I stood.
Well. There was only one way to find out.
*
The breeze from the lake lifted my hair as I walked back toward the party. Beyond the stables, the courtyard had transformed. A parquet floor had been laid over the cobbles, reflecting the light like water. Above it, thousands of tiny lights were strung low.
Where was Liam? I’d left him inside—maybe he was still there.
It felt less like a wedding now and more like a private festival—a world where everything was easy and smooth and all the cracks were filled with money. Where everyone belonged.
I squared my shoulders and stepped through the stable doors. I’d just ask him. It would be fine. He’d take my hand, we’d walk outside, and he’d explain. What had happened in the military. Why he’d invested in Novexia, what he needed Hugo for. How it was all connected.
Then I’d know, and it would all make sense. How he could be who he was and still a good man.
Oh, there he was—just inside the open doors on the other side of the riding hall, half turned toward the courtyard. A woman stood close to him, chin raised to speak into his ear. Her platinum-blond hair was pulled back tight, every perfect line of bone shining under the golden lighting, diamonds flashing at her neckline. Her pale dress clung to every curve without wrinkling—the sort of woman who didn’t need a ring light and a filter to look Instagram-ready.Who the hell wasshe?
Across the room, I saw Dex glance at Ben and say something under his breath. They both looked like they knew exactly who she was.
I stood there, frozen.
Liam’s eyes were closed. She tipped onto her toes and moved her face toward his neck, her hand falling onto his arm. Her face was just under his jaw, lips grazing his skin.
Did she just…kisshim?
That didn’t look casual at all. That was intimate.
I couldn’t see Liam’s expression now, she was in the way, so I moved slightly to the left for a better view, just in time to see his head shift and her hand come to rest against his chest.
Liam didn’t move, and she stayed there, like she belonged.Like he wanted her there withhim.
Of course. Exactly the type of woman whoshouldbe on his arm.
My head buzzed, my hands heavy against my sides. I turned and looked for a pathway between the other guests.
He hadn’t seen me—I was sure of it—but then again, maybe he wouldn’t care if he had.
Was that why Miranda and Hugo were so pleased to meet me? Why Liam’s friends had embraced me like it actually mattered?
Because he’d never got over someone else?
The right kind of woman.
The woman who fit.
Of course. It all made sense now. I was a filler.
No, worse, a Band-Aid.
Around long enough to help him heal, until he was ready to find an appropriate partner. One who belonged.
I slinked between the figures in the hall, barely hearing their laughter. On the other side of the gardens, they were serving cocktails, and I made my way over and pulled out a tall chair.
The bartender slid a peach-colored drink in front of me with something fashionable crusting the rim. I took a slug and looked out over the courtyard. My face felt slack, my insides quiet, like a room that had been emptied when no one was looking.
Dancers began to fill the floor, shouting and waving one another over.
Whatever I’d expected had been a mistake.
