He Lost Me to His Best Friend novel Chapter 35

Yardley called Scarlett multiple times, but every attempt went straight to voicemail. He had been blocked.

He tried Zara, the nanny, but she was too afraid to answer.

Left with no other options, he dialed Talia, only to find her line was also unreachable.

Intense irritation clawed at his chest.

He knew he had crossed a line by taking the red ginseng. He tried to pull strings to find an even better root, but the market was completely dry. Forced to pivot, he stopped by a luxury boutique and purchased a high-end jewelry set.

He was on his way to drop it off at The Grandview when his phone rang. It was his friend Harbour Quinn, inviting him out for drinks with the guys at The Elysian Bar.

After settling into the VIP booth.

Yardley sat stiffly on the leather sofa, his expression brooding. Before he knew it, he had downed an entire glass of whiskey.

Harbour patted his shoulder, teasing him.

"Sylvia finally came back to the country. You should be thrilled, man. What's with the long face?"

Yardley's expression instantly stiffened.

"Why would you think that?" Yardley snapped.

Realizing he had hit a nerve, Harbour quickly backpedaled.

"I just mean, you guys grew up together. You haven't seen her in five years, so you must be happy she's back. I didn't mean anything else, Yardley. I know you just see her as a sister."

In the past, Yardley wouldn't have thought twice about comments like this.

His inner circle knew he had grown up with Sylvia. He was fiercely protective of her, and they shared a strong bond. Even Julian knew that.

But now, after Scarlett's explosive reaction, an inexplicable wave of guilt washed over him. He suddenly hated the idea of people gossiping about them.

Yardley's face grew cold.

"Don't say things like that anymore. Sylvia is married to Julian and has a kid, and Scarlett and I have been married for years. Everything is fine, it's just."

"She isn't mad about my lack of attention. She's convinced there's something going on between me and Sylvia."

Yardley poured another glass of whiskey, dropped a single ice cube in, and tossed it back.

Gordon and Harbour exchanged a look, both falling into a heavy silence.

Stepping into the shadows of the room, Gordon remained quiet. He lit a cigarette, his expression unreadable but dark.

The liquor loosened Yardley's tongue. For a man who never aired his dirty laundry in front of his friends, he suddenly had a lot to say.

He felt genuinely bewildered, his words dripping with pure exasperation.

"Ever since Scarlett gave birth, she's like a completely different person."

"She's irrationally jealous, totally chaotic, and almost set fire to our bedroom. Tonight, she texted my mother demanding a hundred million dollars."

Yardley lit a cigarette of his own, exhaling a heavy cloud of smoke before turning his frustrated gaze toward Gordon in the corner.