Chapter ４

After the dance, the crowd applauds softly. Sterling leaves me alone to speak with some guests. I seem so out of place here. I slowly make my way out to the balcony and stare at the night view outside the window. Suddenly, Percy's voice is behind me.

"I didn't expect to see you here."

I turn and see that Percy has closed the balcony door. He pushes me into a corner of the railing. I take a step back, unsure of what to do. There's nowhere to escape. I lean against the balcony railing and stare at Percy.

"Stay away from me," I say, and look over the balcony ledge. "I'll jump if you come any closer."

"I can see you're in no mind to talk." Percy steps back. "Fine." He turns to leave.

I call out to him, "Why?"

He pauses and says without turning to me, "Why what?"

"Why dump me like you did?" My face burns.

He turns back to face me. "I thought it was mutual and amicable."

I almost laugh. "So that's your definition of amicable."

He swirls his glass around. "How much money would I need to give you to disappear form my life?"

Looking at Percy's cold and distant face, I burnt into self-mocking laughter. "How much did our love cost? We were together for five years!"

Percy fishes his checkbook from his inner jacket pocket and scribbles on it, then tears a check away and hands it to me. "Two million."

I take the check and tear it into a dozen pieces. I manage to choke out, "I never wanted us to be enemies." I can feel myself wanting to cry, but I force myself to look into his eyes. "I don't need the money. If you really want to end things, convince me to leave. Just like how you convinced me to agree to marry you." I frowned. "Or there really might be trouble tonight like you thought when you saw me walk through that door."

Percy smiles slyly and I look at him fearlessly, smiling in return.

"What?" I ask. "Aren't you afraid your fiancée will be jealous of your ex because you couldn't even wait to meet her until after the party? Your own engagement party?"

"Victoria." His smile disappears. "I need you to understand that it's over between us. We've broken up."

"We didn't break up. You abandoned me."

Percy looks over his shoulder into the banquet hall. "So you're seducing Sterling to get back at me."

I don't say anything.

Someone knocks on the window, and Percy nods to his bodyguard who's waiting inside. Percy turns to me suddenly and pushes me against the balcony wall. He holds me there and smells my neck, then whispers in my ear, "I don't know how you hooked up with Sterling, but he's more complicated than you think."

He straightens, tucks a stray strand of hair behind my ear, and leaves me on the balcony. I collect myself and rejoin the party inside. As I push open the glass door, I see a reflection of a man. I look back in horror. There's a man standing there, and he raises his glass of champagne to me when our eyes meet. How long has he been standing there? I say nothing to him and enter the banquet hall.

I can't find Sterling. I'm standing there, alone and awkward, when Estelle walks up to me and stands beside me near the dinner table. She's gorgeous, elegant, more sophisticated and charming than I'll ever be.

"Is everything okay?" she asks.

I nod. "Yes."

"How long have you been together?"

It takes a moment for me to realize she's talking about Sterling. "Not long," I say.

"Do you know him very well?"

I don't know how to answer. Estelle sees my expression and laughs.

"I guess he loves you, otherwise he would never have married you. But, I do wonder if he knows who his love is really for."

"What do you mean?" I ask.

But Estelle looks away from me as we both notice Sterling coming out of the crowd. Estelle smiles at me and says, "Well, I wish you both the utmost happiness." She leaves before Sterling comes.

Sterling hands me a flute of champagne and I take it with thanks.

"What were you talking about?" he asks.

"Nothing." I drink.

He looks at me. His gentle smile is gone, replaced with a hardened expression. "I hope we have nothing to hide from each other."

"That's also what I hope." I finish my drink and hand him my glass. "I need some air. It's suffocating in here."

I leave to find the restroom and take a break in one of the stalls. Outside, I hear other guests talking to each other.

"Did you see Sterling's date? She looks so much like Laura!"

"Sterling must be insane. The nerve, bringing a woman like that to Estelle's engagement party!"

The two women laugh.

The first one says, "Who knows… I heard that Estelle had something to do with her death. I doubt the new girl knows anything about her. Or Sterling and Estelle and Paula, for that matter."

"Hard to say," says the second woman. "Maybe she's just another brainless girl who dreams of becoming Cinderella when some rich guy falls for her."

"All we can do is stand back and watch."

They laugh again.

I feel my face grow hot once more, and I exit my stall. They stare at me in horror, and I can see that they're both embarrassed.

"Excuse me," I say as I shove past them to wash my hands. As the water runs, I say smoothly, "I'm not brainless. Sterling's past relationships have nothing to do with me, and ours has nothing to do with them." I dry my hands on a towel and smile at the two women. "So keep your mouths shut," I say before leaving.

Sterling is waiting outside the restroom. He smiles playfully at me.

"I'm leaving," I tell him.

"The party isn't over yet."