Can't Let Go - By Michelle Brewer Page 0,10

an aunt—Hayley and Blake were going to be parents. Nothing could dampen the happiness she was feeling.

“I will,” Hayley promised. “I’ll talk to you tonight!”

“Love you,” Abby told her.

“Love you too!” And with that, she heard a click on the other end. She held the phone in place for just a few moments longer, staring at the picture in front of her, letting the feeling settle.

An image of an alternate future conjured in her mind for a moment—a future in which Logan had stayed, and the two of them had married and had started a life together, exactly as she had planned. She saw herself with a little boy on her hip, with dark messy hair that matched his father’s. The smile on her face was one she hadn’t had since the day the photo sitting on her desk had been taken—one of real, true happiness.

But a moment later, the image dissolved and all that remained in her sight was the photo of she and her best friend, standing on a beach with the sun beginning to set behind them.

Abby’s wedding day was going to be very different from the one that Hayley had, even though she had always imagined hers as much the same. She and Hayley had always envisioned themselves having a double wedding, on the beach somewhere, with all of their loved ones gathered around. Hayley had gotten pretty much exactly what she had wanted, but Abby’s was going to be far from it.

She glanced down at the ring on her finger. The diamond was large, catching the light and glimmering in all directions. It was attached to a thin gold band—not at all what she’d asked for. She knew it cost a fortune, far more elaborate than anything she’d ever wanted. But her fiancé was more of a traditionalist. He had insisted on it, asserting that his bride-to-be would have only the best.

It had only been the start. He’d insisted on a traditional church ceremony, though neither was exactly the religious sort, with an elegant reception afterward. Everyone was to be invited—everyone within their social circle, even if they weren’t more than acquaintances. It was the way things were done.

Eric Thompson came from the same background as both Hayley and Abigail. He was someone Abby had met during graduate school—an attractive man, with his future laid out in front of him. He knew where he was going—he had it all planned out.

His goal was to some day become a partner at a well-to-do law firm, and he was well on his way. As soon as he’d finished law school, he was swept up by one of the biggest firms in L.A, mostly due to his family connections. They had been together for just over four years.

He absolutely loathed the fact that Abby worked for a gossip magazine and had been insisting since she’d started that she quit. Perhaps that was part of the reason she’d hung on so long. It was one of the few ways she could prove to herself that she still had a say in her own life.

Because there were times when she just wasn’t sure. Sometimes, it felt like all she did was take orders—all she did was whatever everyone else wanted her to.

She longed for the days when she felt free.

Her eyes skimmed over the photo in the frame once more.

But those days were long gone.

~*~

Abby was one of the last people to leave, as usual. She said her goodbyes to the cleaning crew, trying not to laugh as they purposely left messes for Ingrid to find. She was abhorred even among the staff provided by the building owners.

It was late—the sun was already going down. She walked to her car, trying to ignore the slight chill in the air. At least by now, traffic would have calmed down and she should have a fairly clear drive home.

Eric would probably just be arriving himself.

She decided she would stop and grab some take-out, so as to make things easy on the both of them. As she made the drive back, she checked her cell phone, remembering that Hayley had promised to call. She frowned slightly when she saw that she had no missed calls, wondering what could have taken her so long. She was sure the two had gone out to celebrate, but it was getting pretty late in Kentucky. She’d assumed Hayley would have called by now.

As she got closer to her neighborhood, she stopped at a small Chinese restaurant and