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“Who are you?” Mona says, making it more than obvious she’s checking me out.
“I’m Madison’s boyfriend,” I counter sharply. “And who might you be?”
“I’m Juliet’s best friend,” she replies, pursing her painted lips.
“Who the hell is Juliet?” I bark, as that name resurfaces frightful memories, ones I wish to never revisit.
Mona laughs, covering her mouth in horror. “Your story of being her ‘boyfriend’ would be a lot more convincing if you actually knew the name of the bride-to-be. How much do you charge?” Mona says, still laughing at her inappropriate joke.
Madison tenses up beside me, and I would be telling this leech to back the fuck off if I could speak, but I can’t. A sense of dread passes over me as I replay the last five seconds over and over in my head. There must be tons of Juliets living in New York, I reason with myself. This is pure coincidence.
“I thought you said your stepsister’s name was Beth?” I quickly ask Madison, ignoring Mona’s chuckles.
“Um, it’s just my nickname for her,” she replies, nervously tugging at her diamond earring. “My silly quirk strikes again,” she adds, attempting to make a joke.
“So her nameisJuliet?” I press, not in any mood to laugh.
“Yes,” Madison replies, puzzled.
This is just a coincidence. This is just a coincidence, I repeat to myself, as there is no way I could bethatunlucky. I mean, what are the odds? Slim to none, I affirm. It’s pure coincidence that Juliet lives in the same apartment complex as Madison. Just like it’s pure coincidence that Madison’s stepsister, Juliet, is a spoiled little bitch.
But just to be sure, I ask, “What is Sebastian’s surname?”
Madison scrunches up her nose, confused. “It’s—” But she’s cut off by the lights dimming and an emcee addressing the room.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the moment we’ve all been waiting for. Would you please put your hands together for the bride- and groom-to-be.”
The room erupts in claps and whistles, but Madison and I are at a standoff. She doesn’t understand my sudden interest in her stepsister. I try my best to smile, but as I frantically turn to look at the happy couple making their grand entrance, Madison answers my question.
“It’s Harte,” she whispers into my ear while my entire world crumbles around me.
As I watch Juliet Harte be led into the room by her fiancé, Dylan Roberts, there are two things I am certain of. Number one: Karma is one messed-up, sadistic bitch, and number two: I was sleeping with the enemy.
So many emotions are running through me right now, but all I can do is clap and pretend I have no ideawhoJuliet is, andwhatDylan is. I can feel Madison’s insightful eyes watching me closely, but like the true bastard that I am, my poker face slips into place, and I remain impassive, giving nothing away.
“Do you know her?” she asks loudly to be heard over the crowd.
This is the moment of truth. I could tell Madison that Juliet was the woman I chose over her. I could also tell her what wehad was shallow, hollow, and purely based on sex, unlike what I have with her. The truth would hopefully absolve me of my sins becauseshe’sthe one I want to be with. Juliet was a mistake. One I am now paying dearly for.
Or I could lie.
“No,” I reply, shaking my head. “I’ve never seen her before in my life.”
Madison’s eyes narrow, and for a second, I think I’ve been caught. But when Madison smiles and says, “I didn’t think you did. I know you’re a better judge of character than that,” I know I’m off the hook.
But why do I still feel like utter shit?
Before I have time to question my morals, Juliet and Dylan take to the stage, Dylan accepting the microphone off the emcee. Madison’s tiny frame begins trembling beside me, and I wrap my arm around her waist, drawing her into my side.
I watch with distaste as Juliet canoodles into Dylan. “Hi, everyone,” Dylan says, addressing the room with a carefree smile. “On behalf of my beautiful fiancée and I, I would like to thank each and every one of you for attending this special occasion. As you know, we’re here to celebrate our engagement,” he says while the crowd claps and cheers. “But tonight, we’re also celebrating another milestone.”
Madison’s tremors continue, and I hug her closer into my side, never wanting to let her go.
“I’ll let my bride-to-be be the bearer of the good news,” Dylan says, passing the microphone to Juliet.
Juliet beams, and I have never seen her so…happy. Never once did she smile at me the way she’s smiling at Dylan, not that I care. But I guess this just brings home the fact she was using me as much as I was using her. I suddenly feel so dirty, and my filth is polluting the innocent girl beside me.
Juliet happily accepts the microphone, basking in the limelight and loving the attention. Her eyes casually scan the crowd, and just when things couldn’t possibly get any worse, Juliet’s eyes land on me. I remain expressionless, refusing to give anything away, as I know this is too important to her, and she’ll let nothing stand in the way of her happily ever after.
