“Well, we’d love to have you back,” Stacey tells her.
“Yeah, you need to come see Henry!” Rylee declares as she bounces him in her arms.
“I know!” Hadley gushes. “It would be so awesome to see you guys again. I’ll try and figure something out, I promise.”
“You better,” Skyler says with a grin. “We’ll go for a girls' dinner. Dirty martinis, fries, and caesar salad, then max out the guys’ credit cards with a shopping spree.”
We all laugh at that, the whole plan sounding especially ludicrous coming from Skyler who’s wearing a Mortal Kombat shirt with FINISH HIM scrawled across her chest in red, slashy letters.
“Deal,” Hadley chuckles. “I’m totally in. I should get going now, but I’ll let you all know when I can make the trip. Talk later!”
We all say goodbye and Stacey hangs up the phone.
“Man, I like her,” she grins.
“I do, too,” I nod.
Skyler and Rylee agree, but Grace doesn’t say anything. I glance up at her and she is scrolling furiously through her phone, her brow furrowed.
“Holy shit,” she gasps.
“What is it?” I ask, concerned.
She looks up at me, her blue eyes dark with worry.
“Um…there are pictures that have just been released,” she hesitantly replies. “Pictures of Jayce. They’re all over the internet.”
I blink, confused. Why would pictures of Jayce be such a big deal?
“What kind of pictures?” Rylee asks when I can’t seem to form words, my anxiety bubbling up and tying my tongue into a knot.
Grace swallows. “They’re shots of Jayce entering a private club by himself… a sex club.”
“What?” Skyler exclaims, sitting up.
“A sex club?” Stacey sounds both shocked and intrigued, but then looks at me and asks, “Did you know he went to sex clubs?”
My jaw drops. I shake my head. “No… no, I had no idea.”
Has he ever mentioned a club? I honestly can’t remember. Wouldn’t it have come up given everything we’ve done together?
Has he been going there instead of coming to me? That thought makes my stomach twist and provokes feelings I don’t want to dig into right now.
“Let me see,” I choke out.
Grace hands me the phone and I gaze down at the screen to see an image of Jayce entering some building with a dark sign over the door that reads Club Élysée in silver letters. I swipe through the pictures, all showing him going into the club and some seemingly later the same night of him coming out. He doesn’t look any different—maybe his hair is a little mussed.
Still, it’s hard to argue the fact that he was in that club. When was this taken? Recently? Were we engaged when he went there?
My anxiety hits me so hard, I want to vomit. I have to set the phone down and clench my hands into fists to hide the fact that they’re shaking.
“This is bad, Sut,” Grace says in a sharp voice. “Really bad. People are commenting and questioning if the engagement is fake or if Jayce is cheating on you. This is on the verge of being a full-blown scandal.”
Fuck, how could he do this to me? Embarrass me like this. Betray me like this? Oh, God, if Mom and Dad see this, they’ll drag me back home and throw me right back to Leon…
No, stop! My thoughts are swirling out of control but I need to get a grip. This is Jayce we’re talking about. He’s my friend. We’re in this engagement scheme together, helping each other. We’re not really together, and I have no right to feel like he’s cheated on me, no matter how much the thought stings.
I need to focus because this isn’t just about me right now. This scandal could ruin Jayce’s image, which will ruin his chances of becoming CEO. I doubt his family will give him the position if he’s perceived as irresponsible for smearing their name. Everything he’s done to prove his worth and care for the company and its legacy will be for nothing.
