“Brilliant,” I mutter, grabbing a handful of paper towels to blot at the mark. It’s not huge, but of course it had to be dead centre. After dabbing it as best I can, I toss the paper towels and pray the lighting in the room is forgiving.
I’m walking back across the room, discreetly checking the faint water stain—please let it be dry already—when I bump into someone.
“Sorry,” I say, looking up, but when I realise who I just collided with, I almost lose my balance again. My ex-boyfriend is here, standing right in front of me.
“Millie,” he breathes out, clearly as surprised as I am. “What are you doing here?”
“Trevor,” I exclaim, trying to make sense of all this.
A few heads turn when I blurt his name—including Callum, who’s standing nearby in conversation. He glances our way, his brows pulling together.
“I, um, work for the team,” I say, lowering my voice. “What about you?”
“My dad invests in the Regents, and you know,” he shrugs, “I work for him now.”
Right. How could I forget?Iwas the one who helped him reconnect with his dad. “That’s great,” I mutter. Just as the words leave my lips, I notice the two glasses in his hands—one of champagne and one of orange juice. His gaze flicks to his left, where a heavily pregnant brunette stands flanked by two sharply dressed men. They’re all staring at me now.
“Thank you, honey,” the woman says, reaching for the juice. “Um, who’s this?”
“This is Millie,” Trevor says with a bit of an edge in his voice. “She works for the team. Millie, this is Julie, my fiancée. And Daniel and Farid from Brentworth Capital.”
“Nice to meet you,” Daniel says, extending a hand.
I shake each oftheir hands politely, forcing a smile while doing my best not to stare at the massive diamond on Julie’s finger.
Her smile is sweet, her tone warm. “What do you do for the team?”
I glance around, searching for a means of escape. Anyone. But all the suits and sequins blend into one massive wall of blurred wallpaper. Callum is still watching us, but just as I catch his gaze, he looks away. No help there, I guess. Resigned to my fate, I glance back at her, and her protruding belly. It’s big. How far along can she be? At least six months, like Roxy, but that can’t be right. Trevor and I broke up five months ago. Maybe she’s having twins?
I clear my throat. “Um, I’m the social media manager.”
“Oh, that sounds fun.” Her eyes flicker between Trevor and me. “So, how do you two know each other?”
More desperate than ever, I scan the room for help again, but I don’t spot anyone I know. Why did they all have to wear the same thing?
“We dated,” Trevor says flatly.
A quiet “oh” comes from Farid and Daniel, followed by a long silence.
I could always make a run for it, but my eyes settle on her belly again, and I can’t help but ask the question that’s burning on my tongue. “So, um, how far along are you?”
She places herhand on her large baby bump. “Seven months and counting,” she chuckles. “I can’t wait for this little girl to be here.”
She keeps talking about her baby, but her words muffle and melt into a steady droning. The room is spinning, and my breath catches. When I feel Trevor’s eyes on me, I finally gather up the courage to look at him. And there it is. The shameful truth. He cheated on me when we were together—and apparently, he cheated on Julia too. I’m guessing that, like me, she didn’t have the slightest idea.
I want to run away, but my feet are cemented to the ground. The weight of Callum’s stare presses on me, but I don’t have the strength to meet his eyes.
“...I mean, I’m sure it’s normal,” Julie continues. “But it’s my first, so I’m a bit apprehensive.”
“Right.” I blink. “I wouldn’t know. I don’t have any children.”
The way Trevor looks at me makes me want to both punch him in the face and disappear ten feet underground. A mixture of shame and pity. What does he pity me for?He’sthe one who should be pitied, building a relationship on a lie.
Julie laughs loudly, then starts recounting a story about their wedding to Farid and Daniel when Trevor leans toward me. “I’m sorry, Millie. I’m sure you’ll find someone soon.”
I stare back in disgust. Is he for real?That’swhy he’s sorry? Because I don’t have a boyfriend. Not because hecheatedon me.
Fury builds inside me, and suddenly, I want nothing more than to wipe that stupid pity smile off his face. “No need to worry about me. I’m dating someone too,” I blurt out, plastering a proud smile on my face. “In fact, here he is right now.” I catch Callum’s gaze and beckon him to join us. “Hi, honey,” I say, taking his hand as he comes closer. All the while, I send him as many signals as I can with my eyes, hoping he’ll manage to decode them.
