophie’s and her eyes go wide

"Yes, we lost Sophie’s sister, Becca," I explain I take hold of Sophie’s hand and lace ers in between hers

"I heard and I’m very sorry," Stella offers