Unstable

It went to voice mail.

Again.

I sat in my office, my eyes tired from the paperwork I'd been going through. When there was a knock on the door, it opened to reveal Janna, and she looked worried.

“She still hasn't answered?” she asked.

“After what she told me, I should be the one not taking her calls,” I said.

Janna's mouth twisted. She didn't like what Carly did, but I think deep down all of the women currently in my life thought I deserved what had happened to me.

And I didn't blame them. I'd ruined lives, my own included. The fact that I was even able to pick up the pieces and reinvent myself after crossing the line with Veronica was amazing enough. Even so, I was still putting my life together, and I was doing it alone.

“You made a mistake,” Janna said kindly.

“Yes.”

“A huge one. Twice.”

“Jesus, Janna, I know, okay? I know what I did, and I know what I shouldn't have done. I screwed up, but so did Veronica and Carly. I shouldn't be the only one being punished.”

She frowned at me and took a seat on the couch. “It's not about being published, Eli. It's about finally doing the right thing. In your case, that means cutting ties with Veronica, and realizing that maybe Carly did you a favor.”

My eyes narrowed. “What favor, exactly, did she do for me? She lied to me. For a long time. She knew who I was when we got together. What I had done.”

“That place was toxic,” Janna replied. “Maybe she thought she was helping you get out of there. Maybe you screwed up for a reason.”

I rubbed a hand over my face and leaned back, the chair squeaking in protest. “And what might that be?”

“To start over,” she answered.