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And the worst part was the press made it seem like that picture was new. It was more than two months old. She hadn’t seen, much less talked to, Steven in that time. Nor did she intend to ever speak to him again. She’d been a victim here, but the press made it sound like she was a willing accomplice. She hadn’t even known he was married. He’d conveniently forgotten to mention that part.
This was a disaster!
And it wasn’t just her reputation that was on the line. It was going to affect her job, as her contract contained a morality clause. And when the paparazzi found out she was pregnant, they were going to jump to the wrong conclusion. It was like her life was a series of dominoes and now that the first one had fallen, the rest would follow. And it would end with Luca.
Luca!
She’d thought there would be time to speak with him. She’d thought she could break the news of her pregnancy to him gently. And now her best-laid plans were ruined. She had to get to him before he read these blatant lies.
“Well,” her mother prompted, “what do you have to say for yourself?”
“I have to go.” Elena turned to find her purse. She needed her phone. She had to call him. Had to warn him about the firestorm that was headed her way—and in turn their innocent baby’s way.
“Go?” Her mother’s voice rose to a screechy level. “Go where? We have to talk.”
“I have something I need to do.” Where was her purse? It had to be around here somewhere. She scanned the couch and the chairs in the living room. It wasn’t there. Think. Where did you leave it?
Her thoughts were muddled and her pulse was racing. She was certain that all this stress wasn’t good for the baby, but she wouldn’t be able to calm down until she spoke with Luca.
She rushed to the kitchen. A quick scan of the house turned up her purse on the counter, where she’d placed it before preparing lunch for her mother and her friends.
“Elena, stop. You can’t just rush out of here.” Her mother balanced herself on her crutches in the doorway.
Elena paused at the front door to slip on her shoes. “I’m going. And you aren’t going to stop me.” Then, realizing that her mother was worried about her, she added, “Just concentrate on your card game. Don’t worry about this. I have everything under control.”
Her mother’s face crumpled. Was she going to cry?
Elena hugged her mother. “I made a mistake. A huge mistake, and now it’s coming back to bite me in a really big way. But it’s not like the press is making out.”
“Thank goodness. What can I do to help?”
“Forget you ever read that batch of lies.” With her purse and phone in hand, she opened the front door. “I have something very important to do. Will you be all right?”
Her mother nodded. “Go ahead. I’m fine.”
Elena rushed out the door and didn’t slow down. She was a woman on a mission. She needed to speak to Luca before he read the headlines. Before he jumped to the wrong conclusion like the rest of the world.
Her fingers trembled as she reached for her phone. The display showed that she had three missed calls—all from Lauren Renard. Elena’s stomach knotted. The story was already making the rounds in short order. But Lauren would have to wait.
Right now, Elena’s priority was Luca. She sought out his number on her phone. It rang once and went to voice mail. She disconnected and tried again. Once more, she was forwarded to his voice mail. She groaned inwardly.
“Luca, it’s Elena. Call me when you get this message. It’s important.”
She disconnected the call. Where was he? And why did he have his calls forwarded to his voice mail today, of all days?
She could only hope he attended today’s festivities. The invitation hadn’t said what was planned for the day. It was going to be a surprise. Elena had to admit that initially she’d been quite intrigued with the mystery.
So far Annabelle had taken them on a fun trip down memory lane. Except for yesterday’s spin the bottle game, Elena had enjoyed herself. Just the mere thought of that kiss yesterday sent heat rushing to her cheeks. She wondered if Annabelle was on to them.
Elena was still thinking all this over when she arrived at the far side of the palace. Before her stood a carnival, just like the ones they’d visited as kids. There was a Ferris wheel, game booths and food vendors. It was...it was amazing. Too bad she wouldn’t get to enjoy any of it.
She walked around the small carnival, but she still hadn’t spotted Luca. She couldn’t imagine he’d miss it, not after he’d made the point that his attendance was mandatory.
“Elena, there you are.” Annabelle and Grayson approached her. Annabelle wore a gleeful smile while holding cotton candy in her hand. “What do you think?”
It took Elena a moment to realize Annabelle was referring to the party and not to the nasty piece of gossip on the internet. “I think you’ve outdone yourself.” Elena forced a smile on her face. “This entire week has been amazing.”
“And it’s not over yet.” Annabelle reached for her fiancé’s hand.
