“Safe?” Bette couldn’t keep the bitterness out of her voice. “He was cheating on you from the beginning, Tina. I tried to tell you, but you wouldn’t listen. You called me jealous.”

“I know. I know, and you were right about everything. He was cheating on me then, and apparently he’s been living a double life for years. But that’s not why I’m sorry.” Tina wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

“I’m sorry because I threw away the most important relationship in my life. I’m sorry because I hurt you. I’m sorry because I was too much of a coward to admit that the reason I didn’t want to hear what you were saying about Darren was because deep down, I knew you were right. And if you were right about him, then I had to face what that meant about us.”

“What about us?” Bette asked, though her voice was softer now.

“You know what about us,” Tina said, meeting her eyes. “You had to have known. The way I looked at you, the way I felt when you were around other women. I was in love with you, Bette. I was in love with you, and it terrified me and I couldn’t admit to myself. Not then”

Bette felt like the air had been sucked out of the room. “Don’t.”

“Don’t what?”

“Don’t say that. Don’t say that now, when it’s convenient for you. When your marriage has fallen apart and you need someone to make you feel better about yourself.” Bette retorted aware of the anger and resentment she still held as she looked at the woman who ripped her world apart

Tina flinched as if she’d been slapped. “Is that what you think this is? That I’m just using you?”

“Isn’t it?” Bette’s carefully constructed walls were crumbling. “You had no problem using me as your emotional support system for twenty years, until the moment I became inconvenient. Until the moment I threatened your perfect little fantasy with Darren.”

“That’s not fair.”

“Fair?” Bette laughed bitterly. “You want to talk about fair? Fair would have been you believing me when I told you he was cheating. Fair would have been you not choosing him over me. Fair would have been you not telling me I was jealous because I hadn’t found love when you were standing right fucking there Tina! Right in front of me and you were never mine and were never going to be mine!”