Page 46 of Love on the Edge
Nina’s eyes flick up to me, and her entire expression brightens.
“I see.” She winks at Ethan, then stands up, smoothing out her dress. "I’m going to go say hi."
I watch as she makes her way over to us, her excitement still buzzing in the air around her. She wraps Ethan in a hug first, squeezing him tight before turning to me. “Val! I’m so glad you’re here!”
“Congratulations!” I say, feeling myself smile for her. “Can I see the ring?”
She practically shoves her hand toward me. Her fingers tremble slightly, like she’s still trying to believe this is real.
The ring is... perfect. A delicate yet stunning vintage design, the center stone a deep sapphire instead of a diamond, flanked by tiny diamonds on either side. Elegant but bold. Classic, but uniquely hers.
It looks exactly like something Drew would pick. Something meant just for her.
"Let’s start the party!" Drew calls, and the room bursts into motion.
Music pulses through the speakers, drinks are poured, conversation swells into an easy, lively rhythm. Laughter spills through the air, and warmth fills the space. Everything about the moment feels effortless, unshaken, untouched by anything outside of it.
But then—something shifts.
It’s subtle at first, just a feeling. Like the air has thickened, like an unseen presence has settled into the space. I wouldn’t have noticed it right away, not if Ethan hadn’t gone still beside me.
His entire body tenses.
His fingers tighten around his drink, his posture losing its relaxed ease in an instant. The second I glance up at him, I see it. His jaw is locked, his body braced like he’s waiting for impact.
Something’s wrong.
I follow his gaze toward the entrance.
A woman stands just inside the doorway, watching the room like she’s taking inventory. Like she’s deciding where she belongs in it.
She’s impossible to miss.
Platinum blonde hair, sleek and sharp against the dark liner smudged around striking green eyes. Her makeup is bold, dramatic, designed to draw attention, and from the way she carries herself, I can already tell that’s exactly what she’s used to.
Her dress is short. Tight. Intentionally edgy. Fishnet stockings disappear into impossibly high heels that somehow make her presence feel even more imposing. She looks like she walked straight off a stage and into this room without a second thought, like she belongs anywhere she decides to stand.
And right now, she’s standing in a room full of people who weren’t expecting her.
Something in my stomach twists. I don’t know who she is. But the energy in the room shifts around her, the laughter thinning, the ease cracking at the edges.
A small voice cuts through the noise, piercing in its innocence. "Mommy?"
I barely have time to register the word before CC stiffens in Ethan’s arms, her little hands fisting into his shirt.
Ethan’s grip tightens around her. He exhales, slow, controlled. But I don’t miss the way his shoulders go rigid, his knuckles whitening against the glass in his hand.
His voice is quieter than I expect when he finally speaks. "Margo."
The name lands like a dropped glass, shattering whatever celebration existed in the room just moments ago.
Ethan looks at her like she’s a collision waiting to happen—I already know enough.
She wasn’t invited.
And she isn’t here to celebrate.
Margo steps inside thehouse, and the world freezes. Her heels click against the floor, slicing through the warmth of the party like a knife.
