Chapter 4

That day I was reading like always when a local number came up on my phone.

I answered, and the last person I expected on the line was Candice.

"Lena, it's me. I know if we called from a number you recognized, you'd never pick up."

"You dropped off the map after you and Antony divorced. Antony's been so worried about you."

Hearing her say that, I felt like my head might split open.

"Whatever you want, just say it. You don't have to talk in circles."

Whatever we'd once been, we were long past the point of calling each other just to chat.

Candice came right back with it. "In two weeks, Antony and I are getting engaged, and I'm inviting you. You absolutely have to come. If you'd insisted on staying married, I could never have come back and married Antony myself."

The way she said it turned my stomach. She thought she was thanking me. What she was really doing was pressing on the wound.

"Lena, you really have to come. You disappeared these past days, and Antony and I both feel terrible about it. Now that I've found you, on the day of our engagement, you simply must be there."

"I don't have time—"

"Lena, if you don't come, Antony and I will both be so disappointed."

She cut me off. Clearly she wasn't going to let it go until I agreed.

"Fine. I'll think about it."

"You have to come. We'll be waiting for you."

Candice finally hung up, and my ears finally got some peace.

The truth was, hearing they were getting engaged did affect me, at least a little.

Summer came home that afternoon in a foul mood too, because she'd also heard that Candice and Antony were getting engaged.

She let off a stream of complaints, and I didn't hide it from her. "Candice called me. She invited me to their engagement party."

"What? That little tramp really has no shame. Lena, what are you thinking?"

Summer knew where the lines were. Before anything else, she asked what I wanted.

The truth was I didn't want to go at all.

Before I could get a word out, Summer jumped in. "Lena, Candice is doing this because she's counting on you being too scared to show. The more she pulls this, the more you should go, and throw it right back in her face."

I'm not someone who cares about coming out on top. Even so, all I said was that I'd think about it.

The next day was my prenatal checkup. After the appointment, I'd just stepped out of the hospital and was waiting for a car at the curb when a car came straight at me.

Thank God my reflexes were quick and I got out of the way. The driver was stopped on the spot by some kind strangers passing by.

He was taken to the local police station, and the result that came back from questioning was that Candice had put him up to it.

The fury shot straight to my head, and right then I decided I was going to their engagement party.

When I told Summer, she was fully behind me. Of course, I didn't dare tell her about what had happened at the checkup.

I didn't know how Candice had found out I was pregnant, but what she'd done infuriated me.

If I didn't do something about it, I'd almost owe her an apology.

Their engagement party came around fast, and Summer and I showed up in full glamour.

Summer had prepared my gown, and it hid my belly perfectly.

The moment I walked into the party, the murmuring started.

Candice had her arm looped through Antony's, greeting guests.

When Antony saw me, he visibly froze. The whispering in the crowd was already starting.

"How does that Althea Mason have the nerve to show up here?"

"Right? She really can't take a hint. She looks like she's put on weight, hasn't she. Maybe she came today with a kid in tow to blow up the engagement party?"

These people had quite the imagination.

Candice saw me too. She took Antony's hand and came walking toward us.

She smiled at me with clear ill intent and made a point of looking me up and down.

Her gaze settled last on my stomach.

"Lena, you look heavier, and you're wearing flats. Don't tell me you're pregnant. You and Antony have only been divorced a few days, and it's already showing?"

As she spoke she reached out to flip up my skirt. I couldn't get out of the way in time, and my round belly landed right in Antony's line of sight.

His face changed in an instant. When Candice went to lift it again, I quickly covered myself.

But my other wrist was locked in Antony's grip. "Althea, you've only been pregnant a few months, so how is your belly that big? Are you carrying more than one? Or did you get pregnant long before?"