Free The Hazards of Hunting While Heartbroken by Mari Passananti Page A

with you.”
    He’s getting married. It feels like he’s punched me in the gut. Maybe I do miss him, after all.
    “And this is what you call making things right,” I splutter through my tears, which are suddenly coming fast and furious. “You show up without warning at my apartment and tell me how living a lie was unfair to you , without so much as one single thought about how it affected me!”
    Brendan sighs loudly. “You know, I’m sorry you’re hurting, but can’t you see that ultimately, I’m doing you a favor? You’re so blinded by your dashed fairy tale daydreams, that you can’t see past the fact that our wedding would have been one awesome day kicking off a lifetime of frustration.”
    “That’s not true!” As soon as I hear the words fly out of my mouth, I know that he’s at least a little bit right. I can tell by his mingled expression of pity and dismay, that he knows it, too.
    “I expected this kind of indignation from my parents, but you? Zoë, we were best friends for almost ten years. One best friend wouldn’t want the other to be less than he could be, right?”
    “One best friend shouldn’t expect the other to overlook his lies. And it seems to me that you can’t even call it a real friendship if one person is pretending to be someone he’s not. You ruined my life!” I shriek. I know I sound hysterical, but I can’t help myself. The emotional side of my brain has completely over run the rational side.
    “You took my twenties! I wasted my best years as your girlfriend, and I did it gladly, because I thought we were going to live happily ever after. And now I have to start all over, but not you. No, Brendan, you get to stay right on course because you lied to me, and kept a whole different life on the side. Which you now get to continue, uninterrupted, while you leave me to start completely over. You bastard! Get out!”
    His face changes. It sort of darkens and clouds over, and I realize that, even though I feel I’m in the right, I’ve overstepped some serious boundary.
    “Technically you can’t kick me out. You never took my name off the lease,” he says, in a voice so calm that it takes every iota of mental fortitude to keep from smacking him.
    “Just go. I’ll deal with the lease tomorrow.”
    “Unfortunately, and this part I’m truly sorry about, but you know how my father was eyeing this place as an investment?”
    I nod, speechless, but I think I know where he’s going.
    “As of Monday at noon, he’ll be your new landlord, and he has it in his head that he should raise the rent.”
    The world starts to spin faster. “And you couldn’t persuade him otherwise?” I know the answer is no. Brendan has never once in his life stood up to his parents. He’s too aware of where his bread is buttered.
    “You know I don’t pick fights with my father lightly. And think about it, Zoë. You’ve saved money on rent for several years now, so if he does raise it, it’s not like it’s going to bankrupt you. And you’ll get a better management company. They’re already planning to re-caulk your shower...”
    His voice trails off as he watches me realize that this speech was also rehearsed. Which somehow makes the fact that he couldn’t be bothered to take issue with his dad on my behalf sting more. Especially since he claims he came here to atone or some such nonsense. I grab the arm of the couch for balance. Then it hits me. He’s being this way, not out of concern for keeping the family peace, but because he’s always been an over-indulged spoiled brat. Yes, he’s cultured and worldly and smart, but he’s also always had a hyper-developed sense of entitlement. Most of the time he hides it well, under his charm and polish, but ultimately, it’s just the way he is, and there’s nothing I can say that will change his self-absorbed view of the situation. He feels entitled to have his apology accepted, even if he’s dovetailed it with bad news he did nothing to