“Okay.” Something told her there was more to her mother shoving her out the door than setting her card game off balance. “Well, I should be going soon.”
“Is Luca coming to pick you up?”
Elena rinsed off her hands in the kitchen sink. “Not that I know of.” Of all the days she would welcome him picking her up, this would be the day he would skip out on her. “But I’m sure I’ll run into him at the party. Unless, of course, you want me to stay home. I know you already have a foursome for cards, but I could take care of the food and clean up.”
“That’s sweet of you.” Her mother reached out and patted Elena’s arm. “But not necessary. You just go and have a good time.”
Elena didn’t know if she’d have a good time. Most likely it would not be a good day, but it was like her father taught her about peeling off a bandage—the faster you did it, the sooner the pain ended. Now it was time to yank off a very big bandage.
“I just need to get ready.” Elena had changed outfits about a half dozen times. She couldn’t tell if it was her imagination or not, but her clothes were starting to get snug—not that they’d been loose in the first place.
Elena glanced down at her stylish white cotton tank top, jean shorts and flip-flops with blue and white bows. The invitation had said casual dress. Maybe this was too casual.
Which meant once again rooting through her closet to put together just the right outfit—one that was casual but not too casual, dressy but not too dressy, and something that was comfortable, but again, not too comfortable.
“I’ll be right back.” Elena headed for the steps to the second story.
Twenty minutes later, she stared in the mirror at the coral sundress. It was actually one of the first designs she’d done. Designer Francois Lacroix had told her that she not only had to sketch her ideas but she also had to bring them to life. It wasn’t frilly. It had a simple neckline with a beaded bodice that fit snugly. It was gathered just below the bodice and an embroidered hemline landed just above her knees.
She smoothed her hands over her midsection. She’d swear that she’d put on weight, but the scale in the bathroom said she hadn’t gained an ounce. She turned to the side and puffed out her stomach, wondering what she’d look like months from now. They said your bustline expanded. She was looking forward to that part. Maybe then she’d be more than a padded B cup.
Everything about this pregnancy intrigued her, almost as much as all the unknowns and the forthcoming pain scared her. It might be easier if she had someone to go through it with her. Luca’s handsome face came to mind, but she immediately dismissed it. He’d made it perfectly clear that he had no interest in extending his family line—title or no title. She’d never imagined that she’d end up a single mother, but sometimes you had to play the cards life dealt you—
“Elena! Elena, get down here.” Her mother’s voice was filled with urgency.
Oh, no! Elena rushed for the steps. Her mother must have reinjured herself. Elena had told her that she was doing too much, but her mother would not listen.
Elena almost missed the last step on the way down, but luckily she had her hand on the banister and was able to regain her balance. She rushed into the living room, where her mother was sitting in her favorite armchair.
“What’s the matter?” Elena pressed a hand to her pounding chest.
Her mother’s face was creased with frown lines. “This!” She turned the digital tablet Elena had gotten her for Christmas so Elena could see it. “Here. Take it. I can’t look at it any longer. What are we going to do?”
Whatever her mother was going on about couldn’t be nearly as bad as she was making it out to be. Her mother always did have a bit of an air for the dramatic. Elena took the tablet and gazed at the picture filling the screen.
It was an image of her...and Steven.
Elena’s stomach plummeted down to her bare feet.
How could this be? They’d ended things the same day this picture was taken. She remembered wearing that exact outfit. This must be one of the photos the investigator had taken of them.
“Tell me it isn’t true,” her mother pleaded. “You’d never get involved with a married man. Right?” Whe
n Elena didn’t say anything, her mother nervously chattered on. “I told your father that nothing good would come of you going so far from home. And now this. Well, what do you have to say for yourself?”
“Mother, I can’t think when you keep going on like that. Just give me a second.”
Her mother sighed but quieted down.
Elena scrolled down past the damning photo that was on a very popular tabloid website. The headlines read:
From Model to Home Wrecker!
Banking CEO Caught in Lover’s Arms!
That Kiss Is Going to Cost Him Millions!
Elena’s gaze stuck on the headlines as anger and humiliation churned within her. She forced herself to read the attached article. Word by painful word she choked down the lies and innuendo.