Finally, she managed to get some words out.

“I’m going to break up with Tina.”

“What? Why?”

“She… she deserves so much better than me. And Brenda is there all the time, she’s there” (sob) “all the time and I’m so scared that Tina will see that Brenda is better for her and will leave me and I don’t want to end up getting hurt?”

“Bette, what the fuck? Have you gone out of your mind? Tina is the freaking love of your life, the two of you have been through so much, you’re going out of your way to be able to have this relationship and now you want to end it because of some nosy neighbour?”

“That’s not it… it’s not the only thing… you don’t understand, Alex. You don’t understand.”

“Then explain it to me!”

“I can’t, I don’t want to lose you too… I love Tina so much, I love her so much that I have to let her go. That’s true love, right? Doing everything to make the other person happy?”

“If you leave, Tina is going to be everything but happy.”

“She won’t understand at first and she’ll be hurt and upset and of course I don’t want that, but in the end, it’s better for her.”

“So, you’re this knight in shining armour leaving the woman who would give her life for you for the greater good? What is wrong with you? Have you got any idea how hard it is to find a love like the one you and Tina share? If I could have the same with someone, they would have to kill me before I left them… I thought Nathan was that person for me and then he tried out to be a lying bastard, kissing that Eve-girl’s ass just to have a job at her father’s company later… he even thought I would actually believe that he was ‘securing our future’… like hell he wasn’t sleeping with her! Tina, she’s not like that, she’d never do that you. Fuck, she’s a great, warm, loving and kind woman and you’re going to let her go because of your insecurities? You’ll never forgive yourself!”

“It’s not about insecurities, Alex. It’s not about that at all. I just… I can’t do that to her, I can’t do it to her and stay with her and it will hurt me like hell, but I have to leave her. And I have to do it now.”

“You are not going anywhere. You are staying right here with me until I got Tina here and you two talk about what the fuck it is that crawled into your mind and pushed some very dangerous buttons. I mean, the woman left her life behind! How many times do you have to hear it before you fully realise what she’s done for you? Jesus, Bette, you know I love you but sometimes you can be such a fucking idiot it’s downright scary!”

“You have to let me go, you can’t keep me here.”

“Says who?”

“Just… don’t call Tina. I’m going to her place.”

“You aren’t calling her, I am.”

Alexandra got out her cell phone, but Bette put her hand on it. “Don’t.”

“Why the hell not?”

“You don’t understand and I… I just have to do this. You have to thrust me that this is the right thing to do, that this is the only thing I can do.”

“I don’t understand, no, but you’re not explaining it to me either.”

“I don’t want to lose you.”

“That’s not going to happen.”

“But what if it is?”

“Tell me, would you leave your dearest friend if she was in the position you are in right now?”

“No.”

“So what the hell makes you think I would?”

“Alexandra… I… I don’t know how to tell you this but… I’m… he… he killed the woman he loved, I’m the daughter of a murderer…” she now looked up, gazing into Alexandra’s eyes in panic and fright. “What if I end up doing the same thing? What if it’s in my genes?”