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“But … but I can’t.”
“Think about it.”
Her words sounded enticing; posing as the easiest way out. But I couldn’t bring myself to ponder on it. It didn’t matter that Vlad chose another woman; the child wasmine. I could claim it proudly and have more than enough proof to show. No one could take that away from me.
“No. The child is mine. End of story ”
She sighed and smacked her thighs. She’d given up. “I see there’s no changing your mind now. But can we at least do one thing?”
“If it’s about Vlad or the child, I’m not…”
“Please, leave this dump and go take a shower.”
The lines on my forehead creased and I placed my bare feet on the rung of the stool. “Why?”
She stood up from hers and picked up a glass from the tray. Her lips closed around the rim of the glass and her eyes twinkled. “We’re going to the engagement party.”
***
A live band played on the circular stage under a flood of colorful stage lights. Soft strums of strings, thumps of drumsticks, and sweet tunes from the keyboard created a perfectly coordinated fusion of soft Russian beats.
The lead singer's voice was simply divine, but I barely listened to a word he said.
The small hall was intimately decorated and cold. I rubbed my arm and swiped my tongue over the seam of my lips. Fresh pineapples. Usually, I found it hard to resist a glass of yellow hammer drink. But I couldn’t have any now for the sake of my baby.
“Stop fidgeting,” Christy whispered harshly through gritted teeth and flashed an unnecessary smile at a man passing by. He stared at us awkwardly and turned around.
“The dress is itchy.” I pulled on the slit of the silver slip dress.
“The dress isnotitchy, Mariana Lopez. You have eyes on you.”
I raised my head and frowned. “Why are you talking like you’ve got glue stuck on your teeth?”
Her eyes snapped to mine and she did not look pleased.
“We came here to make a statement; that you’re okay and ready to move on. But you’ve been drinking and drinking non-stop and pulling on your clothing about like acuckoo!” She rotated her fingers around her head to drive home the point.
I drew in a long deep breath, held it, and exhaled. “I’m just... uncomfortable. This is not our crowd. The people here are scary—”
“Your boy—sorry,ex-boyfriend isscary.”
I narrowed my eyes at her and picked at my fingernails. “We weren’t official. Look, we’ve been here for a while and I haven’t seen him. It’s like we’re at someone else’s party and are uninvited guests. I don’t think it was a good idea to come here.”
A waiter passed by with a tray of grilled shrimp and chorizo appetizers and Christy picked out two. She handed one to me. “Here. You’re making up silly excuses because you’re nervous. And that’s okay. I would be too, if I were you. But excuses will get us nowhere in this mission, okay?”
Before I nodded, more words of encouragement flew from her mouth. She munched on her shrimp. “You lookgorgeous, sweetheart. You’re hot. The brat has nothing on you. Rock it! Make him see what he’s lost.”
I couldn’t help it. I laughed. “We’re talking in past tense now?”
She dipped more shrimp in the sauce and stuck the stick into her mouth. “Don’t tell me you’re still hung up on that crazy thought that he might still be into you?”
I opened my mouth to speak but the atmosphere changed. It was dark. Tense. Thrilling. It sent sparks flying through the air; like electric zaps that made my skin tingle in anticipation. Even the band stopped playing.
A group of men walked into the hall and all eyes fell on them. They were tall, dark-haired, and had the faces of feared gods I’d read about in history textbooks. They huddled together, visibly exchanging words in hushed tones.
Then, one turned around; his eyes cold, but spotting the ghost of a smile on his lips. The whole hall was quiet, eagerly waiting for him to speak. It was crazy, the fear and attention they commanded; like they had everyone in the room under their thumbs. Shamelessly, I craned my neck; amongst the men, there was still no sign of him.
The intimidating man took a glass of wine and lifted it in the air. “The bride and groom-to-be will grace us with a dance.”
