Page 4 of Broken Vows

“Thank you,” I say, but I really want to punch him in the face. I live in a shit studio apartment in the Bronx that I can barely afford, survive on take-out and cheap wine, and whatever funds I have left at the end of the month go straight to my mom so she can take a day off from her back-breaking work. He must know we come from completely different worlds.

“Why don’t we go to the conference room,” Sydney says. “Lexie, could you grab some refreshments?”

“Of course.” I force a smile, because I’m an assistant wedding planner, not an assistant, as Sydney often forgets. But this time I don’t mind if it means escaping Theo. Once I round the corner and step into the breakroom, I push out a shaky breath. He can’t hurt me. He can’t hurt me.

The knife rattles in my trembling hands and visions of me thrusting it deep into something other than this cucumber invades me. How does he not remember me after what he did?

I’m adding a few sprigs of mint along with the cucumber into the crystal water pitcher when Justin tears into the room. “Are you okay?”

No, I’m not fucking okay. I’ve waited five years for a promotion, and even though I’m grateful I got this job in the first place, that gratitude only extends so far. This wedding was supposed to be my big break. After a year of pushing for a raise and being told the timing wasn’t right, I knew the moment I heard about this mysterious new client, and the budget we’d be working with, that this was finally my shot at the raise and title I deserve. Instead, Theo shows up like some evil phoenix, rising from the ashes just to torch my dreams the second things start going right.

“Lexie, hello!” Justin waves in front of my face to grab my attention again before retrieving grapes from the refrigerator. “What’s up with you?”

God, I love Justin. He always shows up for me without me even having to ask. Growing up an only child, I always wondered what it would be like to have an older brother, and Justin is as close as I’ll get. But I’m not ready to tell him about Boston. “Nothing.” I avoid his eyes and add cookies to the tray. “I just know I’m going to bust my ass for this wedding and Sydney will probably still deny my promotion.”

“Do you actually think she’d do that?” he asks, snipping the grapes from the vine. “I mean, Sydney’s Sydney, but you’ve been due for a long time, and this wedding’s the ticket, right?”

I shrug.

Theo can’t hurt me. I repeat this over and over, but deep down, I know he absolutely can. He did. A man like Theodore Astor will never change. He salivates off destruction and the bodies he leaves in his wake.

“I think I should ask Sydney for you and me to swap,” I say. “You can assist on this one, and I’ll take over your current project. What do you think?”

“Are you kidding? Working on a Barlowe wedding is a freaking dream.” He wipes his hands on a towel and reaches for a bag of pistachios. “But are you sure? You might be giving up a golden opportunity.”

He’s right. But I’m also saving myself from future manslaughter charges and prison time, so it’s a win-win. “I’m absolutely sure. I don’t think I’m a good match for them.”

Justin starts filling up a bowl with the nuts. “That groom, though, right?” he says, wiggling his brows. “Pretty sure if you looked up the western definition of tall, dark, and handsome, it’d have his picture.”

A short puff of air comes through my nose. The devil is not sexy. He’s nauseating. “Yeah, well, he seems like a total dick.” I keep my voice low even though the conference room holding Theo and Annabelle is across the office.

His eyes scrunch. “The groom? Are you serious? He seemed pretty cool.”

“I’ve met guys like him before. I know guys like him. A bullshit level of charm, the type of guy that thinks his looks and money excuse bad behavior, is not cool.” I death-grip the stirrer for the water pitcher. “I can’t believe people are impressed by him.”

Justin stops picking at the nuts and gives me a hard stare. “You are channeling a hell of a lot of hatred on a man you’ve just met. I mean, I love talking shit as much as the next person, but you don’t even know this guy.”

If Justin only knew. I’ve had years obsessing over the man who stole everything from me. For seven years, he’s occupied my mind more than what’s considered healthy or sane. “There’s just something about him I don’t trust.” I hesitate, then remind myself that Justin’s safe. “And I don’t know if I buy their relationship.”

His mouth drops. “Lexie. What the hell?”

I don’t care that I sound unhinged. My heartbeat has not slowed since I laid eyes on Theo, and the fact that I’m not jumping on a desk and screaming at him is a miracle. “Someone who seems too good to be true, always is,” I say. “There’s something off about those two. I smell it in the air.”

The ping of a cell phone in the hall stops my words and Justin’s eyebrows rise. Shit. I close my mouth and add the final touches to the tray, while he returns to his desk.

Breathe. No matter how much I want to tell his fiancée that he’s a piece of shit and she should run away, no matter how much I’m owed for what he did to me, nothing good can happen with me fulfilling a revenge plan.

I need this job. I need this promotion. I need my fucking life back.

So, I’m going to do nothing but sit, smile, and obey. Just like I did all those years ago.

And I feel as sick about it now as I did then.

3 Lexie

My heels click against the hardwood floors but don’t drown out Sydney’s laugh. I exhale short, quick breaths. God, I want to rip off Theo’s perfectly chiseled face. But, not only would this give Sydney fuel to deny my promotion, again, I’d be out of a job.

So, I’m going to suck it up, be professional, and after the meeting, tell Sydney that Justin is going to assist on the account.