That did it. I couldn’t hold in my anger, my hurt. I had to get out of here before I burst into tears. That would give Karen exactly what she’d wanted from all of this. Instead, I held my head up high as I said, “Excuse me,” and left the table. I walked carefully back through the gardens and up the wide stone stairs to the house. I forced myself to keep a normal pace even though I wanted to run.
I could feel everyone watching me leave.
It wasn’t until I was inside the house that I heard footsteps behind me. Thatcher, Bryce, and Celia had followed me.
I stared at them. “How could all of you do this to me?”
“I didn’t know she was going to be here,” Thatcher said.
“But you’ve been working with her formonthsand never said a word. Why wouldn’t you have told me that you’d been engaged before?” Something occurred to me. “Wait… the text you got right before we walked in—who was that from?”
“It was work.” Thatcher said, but I saw his eyes dart to Bryce.
“What was that text?” I asked Bryce.
He rubbed the back of his neck. “It was me letting Thatch know Madison was probably going to be here.”
“So, you did know,” I said to Thatcher. The weird little speech he gave me before we walked in made sense now. Thatcher let me walk into this party oblivious. He knew his ex-fiancée was going to be at the party in enough time to warn me. To come clean.
“You know,” I said in as calm a voice as I could manage, “I would expect people like Karen and Olive to keep something like this from me. They would enjoy watching me look like a fool. They would enjoy making me suffer in front of lots of people.”
I paused and had to clear my throat. “But the two of you?” I looked at Bryce and Celia. “You’re the only reason Thatcher’s been able to drag me to these horrible parties for the past five years. I thought you were my friends. You had plenty of opportunities to tell me the truth tonight. But you didn’t.”
They looked as if they felt awful, and I knew they’d probably felt torn between hiding their brother’s secret and telling me the truth. But they’d chosen Thatcher, and I didn’t think I could forgive that in this case.
I looked at Thatcher. He was watching me with his arms crossed over his broad chest. “And you? I havenothingto say to you.”
I turned and walked away from them.
He immediately followed me. “Carrie, wait.”
I glared at him. “Don’t. Don’t even try to talk to me right now,” I hissed.
His mouth dropped open. “I… I’m sorry.”
I gave him a look. “Yeah, that doesn’t even begin to make up for everything you’ve done. You’re not the person I thought you were.” My voice cracked. I was fighting to maintain composure. “We arenotgoing to talk about this here. Go back to your ex. That appears to be what everyone at that party wants anyway. Including you. Don’t worry about what time you get home. I’m not sure I’ll be there when you get back.”
He looked stricken, as if I’d hit him.
I could not have cared less.
I went in search of Jesper. I wanted him to call a ride share to drive me all the way home to Indigo Falls and charge it to Karen’s account. I’d make sure to leave a huge tip, too. Ten thousand dollars seemed like a good amount. It was petty, and she probably wouldn’t even notice, but it would make me feel slightly better.
As I walked down the stairs and got into the car, I could only hope I never had to set foot in that house ever again.
I spent the ride home thinking about everything that had happened over the past several months. All the times Thatcher had been late. All the texting. The events he had missed. How he seemed disinterested in everything about our life together.
Our marriage was in serious trouble. If it wasn’t already over.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Thatcher
I was so lost in thought on the drive home, I barely remembered getting there. I was horrified by the way Carrie had found out about Madison. I should have pulled her aside and told hereverythingbefore we walked into that goddamn party. I hit my steering wheel in frustration.
Now everyone at Mom’s party thought I was having an affair. Which I kind of was. I’d been denying it in my head for months now. But the truth was, Mads and I went out to lunch and dinner together most days, we texted and emailed constantly, and I had missed so many evenings and events with Carrie so I could be with my ex-fiancée. I’d been lying to myself, thinking that if we didn’t kiss or have sex it was okay. That it wasn’t a true affair. But that was just to make me feel better. It was an affair, plain and simple.
Now Bryce and Celia weren’t speaking to me. And my wife was so mad at me, she’d left the party without me.
