The Unthinkable

Veronica

That morning's call from Nellie's mom, Margaret, had been alarming enough. Nellie had caught Rick red-handed and was now in such a state of depression her mother refused to leave her alone, fearing Nellie might overdose on the sleeping pills she'd been taking. That alone was enough to send Veronica running to her side, but nothing prepared her for the shocking news that awaited her when she got there.

Her mother had only said Nellie had confirmed her suspicions about Rick being on vacation with his mistress, but when she arrived at Nellie's, the details of what she'd found blew her away. Nellie's father sat just outside of Nellie's townhouse as Veronica hurried up the stairs.

He was smoking, a habit Nellie had told her he stopped long ago. Veronica hadn't seen him in over a year, and in that time, he seemed to have aged too much. At the moment, he appeared tired, and there was a sense of defeat in the way he sat, his back against the chair, shoulders drawn and limp. Before Veronica could ask him anything, he began talking, but he wasn't really speaking to Veronica, because he was staring out into nothing.

"You do your best to raise your kids to be honest, loyal, and God-fearing. No parent should ever feel disgust or loathing for any of their children."

Margaret came to the door just then. Veronica turned to her, feeling even more upset now. Why would Nellie's dad be talking about loathing her or being disgusted? Whatever she'd done in reaction to finding Rick with another woman had to be justified. She wasn't in jail, so she hadn't actually killed the bastard.

Margaret motioned for her to step inside. Veronica did, overcome by sudden feeling of dread.

"She's in her bedroom, but before you go in to see her, there's something you should know."

Margaret's eyes were full of pain and concern, but Veronica saw more in them. "This is a very hard time for all of us. The whole family is torn right now, and it will probably never be the same again, but right now our main concern is Nellie."

Whole family?

"You have to understand that, as a mother, this completely breaks my heart to have to admit this to anyone, but soon everyone will know anyway."

Veronica stared at Margaret's worn eyes. She'd obviously been crying too. What in the world had Nellie done?

"What is it? What happened?"

"Nellie found Rick in Denver with Courtney."

Veronica's heart had practically come to a standstill—Nellie's own sister? Then Margaret continued—one jab after another, making her feel like one of Noah's opponents in the ring.

"They've apparently been having an affair off and on for years. Courtney said they tried many times to end it but were in love and just couldn't. Then just when they decided it was just not something they could continue, Courtney was made aware of Rick's other woman. That was the one she confronted him about that sent Nellie to the hospital." Margaret paused to take a deep breath and wipe away a single tear before delivering the knock-out punch. "Courtney found out a few weeks later that she was pregnant with Rick's child. This was during the time that Rick and Nellie were really giving it a go to work things out."

Veronica was furious and heartbroken all at the same time. How could Courtney do this to Nellie? Then she remembered this was how Courtney had always been, ever since they were kids. No matter how much more Courtney had than Nellie, she was never satisfied until she took what little Nellie had too.

Margaret shook her head and sat down on Nellie's sofa, dabbing her eyes with a tissue. "After all the pain she's caused her sister and the shame she's brought to the family, Courtney says she and Rick are getting married just as soon as his divorce to Nellie is final."

It was all too much to bear. Veronica could only imagine what poor Nellie was feeling. She didn't even want to hear anymore. She'd heard enough. "I need to be with Nellie."

She hurried into Nellie's room. Nellie sat on her bed, staring at the television, but the volume wasn't on. Her face crumbled when she saw her best friend, and Veronica rushed to her, crawling in bed next to her and held her as she wept. The tears went on for several minutes, until she finally gathered herself together enough to talk.

"I've decided I'm not going to waste my energy being angry with Rick. He isn't even worth my breath much less any tears. I'm incredibly hurt over Courtney's betrayal." She took a shuddering breath. "The stupid thing is I've always had my suspicions. It bothered me when Rick flirted with her. He flirted with you too, but I knew I had nothing to worry about. I've never trusted my sister completely or how they seemed to be around each other."

Nellie said she wasn't sure now what she'd been more afraid of—facing the fact that Rick was cheating on her or the prospect of being alone. Veronica knew firsthand what it felt like to be alone and understood that fear all too well, though she'd never have stayed with a cheating man. This wasn't something she'd say to her fragile friend, however. It would do no good now.

After hours of rehashing everything, Veronica got her to eat a little and even laugh a few times. She hadn't planned on talking to her about Noah—this was supposed to be about Nellie, not her, but Nellie insisted. The change in subject turned out to be a good thing. Nellie was pleased at how well things were going for Veronica and assured her that everything would work out.

She agreed with Veronica that she should ask Noah about the baby he might have but reminded her not to judge him for the things he'd done in the past. Everybody had skeletons in their closet, but she did urge her to make sure he was no longer involved in anything dangerous.

By that evening, Nellie was ready to take a long shower and then try to get some sleep—sleep not induced by any medication. She promised Veronica she'd stop taking the pills, and Veronica warned her she'd be back to check on her often before she left.

Veronica had only been home a few minutes. She'd just messaged Noah to tell him she wasn't going to make it to Gio's when she heard the knock at the door. She peeked through the window cautiously and saw Derek. She had to wonder if maybe he'd been parked up the street, waiting for her to get home.

He'd left two messages on her phone that day she hadn't had a chance to listen to. A little annoyed that he apparently thought it okay to just drop by like this for the second time, she opened the door.

"Hey," she said but made it a point not to smile too big. She didn't want him thinking she took this as a pleasant surprise.

"Hey." He ran a hand through his hair. The usually intimidating-looking dean appeared a little emotionally exposed. "I, uh, was hoping we could talk. I tried calling, but you're not answering. I hope you're not upset with me about the other day."