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Stacey holds up her hands, covering her face when we push through the throngs. A taxi arrives, and we make it into the car.
“God, I hate them,” she says. “They’re vultures, preying on my pain for the sake of a story. Mom forbade me to leave the room for that reason. Have you seen the tabloids?”
I shake my head. I didn’t have a chance to look.
“It’s horrible. A stupid scandal that shouldn’t matter. But Mom blew this wedding up so much now that it all went wrong, they’re not leaving me alone. I never wanted any of this out there, but Mom insisted and Marc’s PR manager said it would make him the lovable hero.” She snorts. “Some fucking hero, huh?”
I don’t know what to say. I know how angry she is with him. He betrayed her. I’m pissed off about that, too. What the hell was he thinking?
I take Stacey to the bar we’ve been going to since we arrived here. It’s early in the day, but we need alcohol to deal with this. I want Stacey to stop pushing it all away, to stop this front that she’s so strong. I want her to face what’s happening so we can take care of it.
When we’re at the bar, each with a cocktail in front of us, Stacey just about gulps hers down.
“Easy,” I say. “We still have a long day ahead of us.”
“More time for me to sober up, then,” she says dully. “Or to stay drunk. You know, whichever works.” She keeps drinking.
“Marc isn’t a bad guy, Stace,” I say carefully. “I know he screwed up, but—”
“That doesn’t make it better,” Stacey interrupts me.
“I know. I just think you should talk to him.”
“And say what? I don’t even know where to start. How could he do this to me, Jen?” She swallows a sob, her eyes filling with tears. “We were so good. This was supposed to be our happy ending. I know this isn’t like him, but that doesn’t change what he did. And I can’t just turn my head the other way. I can’t be married to him and pretend everything is fine.” She angrily scrubs her cheeks to get rid of the tears. “We’ll just have to get this thing annulled, and then I can focus on moving forward. God, I don’t even know what that means. I never thought I’d have to create a life without him.”
I shake my head. This is all wrong. Stacey and Marc belong together.
My phone beeps with a text. It’s Brett.
We’re at the bank, taking care of it. We won’t be too long.
“Who are you texting?” Stacey asks.
I hesitate. “Brett.”
“You’re talking to each other again?”
I nod.
Stacey lets out a shuddering breath. “Well, that’s good. I’m glad for you. Who would have thought you’d be the one to walk away from this weekend with a happy ending and I wouldn’t?”
“Stace…” I start.
But she shakes her head. “No, it’s okay. I just need to figure this out.”
“You should talk to him,” I urge. “Seriously, find out what the hell he was thinking. Maybe he’ll surprise you.”
Stacey doesn’t answer. She looks miserable. She just lost the love of her life, and she’s sure it’s all over. I refuse to believe it. Whatever happened, Marc made a mistake. I know he’s not that person. He’s never done anything wrong—he plays by the book in every aspect of his life.
My phone beeps again.
Bring her to my place.
I’m not sure how I’ll pull that off. Stacey looks ready to settle in for the day and drown her sorrows.
“Can we head over to Brett’s place?” I ask.
“What? Why?”
