10: THE REAL BRIDE

The sound of the front door opening caught me mid-thought. My eyes darted toward it as sharp voices echoed down the hall, growing louder with each step. A chill ran down my spine, a sense of unease settling in my chest. I wasn’t expecting anyone.

I glanced at Ethan, who sat casually across from me, his expression unreadable. But the slight tightening of his jaw told me he wasn’t thrilled about whoever had just walked in.

Eleanor stood in the living room, her eyes focused on her phone as she muttered to herself. She was neatly dressed in a tight pant suit and her hair was styled in soft waves that framed her face.

"Be quick, darling. I don't have all day" she yelled at someone who was at the door.

My face immediately fell when I saw whom she was speaking to.

Samantha walked in, dragging a large designer suitcase that I was certain cost more than my rent.

She stood beside Eleanor and they conversed in hushed tones.

We hurried downstairs and Ethan looked as pale as a ghost.

“Ethan,” Eleanor greeted smoothly, her lips curving into a sharp smile.

“mum” Ethan said, his tone clipped.

“You didn’t think I’d stay away forever, did you?” she replied, her voice dripping with something that could only be described as condescension.

Ethan stood, his posture stiffening. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, don’t be so rude, darling. Samantha’s back in town, and I thought it would be nice for her to stay here for a while. It’s better than that dreadful hotel.” Eleanor’s gaze swept around the room, assessing and judging with every flick of her eyes.

It wasn’t until her gaze landed on me that her carefully crafted smile faltered.

“And you,” she began, her tone icy, “i thought I told you to leave?”

Ethan hesitated. For a moment, I thought he might actually defend me or at least tell her we had already been married. But he didn’t say a word.

I straightened, forcing a polite smile. “I’m sorry. I and Ethan are—”

“Discussing living situations,” Ethan interrupted, his tone neutral.

The words stung more than I wanted to admit. What did he mean?

Eleanor’s eyes narrowed, her lips curling in disdain. “I see.”

She turned back to Ethan, her voice rising in mock outrage. “Really, Ethan? I come all this way, and you don’t even warn me you’ve still got… visitors?” She spat the last word like it was something distasteful.

“I wasn’t expecting you,” Ethan replied tersely.

“Well, now you are. Samantha, darling, take your things upstairs to Ethan’s room,” Eleanor said, waving dismissively.

“What?” I blurted out before I could stop myself.

“Oh, don’t worry,” Eleanor said with a saccharine smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “I’m sure there’s plenty of room for you to find somewhere else to stay. Samantha will be much more comfortable in Ethan’s room. It’s where she belongs, after all.”

Ethan’s jaw tightened, but again, he said nothing.

I looked at Samantha, hoping to see some flicker of protest or discomfort on her face. But she merely ducked her head, avoiding my gaze as she shuffled toward the staircase.

“You can’t be serious,” I said, turning to Ethan.

Eleanor laughed, the sound cold and cutting. “Oh, sweetie, you’re still here? How quaint. Tell me, how does someone like you even find yourself in a place like this?”

My cheeks burned with embarrassment and anger, but I refused to look away. “Ethan and I are married,” I said firmly.

Eleanor’s smile widened, and her gaze darted to Ethan. “Really, are you? How… generous of him.”

It was becoming clear she wasn’t just here to drop off Samantha. Eleanor was on a mission, and that mission involved making me feel as small and insignificant as possible.

“I need to get some air,” I muttered, grabbing my jacket that was perched on the coat hanger.

I didn’t wait for a response. I brushed past Eleanor, who didn’t even bother to step aside, and made my way to the door.

As I reached for the handle, I heard her voice again, louder this time.

“You see, Ethan, this is why you need someone like Samantha in your life. Someone with class. Someone who understands our world.”

My fingers tightened around the doorknob, but I didn’t look back. If Ethan wanted to stand there in silence and let her humiliate me, that was on him. I had better things to do than stick around and play this ridiculous game.

