Page 62 of The Pucking Fake Marriage

I stare at her, more dazed than anything. Finally getting hit in the face with why she avoided me for so long, and I literally don’t know what to think. What to feel. Hell, I’ve got no words.

So, I slip on my shirt and march out of the house.

EIGHTEEN

THE PORCH SHOWDOWN (CHARLIE)

There’s bile squelching around in my gut as I step up to the Edwards’ porch, milling with neighbors and acquaintances. The mild December weather and the overhead heated lamps have allowed the guests to spread the party outside, enjoying the unusually balmy night.

“You don’t need to look like you’re about to witness an assassination.” My mother, who is at my elbow, rolls her eyes at me. Under her white cashmere coat, she’s wearing a knee-length, A-line emerald silk dress, subtly shimmering in the light. Her slender wrists are adorned with delicate bracelets. There’s a glimmer of amusement in her eyes. No doubt she’s hoping that tonight will end in what she thinks is another entertaining scene.

I don’t know whether to resent her for it.

“You saw what happened the last time we came here,” I remind her as she rings the doorbell. Inside the home, we can hear the sounds of festivities. The Edwards decided to throw a Christmas party. Half of the neighborhood is probably in there, spread out between the porch, the living room,and the kitchen. As nervous as I feel about seeing a community of people I haven’t interacted with in years, nothing beats the fact that I will be running into Ken for the first time in weeks.

My heart constricts with the memory of our last conversation. Since I reconnected with him, I struggled between wanting him and hating him for what he did, but I never considered telling him.Ever.But then, while he was holding me with his dick deep inside of me, teasing me and turning my body against me, I considered the fact that Ken didn’t even know enough to feelguilty about what he did. He went on living his life these past few years, unbothered by how I suffered for his actions.

I decided I couldn’t live with that anymore.

Not that it made a difference. Ken didn’t even react. His expression hadn’t changed. He’d walked out of the house and didn’t come back.

Meanwhile, I spent the whole day crying.

Even now, I feel ridiculous for hurting about it. What did I expect? Besides, nothing he could say would change the past. A part of me will always resent him for what he did, even if my business is doing well now.

But then a huge part of me had also hoped forsomething.That Ken would at least acknowledge his mistake. Apologize. Tell me he hadn’t meant to. Do anything that would make me feel better. Especially since this life, our new life, was something I was starting to get used to. Something I was starting to want.

“I should have stayed with Dad at home,” I mutter, more to myself than my mom.

She gives me a stern look. “Definitely not. You’ve got nothing to hide. On the contrary…” Her lip twitches, and I get a sense that she hates whatever she’s about to say next. “You’ve done pretty well. A lot of my friends talk about your restaurant and how well it’s doing.”

Knowing that my mother wouldn’t have anything good to say about me if Ken hadn’t handed me the loan only stokes the riot raging in me. I ignore the feeling as best as I can.

“Plus…” My mom looks like she’s trying hard not to smile. “Your presence always makes the Edwards household…interesting.”

I resist the urge to scream in her face just as the door opens. I turn around, my heart already in my throat. But I relax almost instantly. The tall, dark-haired man standing in front of us in a suit is only Kali.

“Oh. Hi.” He takes our coats and fixes a broad smile on his face. “You look stunning as always, Ariel.” He gives me a once over and adds, “You too, Charlie.” Then he extends his arm to my mother. “Some people have migrated to the porch but let me show you where the real party is.”

Grinning broadly, my mother follows him, leaving me alone at the doorstep.

I glance down at my outfit. It’s a simple gray jumpsuit, dull enough to blend in with the background. I take my first tentative step into the house. As I suspected, there are more than two dozen people around, lounging on the couches, playing chess on the dining table, a few women drinking wine huddled in a corner. I’m relieved to see that most people around are my parents’ age—this isn’t going to be another high school reunion, apparently. I slip past the living room and the kitchen without anyone noticing me. Still, my heart is hammering in my chest, and it’s not hard to figure out why.

Ken is in heresomewhere.

Just weeks ago, I was certain Ken wouldn’t betray me again. But now, he sort of has.

The first time he did it, I avoided him for ten whole years. Who knows how long I’ll go this time around.

And I’m ready to start.

Over the past two weeks, I poured over the internet, researching an annulment. I plan to move out of his house after Christmas and end our marriage permanently.

It’s the only way I can move on. Thankfully, thisversion of Ken’s betrayal doesn’t come with total career ruin.

“Charlie!”

I turn around, dread forming in my chest. Thankfully, it’s just Elizabeth, Ken and Kali’s mother. She’s wearing a Christmas hat and, compared to my mom, is dressed down. She’s tucked away in a corner with a gaggle of ladies I vaguely recognize. After a few awkward introductions, she takes me by the hand and leads me back to the porch.

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