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Before my mother can say another word, the front door swings open, and I see Liam. At first, a smile touches my lips, but then I see a woman behind him, and my jaw tightens. I stare at him, wanting to know who the fuck that is and what in the hell is going on, but he doesn’t even look in my direction. With fingers interlocked, he pulls her into the room, and my eyes narrow as my anger takes over.
“Liam, you made it!” Hunter walks over and slaps him on the back.
The bastard has the audacity to smirk. “Yeah, sorry. Damn delays.”
“Hey, Liam,” Lennon greets from the table, noticing my apprehension. “Who’s your friend?”
She’s blond and beautiful, wearing a skintight black dress that leaves no room for the imagination. Her makeup is perfect, and she looks like she walked off the page of a Vogue magazine.
“Oh, sorry.” Liam’s grin widens, which frustrates me beyond belief. Everything is happening so fast that I can’t seem to put the pieces together. I watch as he wraps his arm around the beautiful blonde’s waist, and she does the same, holding him tight as if she’s claiming him as hers.
With a million-dollar smile, she looks up at Liam and rests her hand on his chest. The diamond on her ring finger nearly blinds me, and it confuses me more than anything. But his next words bring me back to reality, and I feel as if I’m drowning.
“This is Victoria. My wife.”
My mouth falls open, and Sophie looks at me with anger in her eyes.
“Your wife?” Lennon inquires, standing to greet the newly married couple.
“Excuse me,” I whisper, hurrying to the bathroom, ready to empty the little food I ate before he arrived. Moments later, there’s a knock on the door, and I ignore it until I hear Sophie’s voice.
“Mads, come on,” she pleads. “Open up.”
I crack the door, and she forces herself inside and immediately wraps her arms around me. “I’m so sorry. I’m going to fucking kill him.”
A few tears stream down my face, and I hurry and wipe them away, hating that I’m so angry and upset that I’m crying. A man should never make a woman feel the way that Liam just made me feel—used, inadequate, replaceable.
Sophie pulls away and looks me in the eyes. “Listen to me. He’s a goddamn pig, and you’re better off. I know it hurts, and I know you’re mad. I know you want to chop off his dick, but right now, in front of our parents and everyone else, it’s not worth it. So, do what you do best…”
“And go for the jugular?” I ask, forcing a smile.
“Make him feel uncomfortable,” she quips. “We need to get back out there before everyone notices we’re gone. I love you so much,” she tells me. “He’s an idiot.”
I suck in a deep breath, and though I’m completely falling apart inside, I put on the performance of a lifetime. Just as we walk into the dining room, I notice Victoria practically sitting in Liam’s lap at the table. It’s easier for me to pretend he doesn’t exist. The confusion on everyone’s face is evident, but it doesn’t seem to faze Liam whatsoever. Asshole.
For once, I’m glad Lennon’s here because she has a way of asking people personal questions in a non-intruding way.
“So how did you two meet?” Lennon asks, reaching for the potato salad.
Liam flashes her a boyish smile and starts from the very beginning. “Oh, we met at a bar in Vegas and instantly hit it off. We’ve been doing the whole long-distance thing for a while and decided this weekend that you all needed to meet the love of my life.”
Victoria looks at him like he’s her whole world. It puts my stomach in knots because all the pieces have finally clicked together. He was going to Vegas so much to see her—his other best-kept secret, I suppose. So while he strung me along—giving me false hope—he was dating someone else. Liam played with my emotions, and I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to forgive him.
But why? Why would he do that, knowing she’d eventually meet everyone?
“Are you moving to Vegas?” Mason asks, then turns toward Sophie and waggles his brows. He continues before Liam responds. “Means we’ll have the second floor to ourselves, babe.”
My heart beats rapidly as I wait for his answer.
Liam gazes longingly at Victoria, who looks like she’s about to pounce him, before he turns back to Mason. “Nah, we’re committed to each other and have decided to commute back and forth for a while. Her life is there, and mine is here. We’re going to make it work. Right, baby?” Liam looks at her, and she nods, leaning over and kissing him gently on his lips.
“It’s obvious how in love you two are,” my mother says, adding fuel to my angry fire. “I’m sure you’ll make beautiful children.”
