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“What he is, is real, and kind, and sweet, and gentle He’s good to me He treats me like I’m the most important person in the world”

“And then he turns around and sells heroin to kids”

“We don’t actually know that”

“Actually, pretty much everyone knows that Why do you think the police departate hi dealer?”

“He can’t be a drug dealer, Jess There’s absolutely no way”

“Yeah, keep telling yourself that”

I sighed and reached for the bottle of Jack, and splashed some into my coffee And then I said, “You can’t pick who you fall in love with, Jess”

“How can you throw the word love around like that? You haven’t even known hiht hours!”

I stared at Jess incredulously and asked, “How soon did you know you loved Fernando, Jessica?” She broke eye contact with ain, “How soon?”

She mumbled, “Pretty much…immediately”

“Exactly You toldhim that he was the man you wanted to marry So please, don’t be a hypocrite and try to tell h”

“But that was different Fernando’s not some lowlife criminal”

“And if he was? If you found out fivehim that he was a criminal, would you have walked out of Liam’s party and not fallen in love with Fernando Garra?”

“I…”

“Would you have done that?” I pressed

She sighed and admitted, “No”

“Ok then”

She stared at , “You’re coht? Even if I’erous, you’re still totally fucked This is going to destroy your career And your entire fa to turn on you You think your fauy the benefit of the doubt? I don’t fucking think so” Jess leaned forward and held aze “So, you destroy your career and you destroy your relationship with your family, and then what happens? He turns around and ”

“Yeah, I know Refer to earlier ‘I’ trouble’ statement” I drained my cup of spiked coffee

Jess looked defeated as she slumped in her chair And she murmured, “You couldn’t have just let ly brother”