No names.
Just a blur of perfume and fabric and polite smiles.
Lucy, though...
The blue of her dress.
The way the candlelight caught in her eyes and danced across her freckles.
The gold shimmer on her eyelids.
The hitch of her breath when my hand drifted too close to her bare back.
It’s all still there.
Caleb speaks quietly. “She left.”
My stomach drops.
“Left?” I repeat. “Left where?”
Theo’s eyes darken. “With Graham.”
Something cold slices through me.
“With… Whitaker?”
Caleb nods once. “He had his driver bring the car around.”
For a split second, the room tilts.
“She wouldn’t just...” I stop. “Why would she leave with him?”
Theo’s laugh is sharp. “Because you gave her every reason to.”
I look between them, irritation flaring. “What are you talking about?”
Caleb’s voice stays calm, but there’s something edged beneath it. “I brought Lucy her clutch. Her phone was going off. She stepped away to take the call.”
I remember now, vaguely, seeing him cross the dance floor. Not paying attention.
“She told me not to get you,” Caleb continues. “Said you seemed like you were too busy.”
Theo’s eyes flare. “Which you were.”
“And then,” Caleb finishes, “she left with Graham.”
The wordlefthits differently now.
“What happened?” I demand.
Theo exhales slowly. “She got bad news. We don't know who was on the phone, just that she was informed her mother was in the hospital and that she needed to get to her.”
My pulse starts to pound in my ears.
“Whitaker was dancing with her when the call came in,” Caleb adds. “He followed her off the dance floor, said he’d take her to the hospital, take care of her.”
Hospital.
