Page 124 of Axe Backwards
At the sound of Noah’s voice, I frowned in confusion. Then a wave of dread washed over me.
“I’m sohappy you asked me to be your fake boyfriend.”
“I’m happy you accepted.”
“It’s wild to think this all started because I didn’t want you to go to your sister’s wedding alone.”
“I had to bring a fake date to my sister’s wedding to my ex-husband.”
“If you need me to fake being your boyfriend, your husband, anything, I’ll do it without hesitation.”
It was us.Noah and me. The conversation he’d recorded was a private one. One we’d had while we were alone in his apartment. And it had been edited. Like this, what we were saying sounded insane. Like we were two kids coming up with some kind of elaborate prank.
As a collective gasp rang out, Denis broke into a menacing grin.
Several people turned and gaped at me. My head spun and my world imploded. I sounded pathetic. I sounded dishonest.
My heart pounded wildly and my vision went spotty.
Alice appeared at my elbow, her concerned expression only adding to my panic.
Bile rose in my throat and shame washed over me. Victoria, the pathetic spinster who’d had to bring a fake date for her sister’s wedding. The pitiful single woman whose husband cheated on her with half of Boston.
All those old emotions I’d fought for months, the ones that had finally died down and become manageable, came roaring back to life. My knees wobbled, and for a moment, I was sure I’d crumple to the floor.
But Noah gripped my arm, holding me tight, even as he wore his own look of shock and confusion.
“Let’s get out of here,” he said, giving me a gentle tug.
I let him lead me to the exit. Every eye in the place was fixed on us, every mouth agape.
As we approached the door, I saw them. My family.
Mom and Dad stood with their arms crossed, and Alexandra’s face was red, her expression murderous.
“You brought a fake date to my wedding?” she hissed.
Noah stepped closer, his body angled in front of mine protectively. “Let me explain—”
“You are so pathetic,” she spat. “Get it through your head. He chose me. I’m having his baby.” With that, she took Graham’s arm and stomped out the door. My parents followed silently, my mother looking positively mortified.
My knees gave out, but Noah caught me before I could hit the ground. I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me whole. I was pathetic. An utter failure. How could I delude myself into thinking I was finally worthy of respect and maybe a little admiration? God, I was an embarrassment.
“Vic. Talk to me.” Noah put his arm around me, shielding me from prying eyes.
“I want to go home,” I said softly. “Alone.”
Chapter 41
Noah
Icouldn’t fucking sleep. So I paced and fought the urge to punch through the walls.
Thank God Tess was at Mom’s for a sleepover. I was in no position to care for her tonight.
I dropped and did a set of pushups, then another, trying to exhaust myself. When that didn’t work, I yanked headphones over my ears and tried to focus on a parenting podcast.
But I could not shake the feeling that something had broken tonight.
