Isabelle wrote, “If we schedule my party for the same day as the wedding, the family will have to choose between us.”
My mother replied, “Thomas’s parents are coming from Spain, and that is definitely more important than his little ceremony.”
Isabelle then wrote, “Besides, who is actually going to notice if we just skip his wedding?”
My mother replied, “He is strong, he always overcomes everything, so he will be fine.”
My blood ran completely cold as I read those words.
The second capture was even more painful to read.
Isabelle wrote, “Thomas says that Holden will end up forgiving us anyway, because he always does.”
That was the moment I finally understood that my best friend had not just abandoned me; he had actively bet against me.
And the worst was yet to come, as the rabbit hole went deeper than I ever expected.
Chapter 3: The Breaking Point
I took the screenshots to Catherine that same night, and we sat on the hotel bed together as she read them.
She didn’t say anything for several minutes, her face growing visibly paler with every line she read.
She finally laid the papers on the quilt and hugged me so tightly that I felt I could breathe for the first time in weeks.
“They really planned all of this from the very beginning,” she whispered.
“Yes, they did,” I replied.
