My Best Friend Posed As His Girlfriend, So I Walked Away Chapter 07

My Best Friend Posed As His Girlfriend, So I Walked Away Chapter 07

Calder pressed his lips together.

He said nothing.

Then Cecily came running out.

“Why are you still here?”

She glared at me.

“I thought you were leaving. Or are you still trying to steal my brother from-”

“Cecily!”

Calder’s face changed completely.

He cut her off and said through clenched teeth,

“Verity is my girlfriend.”

Silence.

The words hit the group like an explosion.

The Ashbournes who had followed Cecily outside froze where they stood.

Now that the truth was out, Calder finally stopped hiding it.

“Verity was away for work and couldn’t get back in time.’

His voice was tense.

“I only said Sabine was my girlfriend because Grandpa wanted to see me settled before he died.”

Lysander stared at him.

Then he let out a disbelieving laugh.

“Calder, you’re insane.”

He looked at me with something close to pity.

“You brought Sabine to every group hangout.”

His voice rose.

“You shared a tent. A hotel room. We all thought you were together.”

He stared at Calder as if he had never really known him.

“And now you’re telling me Verity has been your actual girlfriend this whole time?”

Calder’s face drained of color.

“Shut up.”

Then he turned to me.

“Verity, it wasn’t like that.”

His voice softened desperately.

“Sabine and I never did anything.”

“She hates staying alone. That’s the only reason I stayed with her.”

“Nothing happened between us.”

“Calder!”

This time, it wasn’t Lysander.

And it wasn’t me.

It was his father.

Mr. Ashbourne had followed in Professor Ashbourne’s footsteps and become a teacher himself.

He had raised Calder and Cecily to be honest and never lie. And now his son had lied to him, to his

family, and to everyone at the funeral.

His hand struck Calder’s face with a sharp crack.

“You damn fool!”

Mr. Ashbourne turned to me.

“I’m sorry, Miss Sayer.”

His face was grim.

“We judged you without knowing the truth.”

Then his voice softened with shame.

“And I am sorry for what my son has done to you.”

“If there is anything we can do to make this right, tell me.’

I didn’t look at Calder again.

“There is.”

My voice was flat.

“Tell him to stay away from me.”

I paused.

“He disgusts me.”

My ride pulled up at the curb.

I got in without hesitation.

Calder called almost immediately.

I declined the call.

Then I blocked his number.

From that moment on, there was nothing left between us.

I had never been to Dunleigh before.

And I doubted I would ever come back.

So that evening, I changed clothes and went out to explore before my flight the next morning.

I made my way toward an old restaurant row Professor Ashbourne had once mentioned.

That was where I saw Lysander.

He was sitting alone at a late-night barbecue joint, drinking.

I hesitated before walking over and sitting across from him.

“Thanks for earlier.”

I picked up the menu.

“Order something. My treat.”

Lysander looked at me.

Then he lowered his head again.

“Verity, do you think I looked like an idiot this morning?”

My hand paused as I wiped the edge of the table.

“No.”

“You didn’t know.”

“But I feel like an idiot.”

His laugh was bitter.

“I honestly thought they were together.”

“And you were Sabine’s best friend, so I stood there telling you how perfect they were.”

He shook his head.

I listened quietly,