Chapter Forty-Four: Never-Ending Debate
As their laughter died down, Ava gave her friend a knowing look. "You had me going there for a bit," she said with a wry smile. "But I'll let Mara stay as your gossip buddy. The stress might be too much for you otherwise, you know what I mean?"
"I don't need any assistance!" Brenda exclaimed in an overdramatic, snooty voice that set them both cracking up again. "I can handle this all by myself, thank you very much."
"Okay, okay, Miss High and Mighty," Ava played along with an amused chuckle. "I get it now - you just put me through all this because you wanted to tell me about Philip's latest stunt. So spill it already! What did that jerk do this time?"
Brenda's face instantly darkened with a mix of pain and fury. "Philip is a monster. That creep doesn't even deserve to live."