Page 20 of The Wife Deception
A Hawthorne looking after another Hawthorne. Even a Hawthorne through marriage. They looked after each other just like grandfather had said. I wondered if they would extend the same protection to me. Probably not. He would gladly send me to the wolves if he could. I turned my gaze to my husband. In a well cut black tuxedo and bowtie, he was the very image of a handsome man. My heart skipped a beat when I walked out of my bedroom and saw him waiting for me. My heart hasn't recovered since.
"And what about you, Aelin?"
Darcy yanked me out of my reverie. She gawked at me, waiting for an answer.
"Huh?"
Darcy repeated her question. "Will you be going to Lake Trenwood? You never missed a year, did you? Except for last year of course."
My heart beat faster and it wasn't because of the man with his hand on my waist. Fuck. Darcy knew Aelin. And what the fuck was Lake Trenwood? I remember nothing about it from my Aelin files.
"It's great to go off the grid every once in a while. I should try it sometimes," Hunter said.
Gemma sighed. "Lake Trenwood is amazing. Darcy introduced it to me last year and I can't wait to return."
"So?" Darcy raised her eyebrows. "Should we expect to see you this year?"
My tongue stuck to my mouth. I had no idea what to say and what would be the right thing to say. Yes or no?
Nolan's hand tightened around my waist. "Aelin and I will be somewhere else."
I swallowed a sigh of relief, but Darcy narrowed her eyes. Something told me I had avoided walking into a trap by not answering the question.
"How is New York? I know we're not as fun as LA," Gemma asked.
Technically, I've been in New York all of my life. "It's lovely."
"If you're looking for something to occupy yourself with, you could join our foundation," Darcy spoke in a sweet voice, but I was not dumb. Staying as far as away from Darcy as possible should be my priority while I was running in their circles.
Gemma's eyes widened. "That's a great idea!"
"You'll be doing great work. We've helped further cancer research to new heights," Darcy added.
Everyone's gaze turned to me. They were all waiting for my answer. "Sure, why not?" I couldn't exactly say no to curing cancer.
"Wonderful," Gemma said. "Give me your number. " She took out her phone out of her clutch purse and shoved it under her arm. "And I will send you the deets."
Just as I was inputting my phone number into Gemma's phone, a gong sounded, and the function began. Darcy, Gemma and Thalia disappeared as Hunter, Nolan and I headed for our table.
The function was nice. They had a famous talk show host as the host. There was a contemporary dance performance. Nolan got up and gave a speech plus a pledge to donate five million dollars. That drew gasps and a rumble of claps from the crowd. Following this, a legendary pop singer sang an acoustic version of her hit songs; concluding the event with a silent auction.
The auction was kinda boring and after sitting in the same position for too long; I wanted to stretch my legs. "I'm going to the powder room," I said to Nolan, who was busy on his phone. He didn't look up, but gave me an imperceptible nod. I got up and made a beeline to the doors at the corner of the ballroom.
The powder room was free of people, which made me relax a little. I wanted some time alonewithout having to act like someone else all the time.
I opened a faucet and ran my hand under the water. The rivulets were cool on my skin and calmed me down. But before I could fully relax, footsteps and chatter from outside became louder. People were coming into the bathroom. As the voices came nearer, they became more recognizable. Darcy and Thalia!
I rushed into a stall and shut it. I don't know why, I just didn't want to face them right now. To make sure they would not see me, I closed the porcelain lid of the toilet and hunched on top of it.
"I heard something happened at brunch," Darcy said as she entered.
"It was kinda distressful," Thalia replied and told Darcy all about the brunch debacle as the clattering of powder cases and the popping of lipstick lids provided a soundtrack to the story.
"I don't know why he married her," Darcy said when Thalia was done.
"He did it for the business, according to Carey."
"Does your brother-in-law know that Hawthorne is not everything?"
