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I would suffer, Teddy would live, and then I would escape and never look back.
CHAPTER TWENTY
STELLA
TEDDY’S BLONDE HEAD APPEARED at the top of the ladder. “Hey, the guests are arriving.”
“Great.” I smoothed down the plain maid outfit Sin had sent out to the barn for me. It was an ill-fitting white button down shirt and a black skirt.
“You don’t have to do this.”
“You keep telling me that. If you’re awake, you’re saying that. If you’re asleep, you’re snoring the words out and waking me up.” I glanced to our cots. The barn loft had turned out to be not so bad. My easel and paints were set up next to the wide barn window. I left it slung open to let in sunlight and fresh air. Teddy would play on his laptop while I sketched his profile. His face was plastered all along the wall around the window.
As far as punishments went, this was one I could bear. The lack of air conditioning could be a problem, but it wasn’t full on summer yet and the barn stayed relatively cool. Teddy treated it like a tree house more than anything else, as if we’d run away from home and were hiding out until the grown-ups found us.
The afternoon storms made the straw smell sweet, and the chickens pecking around below kept things interesting. The roosters crowing at daybreak, though, I could have done without.
“I don’t snore,” Teddy said.
“Ask Laura. I’m sure she can independently verify.”
He grinned. “She may have mentioned it in passing. I’m sure she thinks it’s cute.”
“She’s mentioned it. She says the only way to stop it is to poke you in the ribs until you sputter and wake up a little.” I smirked at him. “Not that I’ve done that at least once every night or anything.”
“Jerks.” His smiled faded. “Come on. Let’s get it over with. I hope it only lasts for an hour or so, but who knows?”
“Remember what we talked about.” I clambered down the ladder, my heels hooking on each rung. “It’s not going to be fun for me, but you have to play along like it’s cool with you. No matter what they do to me, just act natural.”
He took my hand and helped me off the last step. “I’ll do my best.”
“Do better than even that. Put on a show. That’s all I’m doing.” My show would consist of feigning obedience and pretending my insides hadn’t been shattered by Sin. I’d broken so many times in the past few months—I feared my pieces had become too small to put back together.
We piled onto his ATV and sped up the winding drive to the house. Cars were lined up out front near the oaks, their polished metal glinting.
I took a deep breath as we entered the back door. He squeezed my hand and walked down the hall toward the dining room while I went into the kitchen. Several hired workers bustled about, their attire the same as mine. Laura directed all of them, the kitchen running smoothly under her guidance.
“Stella!” She stopped mid-order and gave me a hug.
“What can I do to help?”
“Nothing. But Mr. Sinclair has already asked for you. Best if you go on in.” She shook her head at a man who was ladling soup. “Hey, not yet. That won’t be ready to go out until after the salad course. It’ll be cold by then. Put it back.”
I threw my shoulders back and pushed through the doors leading to the dining room. The guests chattered amongst themselves as I entered. Every seat at the table was filled. Four servers, two on each side, stood against the walls, staring straight ahead.
“Stella!” Cal sat at the head of the table, a wide grin firmly in place. Sophia sat at his right already glaring at me.
Sin sat directly across from her, his eyes boring into me, disgust writ large in the tilt of his head and the slight wrinkle of his nose. My fingers went cold, and I could hear my blood pumping over the sounds of talk and clinking glasses.
“About time.” Sophia tossed her raven hair over her shoulder and held out her empty drink. A diamond the size of a marble graced her ring finger, and she tapped the band on the glass.
It wasn’t an ordinary ring.
My body chilled. I closed my eyes, letting the pain rip through me as my heart struggled to beat. This was an engagement party, not a welcome home lunch.
Sin’s betrayal was complete. Sophia wasn’t simply a ruse to solidify his position. He’d chosen her to be his wife.
“Stella, Sophia needs a refill.” Sin’s voice struck me like a shard of ice. “Get to it.”
I glanced from her to Sin before taking the glass to the sideboard and refilling it. My hand shook as I poured her tea. I needed to hold it together. I would mourn later, once I was hidden from Sin’s cruel stare.
