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…”
He rubs at his face. This explains a lot. It explains why Joel always looks so sad and distant whenever Francesca’s name comes up. He isn’t still in love with her—he blames himself for her death.
And maybe he’s a little bit still in love with her too.
“I’m sorry, Cassie.” He’s looking behind her instead of at her. “I don’t really feel like eating right now. Maybe… I’ll call you later, okay?”
But for the first time, she isn’t entirely sure he will.
She watches him walk out of the store, his shoulders hunched. She looks down at her own hands and sees they’re trembling. Francesca is dead.
Francesca is dead.
This changes everything.
The good news is this means she doesn’t have to worry about this Italian beauty stealing back her man. The bad news is now Cassie has no clue who has been harassing her. Or how to make them stop.
