Chapter 10

Elena

Emily's words kept playing in my head on a loop.

She said I'd regret this.

I pulled out my phone and dialed her number. She picked up after maybe ten seconds.

"Oh, so now you're calling me? I thought you were too tough for that."

She sounded so smug.

"Where are you?" I kept my voice flat.

She gave me an address.

I hung up and got in a cab.

Half an hour later, I was standing outside the Skyline Club.

I'd never been to places like this. The flashing lights and loud music hit me the second I walked in, making my head spin. I found a quiet corner and took a few pills, waiting for the dizziness to pass before I kept going.

It took me another ten minutes to find Emily's private room.

I was about to knock when I heard voices inside.

"If Dr. Sinclair won't drink this, then William has to do it for her!"

"Yeah! Make her feed it to him!"

I froze.

Chloe was in there. And apparently, so was William.

He actually came to a place like this. I guess love makes you break all your own rules.

The bitter thought made me stop caring about knocking. I just pushed the door open.

There were maybe seven or eight people inside, all young and dressed like money. William and Chloe sat right in the middle, surrounded by everyone else. They looked perfect together.

Every head turned toward me.

I stood there alone in the doorway, facing all those stares. Some angry, some confused, some just surprised.

Charles Gray recovered first. He was William's childhood friend, the one yelling about Chloe feeding William drinks. I remembered him from our wedding, pushing me into William's arms, making us kiss in front of everyone.

Back then, William had gone along with it. He'd done everything they suggested.

I really thought it meant something. That maybe he felt something for me too. Why else would his friends act that way? Why else would he listen?

I was so stupid.

Charles was exactly the same with everyone. And William...

My eyes found his face. That cold, stern expression.

When I first walked in, I'd seen him smiling. The second he noticed me, his face turned to stone.

I looked away, hiding the ache in my chest.

"I'm not here for William. I'm here for—"

"Oh my god." Charles cut me off. "William's just playing games with his friends. Did you really have to chase him here? Being this pathetic is honestly embarrassing."

I felt my face get hot.

Everyone was looking at me like I was trash. Everyone except Emily, who looked guilty, and William, who just looked cold.

I wanted to run. I've never been brave enough for confrontations like this.

I glanced at Emily a few times, then turned and walked out.

My chest felt tight. I leaned against the wall outside and pulled out my phone to text Emily.

Just as I hit send, I heard a soft voice behind me.

"Miss Vance? Could we talk for a moment?"

Chloe Sinclair.

The genius PhD everyone talked about. The woman in all the news articles. The one William actually loved. I was finally meeting her face to face.

I straightened my back automatically and turned around.

I'd seen her on TV before. She looked too beautiful to be real, too perfect to be the same woman who sent me those taunting texts and breathy voice messages.

But standing here now, looking at her directly, something felt off. Her eyes weren't as clear as they looked on screen. Her smile wasn't as innocent.

"Go ahead, Dr. Sinclair."

I kept my voice steady even though my hands were shaking.

She laughed, covering her mouth.

"Why so tense? I just want to chat. By the way, has anyone ever told you that you look a lot like me?"

I went completely still.

I'd expected her to say something about the lawsuit. Not this.

What was she trying to say?

I'm not stupid. I understood exactly what she meant almost immediately.

And her next words confirmed it.

"William and I actually go way back. I just had to focus on my studies, so we took a break. For me, my career will always matter more than marriage. I could never accept being some housewife who lives for other people's approval. I think women should have pride, Elena. Even if we can't have a man's love, we shouldn't settle for being someone's replacement. Don't you think?"

Her tone was so calm, so reasonable.

Anyone watching would think she was some kind older sister giving helpful advice. They'd never guess she was a mistress trying to convince the wife to step aside.

I took two steps back. The pain in my chest spread until I couldn't breathe.

This wasn't the first time I'd heard something like this.

After Chloe got famous, people kept asking if we were sisters. Why we looked so similar.

Even William's friends asked him if he'd married me as Chloe's substitute.

Back then, I was too scared to face it. When I heard them ask, I'd run away.

I didn't want to know the truth.

As long as I never heard William's answer, I could keep lying to myself.

But now Chloe was spelling it out for me.

I looked down, trying to ignore the sick feeling in my stomach.

"So you're saying I should divorce William and give you your spot back? Is that it?"

Chloe gasped like I'd slapped her. Her face turned bright red.

"Elena! How can you say something like that? William and I are just friends! I'm trying to help you as one woman to another! I want you to be independent, to have dignity! How can you twist my words like this?"

She got more and more worked up. By the end, she was actually crying.

I frowned.

This wasn't the same woman who'd sent me those smug anonymous messages.

"Hey, that's way out of line."

A man's voice cut in.

Of course. Chloe's little performance had an audience now.