The Ex by Freida McFadden(67)

As she hangs up the phone, Zoe whistles and applauds. “Wow, Cassie. Bravo, my friend. I didn’t think you had it in you.”

She shrugs, although she does feel sort of proud of herself. She’s never snapped at anyone like that in her whole life. “I’m going to tell Joel about this. He needs to know what she’s been up to.”

In the past, she’s been scared that if Joel went to talk to Francesca, it might rekindle old feelings. But she doesn’t feel that way anymore. She feels secure about Joel’s feelings for her. He loves her. He’s not getting back together with Francesca. He broke up with her for a reason.

An hour later, Joel walks into the store to pick her up for lunch, his cheeks pink from the cold. He rips off his black wool hat and grins at Cassie. “Hey, how are you feeling?”

“Perfect,” she says. Better than ever.

“Are you ready to go out to lunch?”

She nods. “Yes, but…” She glances at Zoe, then nods at the back of the store. “Could we talk a minute first? In private?”

His brow furrows. “Of course.”

He follows her to the back of the store. They go to the classics section, where Grandma Bea died years ago. Joel turns to face her, his eyebrows still bunched together. “Is everything all right?”

“Sort of.” She takes a deep breath. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

He takes a step back. “Uh oh. Should I be worried?”

“No, not at all, it’s just…” Why is this so hard? She’s not the one at fault. Francesca is. That woman is out of her mind, and Joel should know the truth. “I think you should know that… that…”

He raises his eyebrows.

“Your ex-girlfriend Francesca has been harassing me.”

Joel’s mouth falls open as all the color drains from his face. “What?”

“I think she’s the one who broke into my store,” Cassie says, before she loses her nerve. “She threw paint on the door. She wrote ‘slut’ on the door to my apartment. And… she’s been calling me on the phone and hanging up. Or worse.”

Joel’s mouth is still hanging open. “Cassie…”

“I can’t take it anymore, Joel.” Tears spring to her eyes. “I’ve been through so much lately. She needs to stop. You’ve got to talk to her.”

“Cassie, listen to me,” he says. “Francesca didn’t do this.”

Cassie’s cheeks burn. After everything that happened in the last few days, she didn’t expect this response from him. She expected at least a little support. He doesn’t even give her a reason. Francesca didn’t do this. Case closed. No room for argument. Of course, the perfect Francesca could never be responsible for such a thing.

“I know you still have feelings for her,” she says, trying to keep her voice even. “But believe me, she did this. She’s… unstable.”

“I’m telling you.” His voice is louder now, almost angry. “She didn’t do those things to you.”

“Why not? Because she’s too perfect?”

“No.” He shuts his eyes for a moment before opening them again. “Because she’s dead.”





Chapter 46: The New Girl


Francesca is… dead?

How could that be?

Francesca is beautiful, she’s perfect, she’s young, she’s a great chef. She’s not dead. She can’t be. People like that don’t die.

“Are you sure?” Cassie blurts out.

Joel’s eyes darken. “Am I sure? Yeah, I’m pretty damn sure.”

“But…” Her mouth feels very dry all of a sudden. “Was she sick?”

“No,” he says simply.

Cassie’s head is spinning. All the time they were dating, she had a picture in her head of Francesca as the beautiful but jealous ex. She can’t wrap her head around this new revelation. “I thought you broke up with her.”

“I did.” He lowers his eyes. “I mean, I had. It… it was complicated, Cassie.”

She frowns at him. “Complicated how?”

He shakes his head. “I… I didn’t realize…” He takes a shaky breath. “I broke up with her, yes. And then two weeks later, she… she killed herself.”

She clasps her hand over her mouth. “Oh my God.”

“I found her.” He swallows and his Adam’s apple bobs. “She was in her bathtub, her wrists slit and… she was cold by then.”

He squeezes his eyes shut again. He sways slightly, and for a moment, Cassie is scared she’s going to have to catch him. But then his eyes open again.

“It messed me up for a long time,” he sighs. “I had to take time off from work. I had some awful thoughts after that. I felt responsible because I…” He rubs his fingers into his temples. “Yes, I broke up with her, but I was angry at her. I didn’t expect it was over forever. I was coming to see her because I’d been hoping…”

“Oh God,” Cassie whispers. “I’m so sorry, Joel.”

“I should have told you the whole story,” he mumbles. “But I didn’t realize you didn’t even know Francesca was dead. I thought for sure…”