I arrive at the store and Avril greets me with a hug.

“Damn, girl. You are a freak. I’m so proud. Jealous, but proud. Did you leak the video?”

I roll my eyes. “No, I didn’t leak the video. We think Hugh did it.”

“Hugh? Really? What an asshole.”

Eden encroaches on our conversation. “For real. If he did it, he should go to jail. You’re a victim of a sex crime, Yessi.”

I laugh. “Yeah, maybe technically. But I don’t care. Like at all. For some reason, this doesn’t really bother me.”

Avril nods. “It wouldn’t bother me, either.”

Eden shakes her head. “Well, it would bother me a ton. Aside from the fact it’s an invasion of your privacy, it’s also illegal. Fuck Hugh, seriously. How are you not upset by this? Millions of people have now seen you naked and having sex. You should be outraged.”

“I know. I mean, in theory, I should be. But I don’t feel that way. I love Preston. In fact, we both finally said I love you. And he said it first. He’s everything to me. All I care about is that we’re happy, and we’re saving animals.”

Eden’s face tells me she doesn’t like my answer. “Well, Hugh needs to be arrested. Your flippant attitude is shocking to me.”

I don’t want to argue with Eden. “Yeah, I get it. The more I think about it, it’s wrong. I guess just in the overall scheme of my life, it’s not the worst thing that’s ever happened to me.” I close my eyes and remember my childhood. The abuse at the hands of my foster father. My pattern of latching on to older men when I was a teen. I quickly open my eyes again and try to shake off the memories.

Eden hugs me. “I love you, Yessi. You know that. But you should really talk to someone. You may be fine now, but this is not okay.”

I hear a knock at the back door. Avril opens it, and a drop-dead gorgeous man with wisps of dark hair poking out under a wide-brimmed hat smiles at us. He’s wearing a white dress shirt strapped down with black suspenders and black pants. A purebred black pug is squirming in his grip.

“Guder daag. Mei naame iss Jedidiah Lapp from Amish Puppies Direct. I have your new shipment of der hunde.”

Der hunde? Dogs? What the fuck? I look around for a horse-drawn carriage but instead I see a van. The Amish don’t drive. Am I being punked? Maybe Preston set this up to fuck with me.

Avril pushes me out of the way. “Well, hello Jedidiah. I like your hat. I’m Avril Peet. But we didn’t order any puppies. We’re a rescue-only store. There must be a mistake.”

“There’s no mistake, mei fraa. I have an order here. Signed last week by a Mr. Preston Evans.” He points to his clipboard.

I pull the clipboard out of his hands, and there I see it. It’s a scanned document dated seven days ago—with Preston’s signature.

Has Preston been lying to me all along? Did he just use me to get the rescue to back the store, so I would call off the rescue protesters, and he would get good press?

His father’s words ring in my head.

“Is she your girlfriend or just another one of the girls you use and discard?”

Oh my god. I’m such a fool. Maybe he did leak the sex tape.

Doubt crashes around me. Preston doesn’t love me. He’s using me. I’m so so stupid. I walked into this trap the day I met him.

I have to get out of here. I can’t hear another word.

I run out of the store, climb into my car, and just drive aimlessly.

My phone begins to blow up. Avril. Preston. Eden. But I don’t want to listen to anyone. Not Preston’s lies. Or Avril’s snark. Or Eden’s sympathy.

I just want to be alone. Not only at this moment. But always.