“It doesn’t matter,” I sigh.
“Oh, your prince charming is here, friend.”
Immediately, I turn around, thinking I’ll see Soren.
But why?
Soren’s irrelevant. He’s someone who’s made my life a living hell quite a lot, and I was never shy in returning the favor. He’s the man who swore he’d ruin me, and I believe him. His psychotic eyes never lied before — and my ruin will bring him the biggest salvation.
Yet, the man I spot is Damien.
He’s strolling toward us, with a rose in hand, and a wide grin on his face. He’s a picture-perfect guy. He’s kind, respectful, and I know that if I were to give him a chance, I’d be able to fall in love with him eventually.
But that would be forcing it.
And somewhere deep down, I know that part of me already belongs to someone else.
TWENTY-ONE
My fingers reach for the shirt, buttoning it from the bottom one, all the way to the top. The tattoo on my chest is still in the healing process, but the flesh isn’t nearly as red as it was during the first two days. With a sigh, I button the shirt completely, adding a deep blue tie that my mother insisted I wear for tonight.
The blazer follows suit, and I take a final glance in the mirror. I put on the shoes, then leave my bedroom, the door closing behind me. Mom and Dad are waiting in the entrance area, with Dad tapping his foot against the marble floors impatiently.
“Where the hell is Astrid?” Dad’s voice carries through the home, and I shrug as I step closer to them.
“She’s getting herself and Nina ready. You know what she’s like, it’ll take her an hour.”
Dad groans, rubbing his face. Mom chuckles in response. “I’ll go and check on them.”
“And hurry up,” Dad adds. “We’ll be late!”
“Do we care about being late?”
He gives me a pointed look. “It’s your mother’s fault we’re going at all. If it were me, I’d prefer spending time at home.”
“Why are we going, again?”
“Because your mother had no better things to do than try to get into a verbal spat with Valeria Sloane. And she fell for the provocations, too. So, now, we’ll have to go, and smile through this god-awful night. If one good thing can be drawn out of this, it’s that we’ll get an opportunity to speak to a lot of important people.”
I keep my mouth shut and nod instead. I know that the reason we’re in this mess is because of me. It’s only after I’ve seen the damage to my family’s reputation that the tape has caused that I truly started regretting getting involved with Ellie in the first place.
The first night I came home after Sophia leaked the tape was a nightmare. Everyone was shouting, blaming everyone and everything. I can’t even imagine the havoc my mom would wreak if she knew it was Sophia who leaked it.
Though, it doesn’t matter anymore. Dad’s been able to do a lot of damage control, which I think isn’t what Sophia wanted. She went nuclear, and she’d hoped to see bigger, worse consequences.
“Finally,” Dad sighs, straightening up and smoothing his tie.
I turn around to spot Mom, Astrid, and Nina walking down the stairs. Astrid and Nina are matching in color, and hairstyle. But the little one is so giggly and bubbly that it instantly warms my heart.
When she spots me, she runs straight towards me, ignoring mom’s warnings to be careful. I bend down, picking her up and plopping her against my hip. Her hands come to my cheeks, and she giggles.
“Hi, there, Bubbles.”
She giggles again. “Hi! You look very pretty!”
“Not as pretty as you,” I kiss her forehead. “Shallwe go?”
Dad nods, and opens the door. The cold weather from outside hits immediately, and I rub my hand over Nina’s back, trying to keep her as warm as possible. Two cars are waiting in the driveaway, one for Astrid and me, the other for Mom, Dad, and Nina.
