“I’ve already moved on. Have you?”
Erin and I stared at each other before she placed the crying baby back in the pram. “Oliver and I will be going home soon.Doesn’t Camilla have her father’s eyes?” she taunted, revealing her macabre marionette smile.
“Of course, she does. She certainly doesn’t have your husband’s eyes. How does Oliver feel about this? That it’s Alistair’s baby and not his?” I dared to throw a dagger back.
“Now, Vera, it’s not nice to tell lies,” she chastised, then spoke to her friends. “I told you she’s not right in the head. She’s certified crazy.”
“Totally insane. She’s jealous of you,” the brunette bitched, patting Erin’s arm.
The blonde sneered. “It’s not her fault she’s behaving out of line. The lower classes never learn manners, do they?”
A surge of anger burned in my cheeks. Despite coming from a blue-collar suburb, I had attended an upper-class private school because of my academic scholarship. Yet, I would always be inferior to Erin and her lot.
“Did your nose just grow an inch, Erin? I guess your lies are something your cosmetic surgeon couldn’t fix,” I fired back.
“What did you say to me?” she snapped, eyes narrowing as if no one had ever dared to talk back before.
“You heard me the first time,” I replied. “By the way, I hope your child will take after her father. Alistair may be a bastard, but he’s an honest one.”
I smiled sweetly with my head high as I walked away. Erin and her friends reminded me of blowfish, with their mouths open but no words coming out.
Staring at the woman in the restroom mirror, I couldn’t decide whether to laugh or cry. What the hell was I doing, falling for a playboy who couldn’t keep his dick in his pants? It takes a playerto know a player, but why did Alistair hit me so deep when no one else ever had?
I’d hooked up with gods in college. Men who could’ve outshone Thor, Superman, take your pick. And still, nothing. No spark, no ache, no depth.
I cursed the Fates under my breath, especially Clotho, that smug bitch spinning the threads, weaving me right back into the wolf of Lester Harbor’s orbit tonight.
My phone buzzed, a message from Mindy flashing across the screen.
Change of plans. Chatting with a hot bartender who found my handbag. Come back to the bar. I’ll introduce you to his friend.
I sighed, then returned her message.
Give me a few minutes. I’ll be there soon.
On my way out of the restroom, I decided to suck it up and say hello to Alistair. I headed toward the stage, timing it before the auction began. But I froze.
The auction hadn’t even started, yet someone had already claimed the highest bid: Erin Everton-Scott. She had Alistair’s gaze locked, his angel eyes fixed on her as if no one else in the room existed. Adoration softened his face when he cradled the child, settling her back into the pram just as Oliver appeared. Oliver’s expression soured, his frown sharp enough to cut, and he stormed away. Erin, ever the dutiful wife in public, followed after him.
That left Alistair in the spotlight, surrounded by women clawing for his attention. He turned to one, his mouth curling into a smirk as his eyes dipped down to the swell of amplebreasts spilling from her dress while she leaned in, laughing at something he hadn’t even said.
An insidious whisper poisoned my heart with pain.
Alistair has forgotten you. He will never, ever be yours.
I blinked rapidly as involuntary tears ran down my flushed cheeks. Wiping them away, I straightened my shoulders, lifted my chin, and moved one foot forward toward the bar.
“Vee. Come here and meet Marco and Drew,” Mindy called out, waving to me.
“I’m not feeling well, so I’m heading home early,” I told her, smiling weakly.
“Aww, I’m sorry. You take care of yourself and get some rest, okay? We’ll chat next week,” she said.
“I’ll call you next week,” I promised and hugged my friend before I left.
It was eleven p.m., and I couldn’t sleep, so I put my slippers on and stepped into the living room. My phone buzzed with a call from Holly James, the doctor I’d seen on and off casually.
“Hello?”
