Ben took a seat and listened closely to Elliot's woes.

"It's true that you were forced into a relationship with Zoe, but that wasn't because of Avery. You did it for Shea," Ben said bluntly. "Avery is unaware of your relationship with Shea, so she is quite understandably upset."

Elliot stared at him with his deep-set eyes. "What do you think my relationship with Shea is?"

Ben chuckled lightly, then said, "Are you really asking me to guess?"

"I know you'd figure it out," Elliot said confidently. "You know me well."

"Are you upset that Avery doesn't trust you enough?"

Ben had a feeling that, if he was right, Elliot's relationship with Avery was about to worsen.

"Wouldn't that explain the problem?" Elliot retorted.

Ben stroked his chin and said, "Not everybody is as calm and reasonable as you are. Besides, love is a completely different matter. Last year, you had been jealous of Mike, and you weren't as calm as you are right now."

The light in Elliot's eyes dimmed, and his voice