Page 92 of Deadly Secrets

Bitch.

Was I jealous? Maybe.

“What’s so funny?” I deadpanned. The woman turned to look at me, and I noticed her slightly sneering back at me.

“Nothing. And you’re…?”

I extended my hand and said, “Sienna, Ander’s friend.”

“I’m Charlotte, but my friends call me Charlie.”

“I’d normally say it’s a pleasure meeting you, Charlotte, but that wouldn’t be entirely true,” I remarked. Her fake, plastic smile vanished as I continued. “I need to have a word with Ander, so if you’ll excuse us…” My eyes briefly caught the glint of a wedding ring on her left hand. “I’m sure your husband must be looking for you. Or maybe not,” I added dryly. Without uttering a word, she walked away, though I could have sworn I heard her calling me a whore.

“What was that about?” Ander asked.

“Nothing. She was all over you, and I noticed you seemed uncomfortable, so I thought I’d step in.”

“So it wasn’t because you were jealous?”

Just then, a glass of champagne magically appeared in front of me.

“William sent this over for you,” Maggie chimed in. “I’ll leave you two to chat. Come find me when you’re done.” She smiled at Ander and strolled back to join Noah and Zayn.

I took a sip, hoping it would bolster my confidence.

“Listen. I know you’re upset, but you haven’t even glanced in my direction in the past few days, and I cannot bear it anymore. Please, Ander. Talk to me.”

“What do you want me to say?”

“I don’t know. But say something. After what happened the other morning, I thought we had finally crossed the line we had been dancing around for the past few months. You know how I feel about you, and I get that it was a shock seeing me naked with both of them, but it doesn’t change how I feel about you.”

“It’s not that simple. I don’t like being a second plate, especially if I’m the third course.”

I downed a generous gulp of champagne. Perhaps with a touch of alcohol in my system, I could summon the courage to say everything that was on my mind.

“You’re not just some casual fuck, Ander. But I can’t deny that I have feelings for them. You’re well aware of that. I’m not sure what the answer is, but please, don’t shut me out.”

“So basically, you’re just going to keep fucking them, right? And I have to be okay with that. It’s either that or I lose you again. Is that what you’re saying?”

“It’s not only about sex, Ander. Not with you and not with them. My feelings for you are not any lesser because I also have feelings for them. I…I…” My vision blurred at the edges, and the sounds around me seemed to drift into the distance. I lost my balance, my coordination failing me, but Ander swiftly wrapped an arm around me, steadying me against his chest. The empty glass slipped from my hand and shattered into a multitude of tiny fragments as it met the floor, prompting the nearby crowd to turn and see what had happened.

“How many glasses of champagne have you had?” he asked.

I couldn’t think straight; my breath grew shallow and labored, and it became an effort to draw in each successive gulp of air. A wave of nausea hit me so hard that, for a moment, I feared I might vomit all over Ander’s tuxedo.

“Only one.”

“Shit, your pupils. Have you taken any drugs?” Ander’s concern escalated with each passing moment.

“I…I duon’t dooo thaet shhh…shit.” My tongue felt sluggish, and I couldn’t articulate clear words.

“Fuck. Help! HELP! Someone call an ambulance!”

“What’s wrong with her?”

I could hear voices around me but was too weak to open my eyes.

“I don’t know,” Ander responded.

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