Again.
A champagne flute appears in front of me. “You look like you need this.”
I glance up. Sophie.
Her gaze is sharp, amused, far too perceptive for my liking.
“I’m fine,” I say quickly. “Just making sure everything looks perfect.”
She tilts her head, unconvinced. “Lila, the event is stunning. The flowers are stunning. You look stunning. However, you also look like you might start arranging cutlery next if someone doesn’t stop you.”
I sigh, taking the glass. “I just need to stay busy.”
Sophie hums. “Right and this has absolutely nothing to do with Ben?”
I nearly choke on my drink.
“I—”
She lifts a hand. “Don’t even try. I saw the way you practically bolted out of the Kingsley yesterday. One second you were storming in, ready to commit murder, next thing I know, you’re gone without a trace. Her eyes narrow, sharp with suspicion. “You know him, don’t you?”
I freeze for a split second too long. Sophie’s gaze sharpens, locking in like a predator sensing weakness. Willow appears beside her like some kind of interrogation backup, her eyes glint, victorious. “I knew it.”
I exhale sharply, dragging a hand through my hair. “It’s… complicated.”
Sophie’s lips curve into a slow, knowing smirk. “Complicated?” she echoes, drawing out the word like she’s savouring it. “Lila, you don’t do complicated.”
“That’s exactly why this is a problem,” I mutter.
Willow grins. “Tell me this doesn’t sound like something straight out of a novel.”
I throw my hands up. “Not at all!”
Willow ignores me, already counting on her fingers. “Angsty backstory? Check. Unresolved tension? Check. A heated confrontation in a penthouse suite?”
Sophie’s eyes sparkle. “Did you fight in the suite? Was there yelling? Oh my God, was there a desk involved?”
I groan. “Stop.”
But a tiny, traitorous part of me wishes it was just a book. Wishes it came with a guaranteed happy ending, where things would miraculously fall into place. Meeting these women through the book club has been a blessing, a lifeline I didn’t know I needed. Their friendships have made the long hours, the stress, the uncertainty easier to bear. But the sad truth is the past doesn’t come back to fix things. It comes back to wreck everything all over again. In real life, the man who once promised me always is now the one holding the power to take it all away.
This isn’t some neatly plotted romance. It’s my life and right now? It’s a goddamn mess. Sophie’s still watching me, her amusement fading into something softer. “Lila,” she says carefully, “what really happened?”
Before I can answer, Olivia rushes in, slightly breathless, Maeve in tow.
“Sorry, sorry! We had a juice-related incident,” Olivia announces, adjusting Maeve’s dress. “We were almost on time and then someone,” she gives Maeve a pointed look, “spilled juice all over her dress and of course, only this dress would do.”
Maeve crosses her arms, standing her ground. “It’s my fancy dress.”
Sophie, clearly enjoying the distraction, crouches to Maeve’s level. “Well, it is very fancy.”
Maeve beams. “I know.”
Willow shakes her head, laughing. “This kid’s confidence could rule the world.”
Olivia sighs. “She knows it.”
The tension in my chest eases just slightly. This—the laughter, the teasing, the warmth between us—is exactly what I needed. This night isn’t about Ben. It’s about Sophie’s dad. It’s about the community, the people we love, the reason we all came together to make this happen.
