I closed my eyes.
“I’m sorry. Could you repeat that?”
“You humiliated me in front of the entire neighborhood.”
I leaned against the kitchen counter.
“You invited my husband to a party specifically because you wanted to exclude me. You told me you intended to take him. You repeatedly ignored his refusals. And now you’re upset because people discovered what you’d been doing?”
“You made me look like a desperate woman!”
“No, Vanessa. You did that yourself.”
She inhaled sharply.
“You don’t understand. I was going through a difficult time. My divorce destroyed my confidence. I needed to feel wanted again.”
For the first time, I heard something beneath her anger.
Pain.
Real pain.
I softened my voice, but I didn’t change my position.
“I am sorry your divorce hurt you. I wouldn’t wish that experience on anyone. But your pain doesn’t give you the right to target my husband.”
