ainst the stone railing, letting the chill seep into her bones. It was a relief

ing pot ready to boil over, but the fresh air helped clear her head. She was not going t

on the stone behind her. Sh

Darcy

dim light of the terrace. She held a glass of champagne in one

and sweet, like poisoned honey. "I don't t

her guard instantly risi

re and say thank you. Really. Thank you for taking care of Dempsey these past three

given Dempsey. They were designed to humiliate, to re

I didn't play house, Darcy. I was his wife. Lega

" She let out a light, tinkling laugh. "Oh, Elinor. You really don't understand men like Demps

en them. The sweet smell of her perfume was overwhelming

Dempsey? He married you for convenience, but his heart... his heart was always somewhe

ade it hard to breathe. The image Darcy painted was grotesque, degrading. It stripped away every moment of tenderne

n from her face. Her sk

humb into it. "It's sad, really," Darcy continued, her voice dripping with fake sympathy. "But th

g it made Elinor's skin crawl. "So be a good girl and sign the pap

swirling around her legs. She looked

olled through her stomach, hot and acidic. She had endured three years of loneliness, three years of b

ath the pain, something else stirred. A cold, hard fury. How d

n stormed out, her eyes blazing. She

d, rushing to Elinor's side. "W

nneling. She could see Darcy's blonde head through the glass, wa

t consumed the pain, the humiliation, the heartb

id, her voice flat. "She just

Jaylynn grabbed her arm. "Elinor, d

. She was focused on one thing: wiping

he bass thumping in time with her racing heart. She saw Darcy approaching Dempsey's booth

s brushing against strangers who gasped and stepped aside. Sh

d, her voice cuttin

flickering across her

behind Elinor, and she wasn't interested in words. She

elped, but Jaylynn

The glass caught the light, the clear liquid and the

he let

, the olive bouncing off her forehead and landing on the floor with a wet plop. The ice cubes

rea around them fell silent, a bubble of stunned quiet in the thumping heart of the club. The DJ didn't cut t