Chapter 4

One look from Aria, and everyone at the table swallowed the gasp in their throats.

The cold wine ran down my cheek to my collar, soaking the front of my dress.

She leaned close to my ear, her voice pitched so only I could hear.

"Care to make a bet with me?"

I didn't look away.

"Bet what?"

She traded her glass for another and swirled the deep red inside.

"Bet on who Harry checks on first when he gets here. I'm betting it's me."

The words were barely out before she flung the wine into her own face.

Then she let her leg buckle and dropped to the floor.

"Lena, what are you doing?"

Every eye in the room turned to us.

Harry came striding toward the sound.

He pushed through the crowd without sparing me a glance.

He stripped off his suit jacket and draped it over Aria, then took her arm and helped her up.

"What happened here?"

Two clean lines of tears slid down Aria's face. In her hand she clutched a bracelet, snapped into two pieces.

"I only came over to make a little bet with Lena, and she threw wine at me without a word, then shoved me to the ground."

"Harry, what do I do, this was the last thing my brother left me before he died…"

The disgust in Harry's eyes nearly took on a shape of its own, and his hand came down hard across the side of my head.

"Apologize."

Blood beaded at the corner of my mouth, and my head rang.

Aria laid her hand on his arm again.

"She lost the bet, and whoever loses has to finish the drinks on the table."

"If Lena can do it, I'll forgive her."

I followed where she pointed.

Ten glasses, lined up in a row.

Every one of them filled to the brim.

She'd had this ready all along.

Harry pushed me toward them.

"Drink."

He didn't ask what the bet was, or why I was soaked in wine.

Aria's words from a moment ago came back to me.

"You've already lost."

I never had a chance of winning this game.

Give in until the end, and she loses a brother while I lose a husband.

My stomach clenched, twist after twist of pain.

Someone started egging me on.

"Come on, drink up. Don't kill the mood on a happy day like this."

Aria softened her voice.

"Maybe Lena can't stand that I took her place."

Harry's voice was cold as ice.

"You went too far today. One of these days I'm taking you to kneel at Connor's grave and apologize."

My shoulders sagged.

My fingers closed around the first glass.

The liquor burned going down, searing all the way through my chest and into my empty stomach.

Like needles.

The second glass.

The third.

……

"Won't drinking like this kill someone?"

Harry shot the man a glance. His fingers trembled slightly, but his tone stayed hard.

"If anything happens, it's on me."

I drained the last drop and set the glass down.

Then I picked up my bag and forced my way through the crowd.

My two suitcases sat in the corner by the door of the private room.

I wasn't planning to go back today.

As I pushed the door, I turned my head for one look.

They were all clustered around Harry and Aria, the room as lively as if it were their wedding banquet.

"Goodbye for good, Harry."

The door swung slowly shut, cutting off the last look between us for good.