He Lost Me to His Best Friend novel Chapter 550

Swallowing his pride, Yardley trailed behind them. When he yanked open the backdoor and climbed in, humiliation burned in his throat.

But given how completely outgunned he was right now, he had no choice but to bite the bullet.

Inside the cabin.

The air was suffocatingly thick, the silence hostile.

Julian took the wheel, Scarlett settled into the passenger seat, and the stereo softly played a classic, romantic duet.

Perhaps sensitive to the heavy air conditioning, Scarlett let out a faint, dry cough.

Almost immediately, Julian reached into the center console and pulled out a sealed thermos of freshly brewed pear tonic, handing it to her.

"Your throat's been bothering you lately. Drink this, it'll help soothe it."

Scarlett took it, her eyes widening slightly when the heat transferred to her palms. "Oh wow, it's still hot."

Julian kept his tone entirely casual. "Yeah, grabbed it right after I walked my parents out."

Scarlett unscrewed the cap and began taking small, careful sips.

Sitting in the back, Yardley's expression had hardened into solid ice.

He glared daggers at the front seats, his chest physically aching as he watched their effortless, practiced intimacy.

Unable to stop himself, his voice dripped with sour resentment.

"Scarlett used to brew pear tonic for me all the time. She really loved me back then."

Julian's voice remained infuriatingly calm.

"A real man wouldn't subject his woman to that kind of manual labor. Sounds like you were failing at the job."

Yardley gritted his teeth. "...Still beats someone who's never had a woman cook for him."

Julian didn't miss a beat. "If I asked, I know Scarlett would make it for me in a heartbeat. Right, Scarlett?"

"If you have something to say, say it. Stop projecting your own pathetic insecurities onto my relationship with Julian. We aren't hiding anything."

Yardley took a ragged breath, fighting the monster clawing at his throat.

"Fine. Excellent—"

His temples throbbed violently. He was practically vibrating with rage, yet completely powerless to do a damn thing about it.

Unlike Scarlett, who was holding highly compromising video evidence of him and Veronica in Orchard Villa, Yardley had zero leverage.

Even though Julian and Scarlett were joined at the hip, they hadn't actually crossed any physical lines in public. There wasn't a single scandal he could weaponize against them.

Whatever. He didn't have the luxury of playing games right now.

Yardley locked away his fury and cut straight to the chase.

"I know you want out... What if we handle this divorce peacefully? No war, just a clean break. What do you say?"