My heart stalls all over again as I think about the half-assed apology she texted back when I called her.
I’m sorry. I’mnot ready to explain yet, but I will soon.
This time, though, fire doesn’t surge through my veins. I don’t have the urge to lash out.
Instead, I close my eyes, lowering my head, vacillating between disbelief, hurt, and disappointment in myself that, again, I’ve trusted the wrong person.
The wrong people.
Julian’s wheezing laughs pollute the air. He’s enjoying every minute of Linc’s discomfort.
“Baby, are you mad at me?” Linc cradles my face in his hands, frantically searching my eyes. “Talk to me.”
“No, I just… I think I’m going to work on client calls from home today. I need some time to process all of this. I’ll…I’ll see you later,” I say. But as I turn toward the door where Vincent is standing, eyes wide, staring at his phone, his phone pings.
Then Linc’s and Julian’s, do too.
“Vincent?”
His gaze snaps to mine, horror glazing over his over-steeped brown eyes. “Ebony…” He flips the screen to me, and there it is. Proof that my intuition is firing on all cylinders. That my theory wasn’t unfounded.
Ellswood Prince Breaks Silence on Shocking Claims of Divorcétante’s Decade-Long Love Affair
See the cheatingphotos that ended their marriage
I take the phone and scroll through pictures of Linc and me—kissing on the grand staircase here, in the rain outside the dating mixer, at Whisk & Whistle, and on the observation deck at Amicalola Falls.
A gasp pushes past my lips. “What the hell…”
As I zoom in, though, I notice the photo credit beneath each image. Benson Marks. My mind wades through a sea of names, trying to place it. Then it hits me.
The PI.
Cornelia hired the same one I hired to follow Julian. I didn’t imagine seeing someone outside Madison Manor the night Linc and I kissed on the stairs. I’m the one Benson was following—at the mixer, at brunch with Zeek…
I was right.
A manic energy floods through me as I meet Vincent’s stare. Concern and pity are etched into the shadows and lines of his face. I’m waiting for him, for anyone, to tell me this is a nightmare and now I can wake up.
But no one does.
Chapter Twenty
The Partnership
Lincoln
“Wait for me!” I runafter Ebony, a mix of desperate fury and fear pumping through my veins. I catch up to her halfway down Madison Manor’s footpath, barefoot with her heels clutched in one hand. I pull her into me, hugging her to my chest. “Please, look at me, baby. I tried to tell you about Hillary. You’ve got to believe me.”
“I know you did,” she says, voice clipped. She shakes her head, as if physically trying to dislodge the thoughts swirling in her mind. “I’m not mad atyou. I’m just…angry. Disappointed. Tired of watching everyone move the chess pieces around me, right in front of my face.”
“Baby, I’m so sorry,” I whisper, my heart aching for her.
“Goddammit!” She squeezes her eyes shut. “I knew—knew in my gut—that Cornelia was plotting. Then Julian shows up, like I owe him something. And yes, I guess I wish you’d made me listen about Hillary. I’m so freaking pissed off ather…” Her voice breaks, and she screams her release.
In one fell swoop, she was betrayed by Cornelia, Julian, and Hillary, who was once one of her closest friends, and I know it stings.
With the pad of my thumb, I swipe away the tears spilling from her beautiful hazel eyes. “It’s okay to be mad at her. You’ve got every right. I’m here to listen, vent with you, give you advice—whatever you need.”
