But I don’t get the chance to react.
“Nicolas, baby. There you are,” comes an all-too-familiar voice behind me, and Amelia stiffens instantly.
Damn. This is bad.
Sarah shoves Amelia aside rather roughly, and Amelia actually rolls her eyes in irritation before stepping away.
“Watch it, you klutz,” Sarah hisses, full of venom, and I want to smash her head into the nearest wall. Why did I ever sleep with her? She can’t be serious. Just as I’m about to step in, my Goldilocks beats me to it, and I have to fight to keep a straight face.
“It’s so lovely to see you too, Sarah. Sadly, I don’t have time to listen to your pointless chatter. I’m off to find Lizzy. See you later, darling.” She throws me a cool glance, turns on her heel, and walks away. Just like that, she leaves me alone with this woman. Doesn’t even blink.
Stunned and blindsided, I watch her go, then glance at Cedric, who’s clearly struggling not to laugh. I turn my gaze back to Goldilocks as she saunters off through the crowd, swaying her hips. And she actually leaves me standing there.
Is she fucking serious right now?
My heart pounds hard in my chest and the anger at this entire farce, at Nicolas, my brother, the king, and that damn Sarah, only grows stronger. It builds inside me uncontrollably and if I don’t get out of here soon, I’m going to scream.
“Whore.”
“Title-chaser.”
“Behave yourself.”
“Pull yourself together.”
“Smile.”
This endless loop plays over and over in my mind, and I feel like I’m about to explode. The turmoil inside me is so immense that I can’t hold up my facade much longer. I want to scream loudly and tell them all to go fuck themselves.
But I don’t want that.
That’s not who I am.
I hate everything.
Phil, why did you leave me alone?
It was easier with him. We weren’t officially a couple, but rumors circulated, and that’s why so many now despise me. Youcan hide some things from the press, but not everything. I was seen with Philipp.
“Amelia, where are you going? Shouldn’t you be with your future husband?” The dark, clearly drunk voice of my brother reaches my ear, and I flinch in pain as he roughly grabs my arm, right where a large, swollen bruise already sits.
From him.
“I just need to go to the bathroom, am I still allowed to? Or is that against etiquette too? Does it make you look bad?”
God, I will regret this so much, but my patience has run out. What is he thinking? What is everyone thinking?
I wrench myself free from his grip and have to stifle a gasp because, damn it, it hurts. My arm feels like it’s on fire, but once again, I hold myself together. No one will ever find out. I can’t bear it.
Henry narrows his already glassy eyes into slits and takes a threatening step toward me. I have to fight hard to suppress the reflex to shield my face with my hands.
“You…”
“Amelia, sweetheart, there you are. Nic’s waiting for you. He wants to introduce you to someone. May I?” Damien suddenly steps between Henry and me. Henry glares at Nicolas’s best friend with contempt and anger, but Damien doesn’t care. He hooks his arm through mine, and I breathe out in relief as Henry steps back, frustrated yet still shooting me a threatening look.
“Of course. My sister and I were done anyway. Take her with you. It’s important that they present themselves together,” he agrees pompously, as if I’m irrelevant and not even present.
But Damien ignores his words, nods, and walks off with me. Taken by surprise, I let him pull me along. At the same time, I’m glad to be away from Henry.
