Page 118 of The Contract Marriage

What am I doing here?

I bite my lip. Trying to talk to Liam here was a stupid idea. He didn’t come to the party to see his wife. He came to…what? See other women? Explore his options?

Brielle wasn’t the problem. It was—

“Oh my, what’s the uptight princess bride doing here?”

Speak of the devil. I pinch my eyebrows together at Brielle’s grating voice. “How did you get in?”

“Walked, just like everyone else. Why are you surprised to see me?”

“Because you aren’t anybody important enough for Ted to care?” He wouldn’t associate with Deena and Brielle after calling my mom his friend. At least not closely enough to invite to his birthday party. “Did you sneak in as somebody’s guest?”

Her face reddens. Bingo.

“Fortune isn’t glitter that rubs off on you just because you’re desperately hanging around it all the time. But sure, go ahead.”

Brielle sneers. “And yet Hugh picked my mom, not yours.” She makes a sweeping gesture with her arm. “This is what I deserve. When I got a lousy American Girl doll, you got a fucking pony. When I got told they couldn’t afford piano lessons for me, you got not only piano lessons but ballet too! Why? What makes you better than me? We have the same father!”

“Ask your mom. Better yet, ask Hugh. He’s the one who was irresponsible enough to bang another woman right after marrying my mom. He supported you and Deena with my mom’s money. You deserve nothing—not the mansion, not the cars, not the designer clothes. You’re just a parasite.”

“Is that why you set me up?” Tyler steps up from my right.

I quirk an eyebrow. What is this? An ambush of the desperate?

“Because of you, I lost my job!” he hisses.

“Me?” I lay a hand on my chest and try to look innocent. “And how would I have done that?”

“You let it slip that I have some debt. I woulda been able to pay it off.”

“Pay off a million-dollar debt, on your salary? Wow. How did that math work out?”

He turns red. His breathing roughens.

“Who told you to gamble, Tyler? Me? It sure as hell wasn’t your boss or clients. You knew the rules, and you broke them. So you pay the price.”

“You bitch!”

“It wasn’t me telling you to pick my dear sister here, who of course never meant to steal you from me, but somehow still did.” I let out a dramatic sigh. “If only you hadn’t fallen for her unintentional seduction—”

Trembling, Tyler glares at me and takes a step forward. His pupils are dilated, and he smells strongly of alcohol mixed with sweat. “No baby, no money for you.”

What? Before I can think, he lunges and wraps his hands around my neck. Panic burns in my chest. I scratch him hard enough to draw blood.

Snarling, he pushes forward, tightening his grip. My foot slips, and we both fall into the pool with a splash.

The water slams against my back. My hair billows like seaweed as we sink down. I claw at Tyler and try to push upward, but he’s too heavy, his arms too thick and strong.

I’m not going out like this. I’m not letting these assholes hurt my baby, too!

I flail to get away, but Tyler pushes me deeper. The edges of my vision start to dim. My lungs burn and scream for air.

No! I let out a silent scream before my grip on consciousness slips.

Chapter Forty-Nine

Liam