Jackson started to explain, "It rained yesterday, and I gave her a lift partway. She must have left her bag."
I just nodded.
"Aurora, don't read too much into it. There's really nothing going on."
I closed my eyes, too exhausted to argue.
Since Rebecca came back, I'd often find her things in the passenger seat.
Each time, her clumsy attempts to act like the victim only made me seem petty and overreactive.
Jackson always sided with her, adding to my frustration.
Her behavior became more audacious as time went on.
She knew I'd be in the passenger seat and would deliberately leave her bag there, marking her territory.
It felt like a blatant provocation.
I chose to ignore it.
As we were getting out of the car, Jackson opened my door and said, "Aurora, I know you're still upset, but please try to keep your cool at this party."
"There will be a lot of old friends there. We can discuss things when we get home."
I nodded, too exhausted to argue.
It wasn't until I walked in that I realized what he meant by "upset."
Rebecca was there.
As soon as Jackson pushed open the door, Rebecca ran up and wrapped her arm around his.