Chapter 0158


    Leah takes a sip of her water, looking thoughtful. “Abby, you might have to make a choice here—


    between your best friends who have stood by you, or the man who’s ruined everything for you over and


    over again.”


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    “I really think he can change, Leah,” I say, my voice tinged with a desperate hope. “People make


    mistakes, right?”


    She puts down her fork, her eyes locking onto mine. “You thought he would change before. Look where


    that got you. How many more chances are you going to give him? And at what cost?”


    My chest tightens, as if it’s being gripped by an invisible hand. I know where this is going. “No,” I


    murmur, shaking my head as tears threaten to spill out. “Don’t leave me too, Leah.”


    Leah nces at her watch and starts to get up. I can see that her eyes have misted over as well, but


    she’s trying to hold herself together. “I’ve got to go. But Abby, you need to decide. It’s either us or him.


    You can’t have it both ways.”


    And just like that, she''s gone, leaving me alone in a restaurant full of people. The irony isn’t lost on me.


    I’m surrounded by a team that relies on my guidance, patrons who love my food, and yet in this


    moment, I’ve never felt more isted.


    …


    Thest customer leaves, and I lock the front door behind them, flipping the sign to ‘Closed’.


    I retreat to the sanctuary that is my office, a small room crammed with cookbooks, invoices, and a


    tried calling Chloe multiple times, and each call goes straight to voicemail.


    Thest message she sent me is pretty clear: “You can leave all of the voicemails you want, but there’s


    no way to justify this. I’m not speaking to you until he’s gone for good. Consider this your first real


    wakeup call, Abby.”


    I curse under my breath, my frustration peaking as I throw the phone onto the desk.


    The impact wakes up myputer screen, bringing back the article about ck truffles I’d been


    reading earlier. I sigh as my eyes skim the text again, discussing the rarity of ck truffles and how the


    harvesting season is just about over.


    As if I needed another obstacle.


    It feels like I’m stuck between a rock and a hard ce.


    My friends are turning their backs on me, and I can’t say I me them. Karl, the constant thorn in my


    side, is back in my life despite my gut screaming it’s a bad idea. Meanwhile, my wolf refuses to show


    herself unless I’m close with him.


    And to top it all off, I have this recipe I need to master, one that calls for an ingredient so rare and


    expensive it’s almostughable.


    I curse again, louder this time, and rake my hands through my hair, clutching at the strands as if they


    hold some magical solution.


    Why did I think that agreeing to participate in this cook-off was a good idea? And why did I think that


    bringing Karl back into this pressure cooker of a situation was the way to go? I’m questioning every


    decision I’ve ever made, and the walls of this tiny office feel like they’re closing in on me.


    I take deep breaths, trying to steady the whirlwind of emotions storming inside me. But it’s useless;


    what’s done is done. I don’t know how I’m going to pull this off, how I’m going to mend these bridges


    with Chloe and Leah, how I’m going to practice this damn truffle recipe, or how I’m going to face Karl


    tomorrow.


    I’m about to reach for my phone again, considering another futile attempt to call Chloe, when I hear a


    soft knock on my open office door. I look up, and there he is—Karl, standing in the doorway, his eyes


    flickering to the card on my desk that Mr. Thompson gave me yesterday.


    “Is everything okay, Abby?”