Lara swallowed and willed herself to remain calm. Her will didn’t work.

"You’ve got to be fucking kidding me, Bette." Lara’s voice was quiet but her eyes were dark with anger and focused directly on Bette.

Startled, Bette looked directly at Lara for the first time in their conversation. "Pardon me?"

"You know, Dana practically worshiped you. But I’ve got to say that I don’t see it. Instead, I see a woman with a limited circle of friends who chooses to remain emotionally isolated while offering her friends advice on how to live a responsible life. I see a woman who has a passion for art that spreads like wildfire, but who is indifferent to the blood-and-guts pain that extends beyond her immediate circle. Who the fuck are you, Bette Porter, to tell me that Alice was closest to Dana before her death? Do you even remember that I was Dana’s lover and her partner? Don’t you think I regret with every breath not being able to say goodbye to her? I know that Dana loved Alice, and I understand all too well that our relationship had serious challenges at the end. " Lara’s voice broke. She swallowed and continued. "I know we aren’t friends, Bette- despite being in the same circle for three years. To you I have been simply ‘Dana’s girlfriend’ or ‘the cook’. But hey, real person over here. Dealing with issues and struggling to keep it together. Just like you and everyone you care about. It’s a big world full of struggle, Bette. Don’t you dare be so presumptuous as to think Alice’s pain or Shane’s pain or your pain is bigger than anyone else’s. We’ve all got hard times here." Lara leaned into her words, looking at Bette with a charged intensity that Bette could not escape.

Bette was stunned. Lara was normally so quiet that Bette often didn’t realize she was even in the room. But this woman across from her was another matter entirely. Bette realized that in many ways Lara was correct. She hadn’t really thought of Lara as a person in her own right, but rather as part of a couple or simply as Kit’s employee. And she really had not given much thought to Lara’s pain when she mentioned Alice’s recent struggles. Bette shook her head.