“You’re pathetic,” she spat, her finger trembling as she pointed at me. “You can’t stand the thought of me having something you don’t, so you had to steal it. Well, congratulations, Sav-you just made an enemy.”
The silence that followed was thick and suffocating, an ugly tension hanging in the air. Somewhere in the crowd, Alyssa muttered, “Wow.”
I didn’t blink, my smile unwavering. “Guess I’ll see you in print, Chlo.”
Her face turned crimson, and Dean had to step in again, holding her back as she took a menacing step toward me.
And for the first time that day, I smiled as if I had been waiting for this moment my entire life.
The air was thick with tension, a palpable weight that seemed to hang around us like a storm cloud, ready to unleash its fury. Chine’s outburst had echoed through the gathering, and while it might have seemed like the moment had passed, I knew deep down that this wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.
She had just been denied something she had wanted with every fiber of her being, and that kind of disappointment lingers like a bitter aftertaste. The worst part? The very thing she craved had unexpectedly landed in my lap, effortlessly, as if the universe had conspired to deliver it without me having to lift a single manicured finger.
Karma and fate had clearly decided to indulge in a chaotic, drunken rendezvous, fueled by one too many tequila shots.
Across the sprawling lawn, I caught sight of Dean reemerging from the house, his bride, Chloe, trailing behind him. Miraculously, he had managed to calm the tempest that was her mood. She emerged looking lighter, her lips curved into a smile that seemed almost genuine. But I wasn’t fooled.
Her eyes, sharp and focused, found me in the crowd like heat-seeking missiles, each glare carrying enough venom to melt the very heels off my shoes. I could have sworn I counted at least six piercing looks in the span of a minute.
The music had faded into a slow R&B track, creating an atmosphere that was almost too serene for the underlying chaos. Uncle Jace was the only one still dancing, blissfully swaying his hips, oblivious to the tension that enveloped the rest of us. Everyone else stood there, pretending to mingle, but their eyes darted around, waiting for the next bomb to drop. I was no different, glancing over my shoulder, half-expecting Chloe to hurl a shoe my way in a fit of rage.
Every clink of a beer bottle sent my heart racing, and every loud laugh pulled my gaze toward Chloe, just in case she decided to embark on her second act of chaos. But to my surprise, she appeared to be in a perfectly normal mood, smiling as she playfully fed Dean grapes, who was devouring them with the enthusiasm of a grateful Labrador.
Then, a flicker of movement caught my attention. I turned to my left to see Roman striding across the lawn. His steps were smooth yet deliberate, a calculated grace that belied the tension coiling in his shoulders. As he drew nearer, I noticed the tight line of his brow and the way his jaw clenched, a subtle indication of the storm brewing beneath his calm exterior.
“So, what’s next?” he asked, his voice steady as he settled into the seat beside me.
The scent of bergamot and aftershave wafted over, a blend of smooth sandalwood and dark musk mingling with the faint aroma of smoke from the barbecue. It was intoxicating, almost enough to make me forget the irritation I felt toward him for earlier events.
“Sav?” He nudged my knee gently, pulling me back to the present.
I shook my head, trying to dispel the strange thoughts that had invaded my mind. “Sorry, I was just… lost in thought.”
“I meant, what happens now that a famous magazine is involved and social media is blowing up-thanks to Lizzie?” His gaze flicked toward her, apprehension etched on his features. “We didn’t even think this through. Especially considering we still don’t have a fixed date for the wedding.”
His words landed on me like a pile of bricks, heavy and suffocating. As I processed this, another realization crashed over me.
“We didn’t even discuss how we’d extricate ourselves from this fake engagement in the first place,” I said, my voice tinged with anxiety. “Roman, what do we do?”
“We’ll figure something out,” he replied, scanning the yard with a look of determination. “And judging by the number of calls I’ve received from Terry, I’m certain he’s stumbled upon our photos online.”
The mere mention of my boss sent my heart plummeting into my stomach. I had completely forgotten about work.
Terry Goldberg and Roman were practically best friends. They played golf and tennis together, so I could only imagine that Terry was calling to get the inside scoop on how his good friend had ended up engaged to his most clumsy staff member.
I pulled my knees together, feeling a wave of anxiety wash over me. “Now I’m sure everyone at the office has been blowing up my email for the last four days.”
Roman’s lips curved into a barely-there smile. “Probably.”
I groaned in despair. “There’s a sack letter with my name on it, and I can feel it.”
“Why do you think that?” he asked, genuinely curious.
“Because… maybe it’s against company rules or something,” I replied, uncertainty creeping into my voice.
“No. I’m not a staff member there, Sav. I was only involved for the merger with Eastview Firm. The no-dating policy only applies to employees, not partners.”
A wave of relief washed over me, loosening the tension in my spine. “Okay. So what do we do now?”
“Keep up appearances,” he said, his gaze serious. “According to Lizzie, Chloe’s little stunt at the hospital has landed her a spot in the magazine. They’ll be covering your sister’s story on the back page because of the attention she garnered.”
I couldn’t suppress the broad grin that spread across my face. As I cast a sideways glance at Chloe, I found her already staring intently at me, her gaze sharp enough to pin me against the wall.
She was the first to break the eye contact, looking away with a huff.
“We’ve only got a few days left in New Hope,” she said, her tone slightly wistful. “Then it’s back to Philly for us.” I shifted my legs, angling them toward Roman, who sat across from me, lowering my voice conspiratorially.
“Maybe we can claim irreconcilable differences as the reason for our breakup and the end of the engagement,” I suggested, half-joking, but with a hint of seriousness.
“No,” Roman replied without hesitation, his voice firm. “People will see right through that lie. It’s been overused to the point of becoming a cliché.”
I nodded, conceding his point. “Alright, how about we say that our demanding schedules and professional lives pulled us apart? We simply didn’t have any time for ourselves after returning, and we were thrown right back into work mode. That should suffice.”
His eyes locked onto mine, piercing and serious. “No. My family will see through that lie too. Especially now that Ryan has spilled the beans to all of them.”
“Your family?” I blinked in surprise. “Wait, you actually have one of those?” My shock was palpable, and I couldn’t hide it.
“Unfortunately, yes. Everyone has a family, don’t they?”
His words were deceptively mundane, yet they carried an unexpected weight. In the five years I had known Roman, this was the first time he had even hinted at the existence of his family. He never traveled home for the holidays, never spoke of parents or siblings.
I had only learned about his brother three days ago, and that revelation had been completely accidental.
A wave of curiosity washed over me, rising like steam from a boiling pot.
I found myself pondering what else he might be concealing and why he felt the need to keep so much of his life hidden from me-and from the world at large.
“I’m just surprised, that’s all. You’ve never brought them up before,” I said, my gaze drifting toward Lizzie and Alyssa, who were still engrossed in whatever was playing on the screen.
“They weren’t worth mentioning,” he muttered, his tone flat. “But now, they’ve barged in uninvited.”
I could sense a shift in him, a subtle tension that felt like a string pulled too tight. His fingers curled into a fist before they relaxed against his thigh.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.