---

Outside, the cool evening air hit me like a slap to the face. I sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm the storm of emotions swirling inside me. How dare she talk to me like that? And how dare Ethan just… let her?

I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my contacts, looking for a distraction. My thumb hovered over Lauren’s name. She’d been trying to get me to come out with her and the gang for weeks now. I wasn’t in the mood for a full-blown night out, but I couldn’t stay here. Not tonight.

I hit the call button.

“Finally!” Lauren answered on the second ring. “I thought you’d fallen off the face of the earth.”

“Not yet,” I replied, forcing a laugh. “What are you up to?”

“Grabbing drinks with the crew at Jax’s. You should come. We could use your sarcasm to liven things up.”

I hesitated, glancing back at the house. The thought of returning to face Eleanor’s cutting remarks and Ethan’s indifference made my stomach churn.

“I’m on my way,” I said.

“Good. First round’s on me.”

I hung up and started walking, each step taking me further from the suffocating tension of Ethan’s home.

The bar was crowded, the music loud enough to drown out my thoughts but not so loud that it felt overwhelming. I spotted Lauren near the back, surrounded by familiar faces.

“Maddy!” she called out, waving me over.

I slid into an empty seat, grateful for the noise and the company.

“You look like you’ve had a day,” Lauren said, sliding a drink toward me.

“You have no idea,” I muttered, taking a sip.

“Trouble in paradise?” she teased, but there was genuine concern in her eyes.

I sighed. “Something like that.”

Lauren didn’t press me for details, and for that, I was grateful. Instead, she launched into a story about her boss’s latest meltdown, and soon the table was laughing and joking, the tension in my chest easing with every passing minute.

Our table grew larger each passing minute and soon enough, we were surrounded by a lot of strange faces.

"You look really familiar" A tall blonde man said as he settled into the empty chair next to me.

"Really?" I asked as I assessed him.

He had short blonde hair and the bluest eyes I had ever seen.

His t-shirt clung to his muscular frame and his long fingers had burn marks and discolored nails, indicating he was a heavy smoker.

"Are you done checking me out?" He taunted as he flexed his arms.

"I wasn't checking you out, I just wanted to be sure I didn't really know you" I replied before taking another sip of my drink.

"No need to pretend, it's not everyday you get to see such heavenly features" he boasted.

Such an asshole. There was one thing I hated more than brocoli, I think proud men are the bane of my existence.

I wasnt in the mood to sass him or call him a bimbo looking Ken doll, so I hissed and turned my attention back to my friends.

I felt his clammy hands caress my arm and it took the grace of God to not slap the devil out of him.

I shot him a warning glare and scooted as far as I could.

"Aren't you at least going to ask my name?" He asked, suppressing a chuckle.

"No" I spat.

"C'mmon Maddy, I'm just trying to be friendly" he said with a smile.

"How do you know my name?" I frowned.

"Your friend, Lauren" he shrugged.

"Oh..." I muttered..

"I'm sorry if I came off as rude in the beginning" he said softly.

"Let me buy you a drink. As an apology" he smiled.

I nodded and followed him to the bar where he ordered two martinis.

We sat and chatted for several minutes.

He introduced himself as Vincent. He worked in Kings Enterprise and had seen me a couple of times.

We had such a nice dynamic and for a moment I felt like this was the beginning of an amazing friendship..

He was such a chatterbox and he talked on an on and it was hard to keep up as I was beginning to feel extremely light headed which was strange because I had only had very little to drink.

"I need to go. I don't feel so good" I said, struggling to get on my feet.

"Let me walk you out" he offered.

I declined and began to look around for Lauren but she was out of sight.

"I just want to be sure you get into a taxi safely" Vincent said as he followed me out of the bar.

He helped me get into a taxi. Immediately my body hit the soft leader cushion, I felt extremely overwhelmed and the world suddenly turned dark.