She wraps a hand firmly around my wrist. “Before you go after her, you need to think about what you’re going to do next. She’s not the priority. Everybody knows about the deal between you and Julian. And if that’s not bad enough, they know what happened between Elliot and your third stepmother. Some tabloid published all the sordid details.”
That makes me pause. “My third stepmother?” I didn’t see anything about her in the article I just skimmed on the phone.
“I guess she’s technically your second stepmother. But your father’s third wife. Annabelle Underhill.”
What the…? “What about her?”
“She and Elliot had an affair. They apparently were…dating before she married your father and they had a…reunion of sorts at the wedding. Who knows how many other times they cuckolded Julian.”
I close my eyes and run a rough hand over my face. I love my twin. Despite the fact that our mother clearly preferred him, he himself has never purposefully done anything to hurt me. It wasn’t his fault that Betsy loved us unequally.
But this? This makes me hate him. It’s obvious the scandal that exploded between him and Wife Number Three is what’s motivating Dad, who doesn’t exactly embody magnanimity or great fatherhood. There’s no doubt in my mind that Dad’s the one who leaked the deal to the press to purposely humiliate us and make our lives more difficult.
“I know how much you loved your grandfather,” Faye begins, letting go of my wrist and coming closer to put a hand on my chest. “And I can help out. I don’t mind marrying you for a year so you can get the painting. That girl who just ran away? She’s not the type who would understand.”
If this were any other time and if this were before I reconnected with Ava, I might’ve welcomed her suggestion. But now things are different. I can’t go back. I can’t imagine a life without Ava and I can’t marry Faye, even if it’s only for a year. If I do, there will be no redemption for me in Ava’s eyes. Zero.
“Thanks for the offer, but what will help is if you stay out of the picture,” I tell Faye, stepping away.
“‘Out of the picture’?” She pulls back in surprise and presses her lips together for a moment. “You’d honestly throw away our friendship over her?”
“If that’s what it takes to win Ava back… She’s the most important person in my life.”
“She doesn’t want you, Lucas. Look how she ran off without giving you a chance to explain.”
What Faye’s saying cuts deep, not just because it’s true but because as far as Ava is concerned, what happened doesn’t even warrant an explanation. And I can’t blame her for coming to that conclusion, either.
“Well,” she continues, “I’m not a fickle friend. I’ll be waiting for you when you realize what you’ve just done. And unlike her, I will listen and we’ll be friends again.” Without waiting for a response, Faye climbs into her car and drives off.
I shove my hands through my hair. How in the hell am I going to end this nightmare? There has to be a way. Failure is simply not an option.
My phone vibrates. My heart jumps—maybe it’s Ava. But no. It’s Elizabeth.
I don’t want to answer, but I can’t ignore her either. She’s the diplomat in the family, and if she’s calling now, it’s because she has information and a way to defuse the situation. “What is it, Elizabeth?”
“I guess you saw the news.”
“Who hasn’t?” My voice drips with sarcasm. “It’s all over the fucking internet.”
“We’re going to have a conference call to figure out how to control the situation. We can’t have it hanging out there like this, you know that.”
“Damage control? Now?”
“Yes.”
My molars grind together. It takes a great deal of effort to unclench my teeth. “The time to do something was before it leaked. To make sure that it didn’t leak.”
She sighs. “Sometimes things don’t work out the way you want, and you just have to roll with the punches.”
“How the hell am I supposed to do that when it’s already ruined the one thing that matters to me?”
“I’m sorry.”
“How fucking stupid are you people to let this thing become public?”
/> As soon as I say it, I feel awful. Raging at Elizabeth is like kicking a puppy. She probably has nothing to do with the damned article, and she’s just trying to help.
“I’m sorry, Elizabeth. I didn’t mean you. I’m just…”