Second Thoughts by Jade Winters Page B

she wanted to hear Bettina’s side of the story and only then would she decide what to do.
    Bringing the car to a halt outside their house twenty minutes later, her anger still hadn’t subsided. She was angry that Bettina’s actions had placed her in a situation that was going to end in tears, whichever path she followed.
    Melissa jumped out of the car and raced to the front door, her heart thumping with each step. Taking a deep breath she opened the door and slammed it shut behind her. Hearing movement in the kitchen she walked towards it. Every word Sara had said replayed in her mind. Three weeks Bettina had lied to her. Three weeks when she had lain in bed broken, her heart in pieces, yearning for the only person who could help heal her. Bettina had stood between them. What if she had said yes to Sara then and there? What if she had told her the truth that she was still in love with her and there hadn’t been a day that passed that her heart hadn’t cried for the loss? But she couldn’t. Her loyalty to Bettina overrode her heart’s desire.
    As she entered, Bettina was bent over the dishwasher.
    “Where the hell have you been? Lunch finished an hour ago.” Bettina put the last dish in the dishwasher and slammed the door shut.
    Melissa’s hands clenched at her sides. “Why didn’t you tell me about Sara?” she asked through gritted teeth.
    Bettina whipped her head around, her eyes sweeping Melissa’s face. “What are you talking about?” she replied dryly.
    “Sara! You know, my ex, who you told I didn’t want to see.”
    Bettina eyed her up and down. “Oh, so that’s where you’ve been, with Sara, whilst I’ve been sat here entertaining your sister.”
    Melissa combed her fingers through her hair and stared at her, not grasping why she wasn’t more repentant. “Don’t change the subject, Bettina. I want an answer.”
    Bettina turned away, reached for a damp cloth from the side and frantically wiped around the sink. “What do you want me to say? It was for your own good.”
    “Says who? What gave you the right to interfere in my life?”
    Bettina spun around, fear and panic in her eyes. “Melissa, she would have only hurt you again. I didn’t want that to happen. You weren’t strong enough for–”
    “– Bettina, my problem was the fact that I’d lost Sara as well as my parents.”
    “She would have left you again. Your happiness was not her priority. I thought you knew that.”
    Melissa winced. “That was a massive assumption for you to make on my behalf, wasn’t it?”
    Bettina laid her hand on Melissa’s shoulder to which Melissa shrugged it off. “Please don’t be angry with me. I did it to protect you.”
    “Protect me? Is that going to be your excuse when you hide things from me? How can I trust you anymore?”
    “Because I give you my word.”
    “I really don’t know if that’s enough Bettina. I feel so betrayed. I trusted you. I thought you had my back.” She turned and walked with purposeful strides towards the front door.
    “Where are you going?” Bettina called out to her.
    “Out.”
    “Back to her you mean.” Her tone held a sharp edge.
    Melissa turned and walked back to her. She clenched her jaw and squinted. “No, not back to her. This isn’t about Sara; it’s about you lying to me. This has really messed with my head, Bettina. I need some time to think about things.”
    Bettina looked at her stone-faced. “There’s nothing to think about. She was wrong for you and don’t think she’s any different now.”
    Both women looked towards Bettina’s phone when it began to ring on the worktop.
    “There you go again, making assumptions when you know nothing about her. I’m going to stay at Faye’s for the night. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
    Bettina picked the phone up swiftly and looked down at her caller ID. “Great. Just what I need, my mother. Please just wait until I take this call, she’s calling about the seating arrangement. We can discuss things