An Improper Deal(40)

“What the hell is going on?” she says, her voice husky but still shrill. “Can’t you just keep shit down so I can get some sleep?”

“Sorry. I didn’t expect them to come this early.” I didn’t know they’d come at all, but I don’t mention that.

As she absorbs the scene, her eyes narrow. “Wait. Are you moving out?”

“Yes.”

She takes in my outfit—the impeccable cut and fine material. I put my left hand behind me before she can notice the engagement ring.

“Ohhh…someone found herself a sugar daddy. There’s no way you can afford that getup cleaning bathrooms.”

“I met someone, yeah.” I shift my weight, suddenly uncomfortable. Caroline is the one who unwittingly put me in Elliot’s path again, not that I want to discuss the particulars of my encounter with him.

“Who?” She crosses her arms, tilting her head. When I don’t answer quick enough, she snorts out loud. “No fucking way. Is this the guy you jumped out of the cake for?”

I flinch. How did she guess so easily?

“What the fuck. I don’t believe this.” She sneers. “And you were acting all outraged, you fucking hypocrite. Just how many times did you suck him off?”

My face heats. That was the first thing Elliot wanted me to do. It’s uncanny how well she knows—or guesses—what happened.

“I should’ve known something was up when he asked me about you.”

“What?”

“Fucking slut,” she hisses. “You aren’t going to leave me high and dry. You owe me.”

“I’ll pay my portion of the rent until you find a new roommate.” I never meant to leave her in a lurch. She can’t afford the apartment on her own.

“I think you owe me more than that. If my parents hadn’t come to town…”

I gape at her. Does she think she could’ve had Elliot if she was the one jumping out of the cake? That she would be the one moving in with him as her “sugar daddy”?

On the other hand, given his propensity for going to strip clubs and ordering prostitutes for his birthday celebration, maybe he and Caroline have met for sex. The idea of it eats me like dripping acid, and I hate myself for feeling anything about him. “You have no idea what you’re talking about,” I bite out.

“Oh yes I do. And to think I actually felt sorry for you. Ugh. And you were going to backstab me all along.”

“I already said I’ll pay my half of the rent. You aren’t going to lose anything.”

“Only because I woke up and got in your face about it. You were planning to leave without saying a word.” She takes a couple of steps until I can smell her morning breath. I cringe, but she doesn’t seem to notice. “Don’t piss me off, Annabelle. I’m not going to let this go. Nobody fucks with me. Wonder what your sister’ll say if she finds out?”

I move forward until I’m in her face, my hands clenched by my sides. “Leave her out of this!”

“Fuck you.” She spins around and goes back into her room, slamming the door behind her. Pressing my temples, I sigh heavily. My stomach’s in a knot, and I’ve lost my appetite. I should’ve guessed she’d make a scene and maybe prepped her a little better. But everything’s happened so fast.

Breathing roughly, I sit at the dining table. Propping my elbows on the scarred surface, I drop my face into my hands. The movers are unusually quiet. I’m sure they heard everything. Ugh. Hopefully this isn’t some kind of omen.

Sometime later, my phone buzzes with a new text. Your ride is waiting.

I glance at the time. It’s already a little bit after noon. I have a glass of water, then go outside. If I’m going to make the courthouse for the one thirty ceremony, I don’t have time for lunch, and I don’t want to eat dry cereal on the way either. I hate dry cereal.

A shiny black Mercedes idles by the curb. A uniformed chauffeur straightens at the sight of me and opens the rear door. To my relief—and disappointment—Elliot isn’t inside. I slide in and close my eyes.

The car glides off.

As we get closer to the courthouse, my chest tightens. Most people’s lives rarely turn out the way they envisioned, but mine is so far from my vision…well, there’s no point in even talking about it. When I was a child, I dreamed of being a fairy tale princess. My favorite was Sleeping Beauty. I thought it was so romantic that a prince would fall in love with the princess—sight unseen—risk his life to slay the dragon and rescue her from the castle. Then afterward, they got married in a gorgeous ceremony and lived happily ever after.