Page 85 of The Wedding Hoax

Simone scoffed. “Seriously, Harry? You really think that little of me?”

“I don’t even think you did it on purpose, Simone. I think you saw how different our lives were, and you just—”

“Decided that I was going to scam you by getting myself pregnant?”

“I think you decided that you’d rather be comfortable than struggle, and on the surface, there’s nothing wrong with that,” I replied. “Hell, maybe you were just looking out for your mom—”

“Nope,” Simone cut me off. “I can’t stay here, Harry. Not if that’s what you seriously think of me after all this time. You really think that I’d do that to you?”

“Simone—”

“I can be out in a week. My mom and I will figure things out on our own.”

“Stop.” I gently grabbed her hand. “Don’t make decisions when you’re upset like this—”

Simone pulled her hand away from me, her eyes on me like I was a complete stranger. “You don’t get to tell me how to feel, Harry.”

Fuck.

I could feel something shifting between us and it hurt.

“Fine.” I walked out of the office and glanced at her from the hallway. “If one of us can’t be here anymore, then it’s going to be me.”

“Wait. What? But this is your house!” Simone trailed behind me as I headed toward my bedroom. “You’re really going to move out of your own place?”

“Eileen needs to get better, and you need to start making plans for bed rest,” I said. I entered my bedroom and pulled a suitcase out of the closet. “I can always make reservations at the Waldorf for the rest of the week. Maybe longer.”

“Harry—”

“You don’t get to tell me what to do, Simone,” I said, echoing her words from earlier. “You should probably go check on your mom. We can catch up later. Or not.”

“Or not.” Simone nodded before she left my bedroom. I waited to see if she would’ve at least turned to look at me, just one last time.

But she never looked back. Not even once.

And I felt the gap between us growing even wider.

* * *

“Harry. There you are.” My mom greeted me with a warm smile as I walked through the entryway of my parents’ house later that day. “You look as handsome as ever.”

“Thanks, Mom.” I faked a smile as she pulled me in for a hug.

I was all dressed up in a suit and tie, at my mom’s request. Today was the day they were signing the company over to me, and apparently, it was tradition to hire a photographer for the occasion. Which meant that I needed to look my best or else I risked embarrassing the family name.

“There you are, son.” My dad appeared in the foyer with a huge grin on his face. “You look great. Did Simone help you pick out your outfit?”

“Something like that, yeah.”

More like she hasn’t spoken to me in a day.

Not a text. Not a phone call.

Not even an email just to check in.

“I’m not surprised.” My mom chuckled. “Simone seems like someone who knows how to present herself. Of course, she’d want her husband to look good, too.”

“Speaking of, your brother wanted to know if Simone is planning anything for your birthday? It’s right around the corner, you know, and Sean wants to be included if she is planning something. He’s very excited about it.”

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